When the SconeLady Was Afraid
When I was little, we had a very small dog who happened to have very sharp and tiny teeth. You might not think of being afraid of such a dog as that. But I was. Ricky was pretty much a one-girl dog, and I was not that girl. My little blond sister was, however, and if she was ever gone, well woe unto the sister who was left.
One afternoon he bit my ankle from beneath the table. He had apparently taken offense at the laying down of my school books upon it. Another of my later offenses was reaching out to him in a placating manner. I shouldn't have.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/56453223@N00/8046669/
Ricky emitted a very quick low growl immediately prior to each Bite. There just wasn't enough time to do anything about it.
There have been other childhood fears. Nikita Khrushchev banging his shoe in a threatening manner really scared me. I was afraid the shoe banging represented his 'quick low growl', immediately preceding an attack.
And then there was the little Sky-Watch shack in our back yard; you know, the kind where an assigned person would watch for Soviet or Asian aircraft overhead. There were even diagrams of the aircraft to watch for. But why did the shack have to be so close to us? Its very presence spooked the sleep right out of me.
The Mafia also terribly frightened me as a child. One night the folks went out, and we swiftly turned on the television. There was a program on about the Mafia and their fearful threats to put people in 'cement shoes' and throw them into a lake somewhere. This was terrible! I was sure our mother would not want us to be watching it but we sat mesmerized. When the men threw their struggling victim into the lake, I couldn't take it and ran screaming from the room.
"The Lord is my Shepherd!" I cried into my pillow, and gradually stepped away from those other, frightening images.
And that is the place where all our fears may so safely be left; this very night, many of us kneel in anticipation together, however far apart we may be in miles.
For in my family there is someone wonderful facing a serious surgery, tomorrow. We are all praying diligently and with sometimes fearful hearts. And whatever the outcome we revert over and over again to that Psalm which calms all hearts. The 23rd Psalm. And this we pray for you, Janet, as tomorrow begins and your wonderful team takes care of you.
'The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures, He leadeth me beside the still waters, He restoreth my soul..'
God bless you.
the SconeLady
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thomashawk/5043249766/
photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jbrazito/8402772046/">JBrazito</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">cc</a>
photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thomashawk/5043249766/">Thomas Hawk</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/">cc</a>
Amen!
ReplyDelete