small things

[Shakespearian aside: some see this as an e-mail,

 some as a LiveJournal, some on FaceBook,

 and some as a blog, “The Ever Encouraging Word.” 

 For any latecomers, you may wish to know that

 dave has a mentor and muse, Titania.

 Unlike in a Midsummer Night’s Dream

 {written in jest of her by the Bard},

 there is no Oberon; however,

 she is Queen of the Faerie realm,

 and, created just after the angels,

 she has been around since the dawn of Creation,

 when the One, the Spirit of the One,

 and He-Who-Rose-with-the-Dawn(who is the One)

 sang the Song of Creation

 and called all things into being. 

 In addition, White Tiger,

 the physical embodiment of human courage,

 sometimes has something to say;

 & between the two of them,

 they try to speak a word or two

 to teach dave a thing or two,

 which is not easy, since he is hard to teach.]

*in the shade of some Georgia pines

 in a favored patch of Oakey Woods,

 Titania sits with dave on a tree

 felled by the recent wind storms*

dave: “do you remember Norman Bourlag?”

Titania: “yes, I knew him well.

      Millions upon millions had their lives saved

      by his drought-resistant seeds.

      He lived his life in alignment with the One,

      and the song of his life was strong.”

dave: “well, that’s my point;

      he made himself available to God

      and he was allowed to do huge things.

      But what about the rest of us?

      What about when we try and tune in

      and tune out the noise,

      and try and make ourselves available to God,

      but we don’t get asked to do the big things.

      Sometimes the things we get asked to do...

      seem pretty small.  What about that?”

Titania: *gently laughing*

      “You jest well!”

      *looking at dave more intently*

      “No, you’re serious!

      *looking heavenward*

      “Lord how long must I

      abide one such as this?”

*dave hears naught but a rumbling thunder;

 however, to the Faerie Queen,

 it is intelligible*

Titania: *bowing with upraised hands*

      “Yes, let it be even as You say.

      *to dave*

      “Look and learn;

      and to him who has ears, let him hear.”

*passing her hand over the forest floor,

earthpower flows; clay becomes sand,

sand melts into glass,

and glass becomes more than glass,

the mirror of Titania*

*darkness in the mirror shifts

 to a side street of a small town

 that looks like it could be anywhere*

*at the very end of the street,

 a small house is on fire*

Titania: “the town is tiny,

      possessing little equipment;

      the alarm has been raised, however,

      those who fight fires

      are away on another call;

      they will not arrive in time. 

      Behold.”

*the woman of the house is outside

holding on to her small daughter;

in the kitchen window,

a small puppy can be seen

against a background of flames;

eyes wide in terror,

her little paws beat against the glass*

the girl: *trying to break her mother’s grip*

“Momma!  Fiji!  We got to save Fiji!!!

*crying along with her daughter,

 the mother holds the girl even more tightly

 to prevent her from going back in

 to certain death*

*a homeless man walks down the street;

 his age hard to guess,

 he seems older than he is

 for he wears his years hard

 upon his gaunt frame*

*with a glance,

 the man takes in the entire situation;

 without hesitation,

 he rushes through the front door

 and into the flames*

*in the kitchen, he finds one towel;

 he wets it in the sink,

 then wraps the frantic puppy in it

 before plunging back through

 the smoke and flames of the living room*

*outside the house,

 the puppy peeks out from under the towel

 as the man hands her to the little girl*

the girl: *hugging the man and puppy together*

      “Thank you, Mister!!!”

      *to her mother*

“Momma, Momma, Momma look!

 He saved Fiji!”

*overcome by smoke inhalation,

 the man lies down in the yard*

*he watches, smiling,

 while the girl hugs the puppy

 as she licks the girls face;

 it is the last thing he sees

 just before he dies*

*the mirror goes black*

Titania: “Well?  You just saw the present.

      You just saw a man give up all that he was

      and all that he ever would be

      to save the life of a small puppy.

      That’s but a ‘small thing,’ yes?

      “Here’s what you did not see, the past.

 Just this morning, he prayed

 he might be used by God in some way.

      “Here’s what else you did not see,

       the future.

       This girl’s father abandoned her as a baby;

       she has never known a Father’s love,

       hence, she has struggled with the concept

       of God as Nurturer and Savior.

       Yet in one selfless act of love,

       this man has altered the course of her life.

       Having seen God’s love

       in this saving of her puppy,

       the song of her life

       will henceforth pull in countless others

       who will see Deep Heaven

       because her finger

       will point the way to the One.

      “Now do you see?

       Nothing done out of love

       is ever a small thing.

       All such are part of the warp and weave

       of the Master’s hand,

       with reverberations you may not see

       this side of heaven.”

*and once more, for the umpteenth time,

 Titania speaks to dave of the things that were,

 the things that are,

 and the things that must yet come to pass*

[this was written in memory and honor of Fiji,

 a much-beloved little puppy

 who went home to heaven too soon

 to suit those she loved and left behind]