Sunday, February 23, 2014

the lesson on the way to the woodshed


I never really want to go out and take care of the chickens first thing in the morning
when its cold (or even cold-ish) outside,
but I always feel a bit refreshed when I do.

This morning, as I was slipping my feet into my boots
(ugly boots - but cheap :-) 
I was thinking, 'I wonder if I'll find any gifts like Mary Anne does.
She gets the prettiest skies."

I'd already forgotten the thought when I walked out the door.
Good thing, though, 
because it's downright gloomy out, definitely no pretty sky today, and I might have had a little jealous pity party.
I was already bummed about missing out on the day's plans, after all.

I wasn't really looking around - just walking the familiar path to the chickens
and I stuck my hands in my pockets because it was a little chilly.
(it was actually the lesson on the way to the chicken coop, 
but I thought 'woodshed' sounded better ;-)

In one pocket (it was Tyler's coat) I found a glove
and in the other, some plastic.
I wondered if I'd found Tyler's missing glove, or if this was the one he knew about.
I hoped it was the missing one!
And I wondered if that plastic might just be a bag - because if it was, I could use it to carry eggs;
I'd forgotten to grab a bucket
and I was pretty sure we hadn't gathered eggs yesterday.
I pulled it out, and what do you know? It was a bag.

While stuffing the bag back into my pocket,
I heard a rustle at the pond.
I looked over, just as the blue heron was lifting off.
I watched him (I don't know why we always call it a him) fly off until I could no longer see him.
And that's when I got my lesson.
I should have been looking for gifts.
If I had gone outside, expecting to see something wonderful,
I surely would have.
And I would have been able to watch the heron on the pond,
instead of merely watching him fly away.

Now, I do try to look for goodness and beauty,
but I think maybe I need to purpose to look a little more.


4 comments:

  1. I think you meant to end it with "but I think maybe sometimes I neglect to see that I myself am a gift of goodness and beauty. And my favorite son is incredibly handsome also..." :P

    love you momma!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Amen Tony! lol and...both are a lesson we all should purpose to remember a little more often!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. you guys said it all!
    love you all!
    mom/grandma

    ReplyDelete

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