03.13.2026 | Friday in Lent

Things Change
 
It has been a bit of a whirlwind around the old Carondelet Cottage this week. The tuckpointers finished the east and west walls, and they look beautiful. I cleaned up the gardens on both sides once the work was done. Then came the need for a new water heater. While the plumbers were here, I decided it was finally time to add a water spigot on the back of the house to make summer watering easier. After forty years of dragging a hose around the house, I was ready for a change. And as anyone who lives in a hundred‑year‑old home knows… things change.
 
The water lines were not up to code, so those had to be replaced. The gas lines to the water heater needed upgrading as well. Then, while drilling through the brick on the north side for the new spigot, the brick decided to come loose and fall back into the house. Yes, indeed. Things change. They couldn’t finish that part of the job until the brick was repaired. My mason was tied up with other projects, so it was back to my friendly hardware store for advice. In the end, the old gardener got the job done. The brick is secure and looks pretty good, all things considered. I call that a win.
 
And still, the changes keep coming. You know you live in Saint Louis when you turn on your air conditioner, use your fireplace to knock off the chill, turn your furnace back on, pull out the electric blanket one more time, and then realize you may have put the snow shovel away a little too soon. All in one week. Yes, indeed—things change.
 
Things change. It is the rule of life. It keeps things interesting. It keeps things frustrating. And it can also provide hope. When we look at the anarchy of the world right now, the hope of change is real. It is what we cling to.
 
We are being called to learn perseverance. As we accept the changes that are inevitable, we discover that we come out stronger on the other side. James reminds us, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance” (James 1:2–3).
 
Perseverance:  because things change.