"When you encounter difficulties and contradictions, do not try to break them, but bend them with gentleness and time." ~ Saint Francis
For this touchstone, instead of starting with a quote, I looked for one to match a close encounter I had yesterday.
This Saint Francis quote is not a good match for the encounter I had, but it is good advice so let's let it guide us as we encounter difficulties and contradictions today and every day.
My close encounter yesterday was with something I fear: a snake.
I didn't realize how near I had been to it, nor how long I had been so near, until I stood from a comfortable wicker chair on my neighbor's lanai and saw that a snake had been resting at the back of the chair, at the small of my back, behind a pillow.
An interesting thing happened as a result.
I won't say that I no longer have any fear of snakes, but I do feel less afraid after being very near one and having it simply rest in the warmth and comfort of that chair with me.
And I won't go so far as to say I now like snakes, I do like this quote from Ted Turner:
"I like snakes. I like hummingbirds. There's nothing on earth I don't like. Frogs. Salamanders. The bunnies, the giraffes, the hippopotamuses."
Let's strive to fear less and love more all of God's creation.
With reverence,
Charlene
PS - I have a photo of the snake on the chair but I'm choosing to not share it here, at least not yet.
THE NINTH GIFT IS REVERENCE: May you appreciate the wonder that you are and the miracle of all creation.
- from The Twelve Gifts of Birth