DRAMA OF A DOVE




                                                DRAMA OF A DOVE
It is a beautiful piece of art.  A gift to my husband and me from a dear family member, it hangs in our huge front window, a tribute both to love of family and the talent of a local artist.  A dove, the symbol of peace, carries a small olive branch, as in the Bible story of Noah’s ark.  The dove is simply yet intricately designed, in subtle shades of brown and grey, wings held high. It appears to be flying right out of the picture, as the leaves on the twig in its mouth are carried into the border.  The whole piece is made of a square of bevelled glass, surrounded by a border of sky blue.  The artist’s mark is on the back.
As I was looking at the dove pendant this morning, I thought it looked disappointingly dull, drab in fact.  Where was the beauty?  Where was the shine?  The brown colours melded into the dullness of the weather to make the work look static and lifeless.
Putting the dove out of my mind, I went about my daily tasks.  I did not sit down in the living room again until late afternoon.  As I was drinking my tea, something bright caught the corner of my eye.  The sun had come out and was pouring its light through the glass dove pendant.
Sparkles began to appear: first above, like twinkling stars, then below, like   shimmering ocean waves, seeming to undergird the body of the dove.
First the wings were lit up, then the tail.  Soon the whole scene was blindingly bright, the dove’s face hidden behind a dazzling array of stars: blue, gold, white and pale green. 
Meanwhile, the backdrop had changed with the weather.  The wind had picked up, causing furious movement of the leaves of my crabapple tree behind the glass.  Instead of static dullness, there was a dramatic display of movement and light, as well as the glittering dove.

Ah, what God’s light can do for a simple dove.
It reminds me that when God touches me, I am transformed.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

THE POWER OF LITTLE THINGS

                                 THE POWER OF LITTLE THINGS               “ Little drops of water, little grains of sand Make the mighty ocean, and the pleasant land.” My father used to sing this old hymn.   Yes, every gigantic ocean wave is made up of tiny droplets; yet no wave, no matter how big, can push past the beach, which is made up of an equally vast army of tiny grains of sand. Speaking of sand, I learned much about the power of little things on my last day of a holiday in Mazatlan, Mexico in January, 2015.   On the last day of our two-week family holiday, we all wanted to swim in the ocean one last time.   But to our dismay, we saw flags posted by the lifeguards which banned swimming - because of jellyfish! Yes, you read correctly:   such a huge influx of tiny blue jellyfish had washed in towards the shore that no humans were advised to swim there that day! Well that’s power in numbers!   One jellyfish alone – a spineless, brainless, gelatinous blob - would be
Read more

RED SALAMANDERS AND SNAPPING TURTLES

                                RED SALAMANDERS AND SNAPPING TURTLES The children had the wildest, most beautiful and educational playground in the world.  As a family, we explored its beauty often.  We went to the Cape Croker Park which was a money-making campground.  We enjoyed the swings, then walked or drove among the lovely, mature blossoming trees and the dense birch section which we dubbed the  ”birch ballet”.  In the woods near our home, we picked up pretty brown and white snail shells and watched for the small, red salamanders which I have never seen anywhere else in Canada.  We walked and waded along the beaches, collecting “fossils”.  Once, on the shale rock in the shallow water behind our house, we actually watched fish hatching. On Sunday afternoons, we usually went for a hike along the bluffs.  We parked our car near the Akiwenzies’ house, which backed onto the bluffs, telling them where we were going, and about when to expect us back.  This was because the bluffs,
Read more

THE MIRACLE JACKET

  THE MIRACLE JACKET With the times becoming so turbulent, and all the signs before Christ’s return in place, I want to tell as many true stories as I can about His special goodness to me all my life.             I remember a time when I had just changed jobs.   A graduate of Hamilton Teachers’ College, I had only been able to get supply work, and so accepted a job in Mississauga at a day care until I should get a teaching position.   Teaching jobs were hard to find just at that time.   However, between paychecks and beginning a job at which I would wear slacks, rather than dresses as in teaching, I needed a jacket to wear with the slacks, it being fall. My new landlady, from whom I had rented a furnished room, was selling some of her clothes.   For very little money I bought a beautiful, warm brown jacket lined with fleece.   The interesting thing is that while my landlady was shorter than I, the sleeves of the jacket were exactly the right length for me.   Too-short sleeves are o
Read more