Catherine and Bill Robinson
were a couple in our parish in Becket, MA. During a visit to their home one day
they told me that the house they were in was not their original house. Years
ago their home had burned down; by the mercy of God no one was hurt, and while
no animal was burned, a dog’s heart was broken.
Their dog lay for days on the
concrete threshold where their front door had been and whined…then he died.
What a mysterious relationship
between man and creation; many facets, few understood, if any. Our backyard
holds a universe. The two holly trees off our deck are apartment buildings for
birds and places of safety for songbirds when owls and hawks scan for living
food. The moles and vols have a subway system that rivals London’s Tube. The
crows and turkey vultures (as ugly as they are) provide a garbage service that
cleans our street at no cost to us. The worms in our gardens are our partners
as they aerate the soil.
Our original habitat was a
garden, we will return to a Garden City – an arboretum, a place of life and
vibrancy. Won’t it be amazing when the lion lies down with the lamb?
A week or two ago I told a boy
of about ten years old who lives across the street that the great oaks in our
yard were descendants of Ents. He is a foster child who has been with his
foster family a few months. When I told him about the Ents he smiled and asked,
“Really?” It was the first time I’ve seen him smile, the first time I’ve seen a
hint of joy. I think it gave him hope. It gives me hope.
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