If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. 
     -----Luke 16:10

Following this post, you will see a quote by Andrew Wyeth. He reminds us that winter holds stories beyond the bone structure of naked trees.  Here is just one of those stories.  (Revisited from December 2020)

In my quiet courtyard, this maple tree is a feast for the eyes.  The bright red leaves create a festive canopy for my outdoor winter nook.  But last year, there was a sudden shift.

A nor’easter arrived and flashed through my neighborhood. It rattled the doors and windows and sent trash cans rolling down the street.  When it finally relented, hours later, I looked outside and saw that my beautiful red maple was stripped bare.    

I was unprepared for the sudden loss of this tree and equally unprepared for my reaction.  The wind that tore at my tree also robbed something from me.  It was last year, and we were still distancing, still grieving losses. 

(December 2020) The empty tree mirrored my own isolation. It took away all my pretenses for coping with COVID. It erased any sense of proportion.  Laid bare was the grief and sorrow that I had kept tamped down. Maybe it hurt too much to acknowledge the unfathomable pain felt by those who lost loves ones and those about to lose their homes. But now, I felt as naked as my tree. Sadness settled in and I wore it like a heavy overcoat, depressing my energy, depressing joy.  I remained indoors. Head down. No walks.

I was feeling the sorrow of the world. But I was about to see there was more to the story. 

I had to shake out of this despair.  So, I tentatively ventured outside.   There was something so unexpected.  My eyes rested on a beautiful carpet of red. 

Still Here, Only Differently

My leaves seem to say, “I’m still here, only differently.” Like the thousands of lost souls gone from our sight, their spirit is still with us. My mind rested on that and leapt to a higher energy. 

Nature literally rolled out her red carpet for me and my mind leapt to a higher energy.  I know it may sound insignificant, even silly, but this little thing brought me back from despair. I wasn’t prepared for this joy, but I felt the impulse to be faithful to it.

If you are faithful in the little things . . .

                                 . . . . .you will be faithful in the large ones.

Advent is something we do: Preparing for joy and a higher mind energy

The faithful love of the Lord never ends!
  His mercies never cease.
Great is his faithfulness;
 his mercies begin afresh each morning.
       ---------Lamentations 3:22-23

Advent: The Little Quiet Things