John Wade used to tell the story of a man who lost his sense of being close to God. He made a pilgrimage to Mt Sinai and stood on the mountainside, while asking God to send him a sign. He was waiting for something spectacular like lightning, smoke or a mighty voice. He waited for hours on his knees and nothing happened. On the verge of giving up, he looked toward the ground and saw a small violet that had just come into bloom. He remembered that the day he left his daughter had given him a handful of violets taken from the many that grew at his door. Then the idea came to him that God was close to him as the violet and he did not need to make along pilgrimage to find him. Do you feel far from God? He may be closer than you think.