This morning I got up and went out to water the garden and pull weeds from our front flower bed before the temp soared from a comfortable 90+ to a less desirable 100+. While out there one of our barn cats was weaving in and out of my hands as I pulled weeds. I petted him; he continued. I picked him up (risking hairy pajamas, we have no neighbors close by sooo... yes, I was in my pj's) he was relentless. Every time I reached for anything I had a cat laying on my hand. After several shoves and now ignoring him the best I could I was done pulling weeds. I turned on the garden sprinkler and started inside. About this time I stopped to admire in awe a patch of naked ladies that had mysteriously come up and bloomed over by our statue of Mary. If you are not familiar with these lilies they are a green leafy plant in spring and then they appear to die. After many weeks they miraculously reappear in what seems to me to be the most perfect moments and places. They are all but forgotten about and then there they are. I stood there admiring these flowers. I thought our chickens had destroyed them. As I stood there the cat continued to "talk" to me and weave in and out of my legs. I finally sat down at the picnic table. I sat there & thought about the time I fell in love with these magic pink lilies. I was pregnant with our third child & had been on bed rest for weeks. I was a little depressed about the situation and allowed to get up only for the restroom and a 10min shower once a day. I used my "restroom trips" to their fullest. I remember getting up one morning and these lovely pink flowers were peaking in my window just above the sill where nothing had been the day before. They filled me with joy for the remainder of their stay there. I could not be outside (I am a very outside person) they came to me right when I needed them. So began, and there is no better way to put it; "my love affair with naked ladies". Back to the cat. Yes, he was still there, rubbing and annoying me at an an ever increasing rate. Finally, I went inside leaving him and his furry backside outdoors. I got in poured some coffee and mentioned the lilies to my daughter and youngest son who were now eating banana bread at the kitchen counter. I sipped my coffee, sliced a piece of bread for myself and sat down. Just then it occurred to me. The cat wanted to be fed!!!! oops. I got up went down and poured some food in his bowl. His other two barn roomies gathered at the dish as well. How patient he had been while I became annoyed with his gestures of affection. How calmly he had remained by my side as I ignored him and pushed him away. He only wanted to be fed. There are many things in our life that need to be "fed", sometimes we just don't recognize it. Some things often become big nuisances when all they really need is a little tending to. I was again outside and I walked back over to admire the pink lilies. Something from nothing. A touch of beauty where yesterday, nothing existed. How many times in life do we ignore the kind & subtle nudges we get from God and others who care about us? How many times has our Lord's presence & HIS ability to take nothing and help us to make something; passed up because we just don't understand or "listen". Humans have evolved so much that sometimes we lose our ability to appreciate the simple or to trust our instincts. We should open our hearts to the quiet, listen to the strength of touch and pray for peace and understanding in our lives. Beauty and grace are all around us, if we look. Sometimes they spring from nothing in unexpected places and other times they are there annoying us like our barn cat and just need tending to. Listen to the things around you, not just the audible but the inaudible as well. You may be amazed at what Our Lord lays at your feet.
Copyright © 2011-2012 Micheline Edwards
All rights reserved to by Micheline Edwards
No comments:
Post a Comment