My daughter was in her
garden, digging to find a place for transplanting iris from the front yard. In the corner, against the fence, where the sun would be full and the iris would help camouflage the power box. All kinds of thoughts were rolling through her head: the coronavirus, her daughter studying in far away Australia; her son, having to finish his freshman year at college at home instead of his dorm room; both her children out of work; her brother, father of a little baby and husband, now unemployed. God, she prayed, why can’t things go back to when they were simpler?
She dug in the moist earth. All of a sudden she saw something small and blue. She dug a bit more and out popped a little Fisher Price figure. It was a rounded, plastic figure of a girl, with brown hair and eyes and a blue dress. She burst out laughing. The little figure was the perfect incarnation of a simpler, more trusting time. God, you surely heard my prayer, and reminded me that we are always in your mind. Your timing and sense of humor is flawless. You remind us in so many ways, we are constantly in your care, and I can trust our loved ones to you. Thank you, God.
She planted the iris in the earth, took the little figure inside and rinsed it off. It sits on her desk where she must work now from home, as reminder of God’s loving presence in all we do.