A Fire That Broke A Heart and Hope

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.