A couple of weeks ago my 11yo daughter began making plans. Those plans included a friend sleeping over, bike riding and a picnic. A REAL picnic. "Like in books. Not just taking food out of a bag", she told me. Her "real" picnic involved a wicker basket filled with specific foods and most important...no plastic containers.
Last week the sleepover-picnic day arrived and it SNOWED. Just a bit, but enough to put a damper on the idea of outdoor dining. "I defy you snow! We will picnic!", I roared. The kids laughed and we proceeded with our plans.
I made and packed the required foods: tea sandwiches with tomato butter, freshly baked buns, hot dog octopuses, strawberry lemonade, hot tea, popcorn, and chocolate candy. While the octopi were frying I went to put the bike rack on the car.
It started raining.
My hands were wet and cold, the bike rack kept slipping. I stomped back into the house..."I defy you rain! We will have our picnic" Now the kids were more skeptical. With hard rain coming down and full wicker basket in tow, we were on our way.
I had heard there was a mama Great Horned Owl with three babies in a park near us. We headed down there. My 15yo daughter optimistically said that we could eat under the pavilion if it was still raining. She was wearing a jacket of mine. Green wool, military style, a little too big for her. She went on to say that she wants a jacket styled like mine, but for summer.
"I want a green light weight jacket with pockets for summer, but my size."
When we pulled into the park it was obvious where those owls were. People were congregating around two trees with very large cameras. They pointed out the owls to us, speaking in excited yet hushed tones. The mama had her eyes on us, you could feel it. She was majestic, the babies were fluffy and adorable. Everyone seemed to feel this was a very special thing indeed.
We had our picnic while the sky alternated between cold drizzle and sunshine. All was well until the violent wind and hail began. By the time I packed everything up the hail had stopped and the kids were walking down the beach looking for treasure.
I followed a few paces behind them until I came upon this cross. As I stood there looking at it, listening to the sound of the waves it started to rain again.
I thought, "It rains on the just and the unjust".
Life giving rain. We are all dead without it.
And then I laughed at myself for "defying" the rain! I knew in that moment that Jesus completely understood the silliness of me, and I knew that he would continue to shower me with his life forever. World without end.
I looked at the people standing in the rain under the owl tree. Gathered to get a glimpse of...what? Is it a couple of birds in a tree that gives us that instant communion with each other? The childlike eyes filled with wonder? The hushed reverent tone of our speech? On the surface maybe. We are all grasping after new life. Life we know we don't deserve.
Communion with our Creator.
Creation from Nothing.
Eventually the children decided it was time to go home. As we made our way back to the car they spied a playground and started pleading for more time. My teen continued on to the car, she was eager to categorize her beach findings and write in her journal. I agreed to some playground time for the other two. I told them I would sit on a bench and knit until the rain became too much.
As I approached the bench I could see something green and crumpled laying on it.
"A green light weight jacket with pockets for summer, but her size!"
YES, there it was! I held it up...green, pockets, shoulder tabs. I read and reread the tag... J Crew, too small for me, just her size!
I sat there in the rain knitting with the green jacket beside me. I couldn't wait to show my lilly of the field her new jacket.
Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. "But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you?
