Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Joy

Wednesday, September 17, 2008


Several days ago I found myself sitting on the edge of a high bank, in a canyon, by a rushing, clear river....while my friend went after some trout, and our wives talked together.

I had walked down the gravel road a ways staring at the river and the wonderful mountainous territory just across the way. Aspens just beginning to turn golden. Air crisp and fresh.

I finally decided to just sit on a rock by the edge of the road...and listen and watch. That always seems, for me, to be the doorway to discovery.

Within a very few moments something caught my attention near my feet. Only inches long, it darted up on a rock 8 feet away and looked at me curiously. Tiny dark paws seemed to be clasped in prayer...and I could almost sense a "please" was in the air.

Too bad I didn't bring anything to give, I thought.

And then I remembered...I've got an Almond Joy in my camera bag.

I got up quietly and slowly to retrieve my bag. The chipmunk bobbed his head, but didn't move.

When I found the candy bar, I detached the almonds from the top.

The first one I tossed close to my little friend. He retrieved it - can I say "joyfully?" :)

The first almond he took to his rocky perch and ate...rotating the whitening nut in his "hands". With the second one he made the puch of his left cheek bulge and then scampered out of sight.

Chipmunks must have "leftovers" too....perhaps saved for cold, snowy days. He didn't just stuff himself. He saved for a scarcer time. Smart...really smart.

As I walked back from where I'd come from, I thought of how the tiny things in the world often amaze as much or more than the big things.

And I thought of Jesus who advised His hearers: "Consider the lilies. Look at the birds." (See Matthew Chapter 6 for the full account.) In fact, my impulse to write this blog today comes from the example of Jesus Who took His disciples into the fields with some frequency to share what He saw there about life and God.

So let's keep our eyes and ears open. And may we see beauty and experience joy in small things around us today.

Selah.

Dave

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