Nothing new under the sun

I have been thinking about the book of Ecclesiastes of late and the message that there is nothing new under the sun, or more specifically, "Is there a thing of which it is said, 'See, this is new'? It has already been in the ages before us." Ecclesiastes 1:10, NRSV. I started down this thought path as my husband and I listened to old radio shows on a long trip recently on our new satellite radio system. I remembered my parents stories about listening to the radio in the days before television. Then I started thinking about the fact that online catalog sales are growing and traditional brick and mortar stores are struggling or closing. I remembered that at one time, if you needed something you ordered it through the catalog and waited until it arrived. Finally, I focused on one of the new shopping and living developments south of us, which combines businesses and residences in a convenient, small, dense area, much like cities did once upon a time. I suspect many of those involved in these new trends are not old enough to remember when these new things were the old normal. Maybe not exactly "nothing new under the sun," but certainly a return to old practices in a new form, which pretty much amounts to the same thing. There is a lot of wisdom in the ancient book of Ecclesastes.

Grace and Peace,

Donna Sue