In nature, I notice that in the vast majority of cases, plants branch out in some way as they grow. These divisions are sometimes identical or sometimes slightly different - for example, in a tree the branches become thinner and thinner. Such divisions can also occur in soil plants. It inspires me when I think that in an area of life where I am with others - be it in the family, at work, in the church or in a club - such branching can also be natural. In other words, that individuals can contribute their preferences or talents in such a way that they can be lived out and grow and are not held back just because not everyone is able to or likes it. I think there is a deep truth and a blessing in the statement "diversity in unity" - but not always easy. If you are in such a situation with many differences - try to also see the good things in common.

I wish you an extraordinary day!

A little over a year ago, I regularly went into the forest in the morning for a long walk. At first the walk seemed quite long, but when I walked the same path a few times, I knew which sections were coming and it almost seemed like the walk was shorter than when I started - simply because of the familiarity. Our lives are usually very full and there is also a lot of unpredictable or new or unfamiliar things - or at least a partly unpredictable sequence. This is also stressful and causes such days to seem more intense or perhaps longer. Perhaps today is a day on which you consciously try to do as much as possible of the usual things or maybe even not to do them - in order to allow yourself a quiet island, a break, a breath and to feel where your centre is, where your origin is, where your life is going and what the beginning and end are. I am sure your mind, soul and body will thank you.

I wish you an extraordinary day!

If we are reading a book in the West, we pick it up and open it by opening the cover from right to left. We then read the first page from top left to right and then downwards. This is not only logical for us, but anything else would be unusual, as if right-handed people had to write with their left hand or vice versa. When I learned Hebrew, it was therefore very strange for me at the beginning to open the Hebrew Old Testament - from our point of view - from the back: that is, to open the cover of the book from left to right and thus to read the last page from top to bottom but from right to left, according to Western custom. Unfamiliar things need practice to become familiar with them. Perhaps you are already or will be in a situation in which something in your job or in a relationship is quite unusual, totally different from what you are used to. Give yourself time to get used to it. And above all: don't give up!

I wish you an extraordinary day!

In my understanding, a biotope is a place where nature is left to its own devices as much as possible. This means that humans intervene as little or not at all as possible. This creates habitats for animals that might not live in an environment cultivated by humans. It has algae and moss that would otherwise be removed by humans because it looks unkempt. Unkempt - exactly! Unkempt in this context means life. I think in our western world we tend to have it orderly, organised, well-kept. But that doesn't always leave room for the spontaneous, the unpredictable. The writer of the letter to the Hebrews admonishes them: Do not forget to practise hospitality! For without knowing it, some have received angels in this way. With such a perspective, would it not be worthwhile to live a more unkempt, uncontrolled, spontaneous lifestyle? I encourage you to do this today - let's see what you experience

I wish you an extraordinary day!

I had already done two impulses on the zipper. This time I will go into the individual links. There is no redundancy in the zipper. This means that none of the links can simply be left out or replaced in the event of a defect. Depending on the purpose of the zipper, the entire garment or bag or whatever is unusable if the zipper is defective. Small cause, big effect. Understandable in this case. In your case it is the same. You are unique, important and not redundant. If life circumstances whisper the opposite to you at the moment or the environment tells you that others are more important, more significant or whatever. That is not true. You are like the link in a zipper - if you are not there, then something is missing and no longer functions as it should. Maybe this is comforting you at the moment or it is comforting a friend of yours.

I wish you an extraordinary day!

I have formative memories of earlier years when I was just going about my daily life with my son - and suddenly noticed him doing exactly what I was doing. For example, I had a special way of pushing my bike - and suddenly I noticed out of the corner of my eye how my son tried to do the same as I did - and failed every now and then, but still, he kept at it until he succeeded. So there were other such examples: without me asking him to do the same, he imitated me in movements and behaviour. So it is not without reason that it is called: learning by example. I may also remember that as a teenager other people had influenced me by their particular ways, be it behaviour, laughter or tics, and I imitated them. What we look at and study shapes us. Paul exhorts the believers in the church at Ephesus to imitate God and how? He says as children beloved by Him. I think that is very beautiful.

I wish you an extraordinary day!

A tent is a very temporary type of accommodation. In most cases. Compared to a house or barracks, it can be put up and taken down quickly and is easy to transport. In camps, people often choose to spend the night in a tent. For house dwellers something adventurous, for nomads everyday. In a tent, I limit myself and do without comfort. I am much more exposed to the meteorological conditions, many things are much more immediate, closer. Withdrawal or separation is more difficult. When you are together like this for a certain time, conflicts arise more quickly, you live together more intensively. In his account of Jesus' life on this earth, one who knew Jesus very well, John, writes right at the beginning of his account that Jesus camped among us. From John's point of view, Jesus did not choose the flat, the house with retreat, but the tent, the great closeness to us with all the consequences. Remarkable.

I wish you an extraordinary day!

When something is well formed, especially smoothed, we often think it is in the best condition. Assuming a piece of wire remained straight - it would probably have only a very limited potential for use. When bent, on the other hand, it finds many different uses - as a paper clip, for example. Only when bent it is really useful. In our lives, we usually also strive for straightforwardness - our plans should come together nicely without detours. Sometimes this works, but not always. Maybe the comparison of the paper clip helps you when you grieve about certain situations or courses in your life in which you had the impression that life bent you, deformed you. But this experience can become a new potential for good use - in the right and expert hands of a higher power - like the paper clip. Perhaps you can also use it to comfort someone in sadness or disappointment.

I wish you an extraordinary day!

We live in a time and society in which reason has an enormously high value. As a rule, decisions must be rationally comprehensible and appropriately justified. These are often decisive acceptance criteria. But if we look at our lives and the really big decisions, we see - other mechanisms: As a rule, one does not choose one's partner exclusively on the basis of rational consideration! I also think of animals that live underground. A mole is blind and yet finds its way around in the ground in its gang landscape. No idea how. So I guess we all have our own navigational support that helps us move forward in life. If you are currently in a situation where decisions are being made that you cannot understand, check whether it is still worth trusting that decision. Maybe the decision-maker's navigation system is just different from yours, but just as reliable.

I wish you an extraordinary day!

I see in front of me a beautiful image of a stylish bicycle leaning against a railing at the side of the road, representing a kind of style image. Looks beautiful, emotional, atmospheric. But that's not what the bicycle was actually made for. Its primary purpose is not to look beautiful, but to be used as a vehicle. Then it has fulfilled its purpose. How is it with you? Do you seek and live more for looking beautiful to the outside world and to others in your life, or for what your heart burns for? That which, like nothing else, gives you the feeling and the certainty that you are living it out, that which makes you feel like nothing else but you? I invite you to take a few moments for this and to check concretely on the basis of the last 2-3 days: are you the leaning, unused bicycle that is simply nice to look at or is it in use? Do you perhaps need to change something, set new priorities?

I wish you an extraordinary day!