Sandpiper
February 9, 2012 § 6 Comments
When I was maybe thirteen, we were reading a collection of short stories as a family (we were great readers, together and on our own). I don’t remember the name of the book, but one story told of a woman who had gone to the beach to deal with her grief. She befriends a little girl at the edge of the water, a child with a tendency to find the happy things of the world. The girl has leukemia, or something like that, though the woman doesn’t know this until later on. If I’m remembering correctly, the child dies. But the girl loved sandpipers, and left the woman with a drawing of one and a bidding to be joyful (again, if memory serves me . . . has anyone else read this tale?). The title of the story I do remember: “A Sandpiper to Bring You Joy.” This phrase comes to mind so often for me, at random times, and always when I come across anything to do with sandpipers. I love it, and I don’t know why, except perhaps because of how it involves such a small, natural thing offered for the uplifting of another’s spirit.
Photo Credit: US Fish & Wildlife Service
So. Here you go. A sandpiper to bring you joy.
The third candle of advent: Joy
December 11, 2011 § Leave a comment
The third Sunday of advent celebrates the lighting of the Candle of Joy, or the Gaudete Candle. Gaudete is a Latin word meaning “Rejoice!” For Christians, this is a Sunday for experiencing the joy of the Lord’s promises, the joy that will come with the Christ-child’s birth, and the joy of His ultimate salvation of the world.
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Let your forbearance be known to all, for the Lord is near at hand; have no anxiety about anything, but in all things, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God. Lord, you have blessed your land; you have turned away the captivity of Jacob.” – Philippians 4:4–6; Psalm 85:1.
Kinds of Honey 