Happy Wednesday to all TSJ Friends, Family and Fans!
Sometimes even a slight change in perspective can change the course of your thoughts, of your day, or even of your life!
Have you ever had that happen? How did it happen for you?
Perhaps like me, you can point to a few such moments that shifted the course of your career or your belief system.
Anyhow, this can happen in either large or small ways, of course. It can be from a book, a chance encounter with something or someone, or from music, scriptures or a song etc.
So perhaps that explains why last evening when I sat down on my futon rather than at my desk, I had a special touch of the divine. I looked to the right only to find myself face to face, eyeball to eyeball with Solomon! I instinctively reached out to touch his soft “wool” and suddenly felt an instant gentle massage of the heart. An inexplicable calm came in a wave over me.
As you know, we are living in a time when it is difficult to keep our hearts and minds aligned with all that is Good, True, and Beautiful. As I wrote last week, it feels more often like we are “wriggling through holes” of despair and negativity in our current pandemic and world situation. This is true politically, environmentally, and spiritually.
Solomon is intent on beaming some wisdom nuggets our way in the weeks ahead.
And I know one thing we each can do is “be the change we want to see” by remembering that we can keep focused on what is good within us and around us.
Today, however, I am just going to tell you a story about a young shepherd girl. Me.
A SHEPHERD IN TRAINING
It was haying season. That sometimes took the men, my big brother (by two years) and hired hands out into the fields for hours and hours. So I am very familiar with the saying, “Make hay while the sun shines!”
I think I was about twelve at the time and while Mom was busily cooking and packing a lunch for the working men, I entertained my two little brothers and sister who were about 4-5 yrs old with the youngest being 2-3 yrs. (as I remember it.)
Finally, she loaded us all in the car. I don’t think I understood exactly where we were going or what I was going to have to do.
Eventually we drove from Cortland (our home) to Preble where dad had some land. It was not far but to a young girl it all seemed a bit intimidating. Mom drove us to a beautiful little lake called Song Lake. There was a place where one could drive to the water’s edge and for quite a ways out it was shallow enough for children to play safely in the water. We were the only people there. The others were literally leaving when we arrived. Might the dark skies have had something to do with that?
The little ones were very happy. Especially the boys. My sister was always figuring out what was safe so she had a tendency to be cautious and she also sized up situations quickly as to what was the right thing to do, practically from the time she was born.
Mom left me with some instructions. Good instructions. Scary instructions. I was to keep my eye on the kids every single second or they could drown.
Then she left to go to the fields (I had no idea where that was or where I was) to take dad some lunch. She seemed cheerful and I think it was a good outing for her.
She drove off. I felt FEAR. Alone … who knows where …. and with the little ones counting on me.
Soon they were happily playing in the water, but to me the sky looked threatening. I watched it like a hawk but also kept an eye on the kids. She had told me if it should thunder to get the kids out of the water immediately.
I started to warn the kids that we may have to get out of the water soon. Of course there was resistance. What little boy wants to get out of the water just because his big sister tells him he should?
This was an early lesson on two things a shepherd needs to know in protecting and caring for the sheep:
- Know the territory where you are shepherding the sheep
- Know the temperament of each of your sheep (or as Fred Rogers would say: “The territory of the child’s mind.”)
NEEDING A SHELTER
The thunder rumbled. I looked around and I think my mom had told me I might have to find some shelter for the kids if a pop-up summer storm should occur. I looked up the road and saw an old, old looking barn. Good enough. We just had to get there.
I quickly wrapped towels around the kids. We grabbed our shoes and socks – no time to put them on. My little sister was a huge help in getting her brothers to listen. We did get out before the lightning hit. Rain started coming and I had us all hold hands and started hurriedly “dragging them” along behind me toward the barn. I assured them we would be safe there, but in truth I was not sure.
I was trying to get them there as fast as possible and it was difficult! We were still several yards from the shelter when a car pulled up beside us.
RESCUED!
The car that came held our parents! Dad was driving. No more haying as it was raining. Mom rolled down her window and told us to climb in! I was never more grateful to see my parents. They laughed at me. I did not like that but I was so happy to be in the car. They said they saw my long skinny legs dragging those little ones faster than they could possibly keep up and it was quite humorous. They realized I had hurt feelings and was partly crying from relief and assured me I had done the right thing.
Watching the recent rescuing of American and Afghan families brings home to our hearts (that literally ache for them) just how much we all need to be shepherded and sheltered.
A SONG
While I was at Song Lake it was not until later in life that I realized the power of Psalm 23 (David’s song) for comfort and hope.
I find it consoling and slightly amusing that as I type this I hear rolling thunder in the distance and see a slight rainbow in the sky out of my office window. And I am not afraid! Of course I am in the shelter of my home.
The God who Shepherds me now is the same God that guided me and my precious young siblings to the shelter then!
Shepherding is discussed through the scriptures and I delight in studying this because it truly is a useful metaphor for parenting and leadership. It is as useful for our inner journey of awareness and growth as well as for the physical journey we humans are on.
Also the 23rd Psalm (David’s Song) deserves a central place in our hearts and minds.
It is not a psalm just for the time of death. It is a song of life! Everyday life. David was a shepherd as a young teen. He knew the terrain and the troubles within it. He was also a poet and musician as well as as a warrior and eventually king. So that song represents one who knew the territory of a shepherd’s life.
And it is a song for all times. . . Ancient and modern. It is comforting, calming and encouraging.
SUMMARY:
~~It is fun to discover how a slight change in perspective can open up our hearts and minds to pursue new adventures or even just to lighten our emotional loads.
~~Coming face to face with Solomon last evening in my office brought back memories and reawakened my love of the Shepherd and shepherding stories. It also made me think of Tom. He and I were married Aug 28, 1982 so next Saturday would have been our anniversary. I revel in the knowledge he loved Solomon and you “peeps” as much as I do!
~~No matter our age, we need our Chief Shepherd as we practice our own shepherding skills.
~~All of us need sheltering at one time or another.
~~Finally, two basic things to remember as parent shepherds are:
1) needing to know as much as we can about the territory our children live in so as to keep them safe and
2) knowing the natural tendencies of children’s development and their unique expressions in this world.
For the sake of the world’s children we need more than ever to be receptive to help, resources, learning and wisdom to be good examples for our children.
Finally, happy end of summer! I hope this finds you feeling sheltered and refreshed as we near the end of August!
With love and gratitude,
Margie and Solomon
