I have truly missed the laps that the cows used to do...

So often, on the way home, I would see the bull playing hide and go seek with the cows in the pasture. It was adorable to see that huge animal, look over to me and tell me not to tell the cows where he was.

The bull would be standing next to a narrow tree, with most of his body sticking out on both sides and quietly waiting for them to find him. They were giggling and moving in his direction to pretend that they didn't see him. I guess that is their little secret!

The Squirrels said the bluejays are not the only animals who find interest in tennis...

Usually, it is Ms. Bluejay, coaching me from the rafters, when she sees me with my children. Now, my times with my children are few and far between, at the courts, at least. She was around, but silent in her criticisms of my lack of motivation and lack of clarity to create the passion for flight in my children.

In years past, she would stand right over my shoulder and shout about what I wasn't including of my motivation for the motions of continuous wing motions that we share in common. Bluejays realize the relationship between flight and the swinging of the arms in tennis. They say that teaching your children to play that sport is as close to being a bird and tossing them from the nest that there could be. Especially the service motion is pecked at by her, whenever I see her. If you could do that motion 100times fast, you might be hovering over the ground. She loves it. She giggles on the fence thinking that I am trying to fly and teach my children to fly.

Now that my childrearing is at the end, we find fewer meetings to giggle about our commonality. This Saturday was such a moment. I drug Ez onto the courts from the swings for 15 or 20 minutes of "sharing" on the court. Shame that what used to be insistent and intense instruction and coaching has condescended to "parental sharing". I love what age does to relationships. The elder children know me in the intensity of my "overhead" They know the "better duck!" look on my face, when the drool to knock the hair off the ball comes into my eyes. Not Ez, he knows tennis as a peaceful time of secret abilities that he is not yet really privy to how the ball and the racket come together to form a rally. What is a rally? Mrs. Bluejay turns her back, she can't look at such a travesty.

Well anyway, the squirrels said they had found their commonality with the sport in the aim that I take on my serve. They said it is like when they choose a branch on the heights to jump to. They were aiming above me and a mommy was showing her little ones the joys of jumping from tree to tree. Sometimes hitting the branch you aimed for and sometimes falling to a lower branch. It was fun to see them enjoying the same interaction I was having with my little squirrel.

A Beacon in the Night and a Beacon in NY, I think they are the same thing, sometimes. Light us with Your Truth, Lord. I miss my dark and wonderful city!

Precocious or a rabble rousing Cow?

There we were traveling along a country road. Cattle on a thousand hills were here and there. I was gawking at the splendor so much that when a bunch of starlings darted out in front of the car, it startled me. It didn't startle my husband driving. Had it been me, I would've swerved. I had to turn and see who did that. I saw a giggling and running lone cow running from the scene of the crime. I laughed with her, that she had gotten those starling's back for the many times that they had startled her. She was leaping like a deer and glad that she had gotten the last laugh, that great Sunday Morning. I call her "Yitzahka". Don't you know it's Sunday Yitzahka?

L-M-N-O-P.....Where's XI? what if we missed it flying through the alphabet?

There is definitely a hole in our brains on the way to PI. It is Xi. It is the hole in our brains on the way to PI. Why? Have you ever wondered why we rush through those letters like we do? It is pi day. Stop moving forward and go back to Xi and look up!!!

The compassion of the creation around me? Flying and Mooing in favor and compassion?

They seem aware, especially the cows...

I don't know how they know the sadness of heart that comes yearly. They are always on the guard with real maternal sympathies. They said, try jogging, last week. The whole crew of them, said look what we do after breakfast, you know this is your sad season...

Then, yesterday they showed me that they were praying for me at their morning devotional. I said thank you to them.

The blackbirds in the other neighborhood showed me their morning regimen and reminded me about Obie and his siblings who were a comfort. They said this is how we deal with our pains we watch out for other people's children, too. It doesn't hurt so bad when you are overseeing the little ones around you and God's hand of comfort is always attending the future, more than the past. I said Thank you for showing me that.

Myrtle Beach

The Amen for the sunrise service with the seagulls was spectacular. We tried for 3 days to get to sunrise service and we were thwarted one way or another each day until the Sunday service.

Ev said the seagulls are wondering why people even come to the beach after the amen of sunrise prayer. She really could have come with us to see the Amen. The whole flock sat on the beach and watched as we watched for the sun. No one budged, but us as we tried to find the right spot to spectate. The sand was cold and the sound of the waves flapping was the only sound that we could hear. None of them made a peep as God was obviously the center of their attention. God called them to order as He does everyday. Sunrise is their daysong.

Clouds were spotting here and there and I wondered if they would delay the sight. They didn't and all of a sudden the sacred hush was punctured by a flash of slivered light, pink and yellow and then the flapping of all of the wings at once. It was 'as if' some one had said go. We call it the AMEN. They flew up in the air all of them and danced around eachother, clearly grateful that they had lived through the night to see another day. Isn't God good!

That was their Amen!