Questing Parson

Contentment

Charlie Brown, the parson’s faithful canine companion, jumped from the car the second the parson opened the rear door. As soon as the car had turned onto the graveled driveway, Charlie Brown had jumped up from his reclined position on the backseat. That hyper sensitive nose told him where they were. The door was barely closed before Charlie Brown was fifty yards away, ears flapping, legs stretching and propelling his lean body at an impressive speed toward the pond. Three yards from the water leaped and momentarily appeared to be flying before the water’s displacement leaped into the air to cascade down behind his momentum.

He turned and paddled back to the shore, leaped upward, shook himself to send a spray all about, and then walked to a smooth grassy spot where he immediately plopped down, rolled over on his back and began to gyrate upon the ground to either dry or scratch his back or both. Righting himself, he looked toward the parson, assured himself his companion was still there, and bounded across the field toward the woods at the far side.

The parson reached into his car and retrieved his Kindle. Heading toward a fallen tree, he settled himself down with his back against it and began reading. Perhaps ten minutes had passed when he sensed a movement behind him. He turned to see Charlie Brown twenty yards away, his nose in the air testing the breeze. “Here I am,” said the parson. Charlie Brown turned and scampered toward the other far side of the field and disappeared again into the woods.

In about another ten minutes the parson heard a low bark. He looked up to see Charlie Brown sitting beside the rear door of the car. The parson powered off the Kindle and raised his aging body through the aches of age into a standing position. Charlie Brown gave another low bark. The parson ambled over and opened the door to the car. Charlie Brown jumped in, assumed his usual sitting position and turned to look toward the parson.

Opening the driver’s door the parson placed old bones behind the wheel, cranked the car, put it into gear and headed back down the graveled driveway of the farm. Reaching the road he turned toward home. Charlie Brown dropped onto his stomach with a grunt. The parson headed home while wishing his own sense of contentment could be so easily met.

Once Again I Am Thankful

 First, I am thankful for the opportunity to do this again. I am thankful nobody has asked me to stop. I am thankful you are reading this.

I am thankful for the sunshine today, or for the rain, or for whatever is going outside as you read this.

I am thankful these days for flannel lined blue jeans made for grownups. I am thankful for anything that keeps this aged body warm at my age. 

I am thankful for people who don’t complain. But I’m also thankful for those folks who do complain about everything. There is something consistent and foundational about those folks, and at my age I find it comfortable for people to be predictable.

I am thankful for my family. To be honest I’m more thankful for some than others. Grandchildren certainly make children bearable. 

I am thankful now that my hearing is fading and my vision is growing weak that I still have a few years before I have to renew my driver’s license.

I am thankful for gifted people. for people with the gift of music, the gift of teaching, the gift of leadership, and the gift of caring, and especially thankful there are so many of these folks in the community in which I live.

I am thankful for good jokes: A jewel thief breaks into a country mansion anticipating rich pickings. As he creeps about looking for a safe he suddenly hears a voice call out, “Jesus is watching you.” The burglar almost has a heart attack but, after a few moments, he convinces himself that he’s just hearing things. He continues his endeavor, and again he hears, “Jesus is watching you.” This time the thief is convinced, and he cries out, “Who said that?” “Gabriel,” came the reply. The burglar is really freaked out now and he begins backing out of the room. He trips over something that comes crashing to the floor, and at the same time hears a good squawk. Taking a risk he turns on his flashlight to see what he knocked over. There on the floor is a cage and inside is a parrot. “Jesus is watching you,” says the parrot. “You stupid bird,” says the thief. “And I suppose your name is Gabriel.” “That’s me,” says the parrot. “What kind of idiot would name his bird ‘Gabriel’?” wondered the thief out loud. Says the parrot, “The same idiot who named his Rottweiler ‘Jesus’.”

I am thankful for people who laugh at the jokes I like. 

I am thankful for the knot in my stomach that grips me every Saturday night. It reminds me I still care very deeply about what I’ve been called to do.

I’m thankful for people older than me; it’s nice that there are people older than me, and those older folks know things I don’t. I am thankful for children who know things I should never have forgotten.

I am thankful that the Quik Trip has the best milk shakes in Georgia.

I am thankful for surprises that are good and worries that amount to nothing. 

I am thankful for talented people who have “made it” but have not turned their backs on those who have a way to go. 

I am thankful for the destitute woman I know who panhandled enough money to buy her homeless friend shoes before winter arrives.

I am thankful next year there will be new reasons for thankfulness.

Graphic by subscription with Clip Art [dot] Com