Reading Time: 2 minutes

Every once in a while, life intervenes. This was one of those long weeks, made even longer by a computer crash on the day before Halloween.

Truth be told, the real crash was Thursday. I was working on an important message for Sunday morning worship. When I stood up to take a break, the computer slid off onto the hard marble floor.

I dinged the casing a bit. Still, with no other apparent injuries, it continued to be bright and responsive. Then I returned to my work.

I pecked away at it, off and on, including at 5 a.m., adding details to make it more interesting, removing some that were TMI. I tightened and practiced.

Then I packed it up and went off to church. I even took another last-minute look just before I went up to make my talk. It went well. I said what needed to be said, with a little bit of humor and a little bit of drama.

Then, when I got home, the screen of my laptop was completely shot. The computer was unusable.

Coincidence? Perhaps. Or perhaps God works in mysterious ways.

Other than some reading and research I’ve been working on, this was a week with no writing or project deadlines. That much was good. I did have deadlines on projects around the house and in my personal life, so I went to work on those.

The computer was out of commission for only 72 hours, 24 of which were between the crash and the first available appointment at Apple’s Genius Bar. Apple sent it out for repair Monday evening. It was at the lab the Tuesday and arrived at my doorstep Wednesday. Amazing service, thanks in part to standardization of parts. Smart guys people at Apple.

Next week: Real life continues but I hope to finish a short essay on the warm New England autumn we’re having (there’s a name for it) and more on the story behind Bubble Wrap. Stay tuned!

In case you missed it …