Good morning…
I very rarely sleep all night long, but this week’s Spirit-sparked “birthday cake box” adventure required a huge output of my energy – mentally, physically, and spiritually. I did not blog yesterday, since I slept until 7:45 am when our puppy Cami made her first peep. On Monday, I dropped off our 60 happy treasures to their needed locations, and we took Easter lilies, the kids’ homemade cards, and our assembled cake kits to some of the most seasoned neighbors in the Grove Park community. Delivering these symbols of the love of God was a huge Easter season blessing, an incredible joy.
I delivered the goodies with Larenzia (the loving PAWkids’ Director of the afterschool enrichment program), two friends from Northside Church who I have known for over twenty years (friends who had never been to PAWkids), and three kids I have watched grow up in the PAWkids program since 2020. Larenzia drove us around the small streets in the PAWkids’ new van provided by a grant from another awesome Atlanta non-profit called One Hundred Shares. In the delivery experience, the kids were the secret sauce. Arriving unannounced on each doorstep, the tentative “Who is it?” from inside the home was greeted cheerfully by the kids’ voices saying, “It’s PAWkids!” The doors opened freely to unexpected gifts, and joy multiplied among us.
The bonding experience reminds me of a poem by Meister Eckhart (1260-1328), from the book Love Poems from God: Twelve Sacred Voices from the East and the West, selected and translated by Daniel Ladinsky.
******
LOVE DOES THAT
All day long a little burro labors,
sometimes with heavy loads on her back
and sometimes just with worries
about things that bother
only burros.
And worries, as we know,
can be more exhausting
than physical labor.
Once in a while a kind monk
comes to her stable and brings a pear,
but more than that,
he looks into the burro’s eyes
and touches her ears
and for a few seconds the burro is free
and even seems to laugh,
because love does that.
Love frees.
*******
Interestingly, during our arts and crafts time at PAWkids in the afternoon, I created a bracelet with a two-sided bead. The bead read “Imagine” on one side and “Freedom” on the other.
During our final delivery stop, we went to a woman’s home who is in our weekly therapeutic community group at PAWkids. I felt compelled to slip on her wrist the bracelet I had just made. She smiled and hugged me big.
Love does that. Love frees. Bonded together, we can “imagine freedom.”
How sweet it was to see my friend wearing her bracelet to our Tuesday morning group yesterday.
Over the next 24 hours, we will all live 1,440 minutes.
Why not spend at least one of those minutes—just 60 seconds—truly being with someone and looking into their eyes and letting them know just how special they are? Why not spend one minute being with them in a way that will perhaps spark laughter and lighten their burdens? Even if just for a moment.
After all, we’re all unique. We’re all valuable. We’re all special. We all have burdens. And together we can “imagine freedom.”
The love of God does that. It frees.
For freedom Christ freed us. Stand fast therefore and do not be entangled again with the yoke of bondage (Galatians 5:1, MEV).
…Sue…
P.S. If you are looking for a way to celebrate this Easter season, consider joining us at Northside Church.
Maundy Thursday
Easter Sunday
Join us this Easter at Northside as we worship God on this holy day and celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Enjoy the fun and joy that animals bring to children and adults alike during Easter before and after services.
