Susan LaffertyThey hear about this man. News travels fast along trade routes. Rumors fly down country roads.
And suddenly, here he is. Walking into their village.
They stand at a distance. Ten men. Diseased. Desperate in their pain and isolation. Unclean.
“Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” They say it loud. Across the divide.
This spring we looked for a car. A reliable used car. It’s been years since our last search. Integrity matters. In the car—and the car salesman. It did then. It does today.
But car-shopping has changed.
Now you can shop online and find a fairly detailed history of the vehicle you’re interested in.
The number of owners. Where it’s been registered. If it’s been in any accidents or had any recalls.
I keep it on my desk. This broken piece of a red clay. What remained after the common clay jar fell off the shelf one day.
My one semester in pottery class taught me a lot about clay and kilns. And the fragility of earthen vessels.
One small pebble could break apart a potter’s masterpiece as it was formed on the wheel or as it baked in the kiln.
