On Easter, a leader lit a peace lamp on the pulpit. Not a big deal, I guess, but I was six states away from where I usually worship, and her simple act of lighting a lamp for peace and praying for our divided world got me thinking.

Despite stark political divisions in the United States and a war in the Middle East, we can still see patterns of peace in our lives if we look for them—the small peace lamp kept my attention and burned during the entire Easter service.

While driving away from the barn where our family gathered for an early morning Easter sunrise service, I stopped the van. The farm’s owners had placed a small cross in the yard, strategically positioned to catch the bright rays of the rising sun. It stunned me, so I stopped, with four grandsons buckled in behind me. I needed to move quickly to take the photo of the crude cross that reminded me of the peace that I hope for in our world today.

And the sunrise service had been ecumenical, welcoming people from several area congregations. Again, to notice the pattern of peace was heartening to me.

Back in Virginia, after 4.5 hours of sleep, I spoke to a group of about 30 men for an early Tuesday morning Bible study. Again, I noticed and thought about the reality that these men and I came from 8-10 different congregations. It helps to look for patterns of peace because the small things we notice help to cope with larger differences in the world.

At work that first day back from Kansas, I ate lunch on the Welcome Center deck that faces toward the Massanutten Mountain. I’m always encouraged by the ancient mountain’s peak and its silent elegance, with the Blue Ridge beyond. Above the deck was a glorious pink dogwood, in full spring bloom, delivering beauty to my lunch break that was glorious, enchanting, and memorable.

It doesn’t always work for me, but when I can notice patterns of peace around me, in wholesome relationships, societal systems that still work, and natural wonders that amaze, my spirit fills with hope for peace in a broken world.