"Mr. Peabody's Apples"

Happy 2nd Week of Advent.



Again, this Sunday we light another periwinkle candle on our wreath and contemplate the message in this week's waiting. In yesterday's second reading, Peter, ( Peter 3:8-15a), is reminding us to wait patiently...even if 1,000 years is it..becuase in God's time 1,000 years is a day. He also reminds us to see God's patience with us..and that we need to be patient in waiting on God. He reminds us that God does not seek our demise, but in fact promises an ending. Likewise our Gospel message, re-iterating Isaiah's encouragement from Reading 1 "Prepare the way of the Lord", speaks of a similar path and truth.



These readings anticipate a hurriedness. A need to to get to the end..and a need to make sure the end is indeed the right end..with Jesus' coming we must examine the facts in front of us and clean out a space to prepare. We cannot wait on the coming of something new if the old junk is still hanging around. (very much like encouraging our children to tidy and remove toys from their playrooms awaitng the new stuff Santa has promised us).



In this week's Liturgy and reflections of the Advent in my own life...I am reassessing this past year's goodnesses and looking at the untidy spaces that still permeate in my own life and surroundings. I will be encouraging the children "This Week at EDS" to do the same. This week we shall begin to tidy our spaces.



In recently having dinner at a close friend's I am typically asked to read a bedtime story to my special little friends as a treat when I sometimes visit. (Mind you these same people hear me speak 5 days a week at EDS so I am impressed as they would like to hear my storytelling some more in their free-time from me).. haaaa. children! They of course have a selection of 5 books out to choose from..(Christmas in theme). I glance over however to a random book that I discovered a little over a year ago. My eyes lit up knowingly that my advent housekeeping work was beginning...I said, "How 'bout this one?" of course, the stares of horror that a book of Apples would be what I would read to my young friends during the Christmas season. "NO...12 Days of Christmas..." (which from there I was coerced into some Spanish vocabulary read..) again children! But, I couldn't keep my eyes off of "Mr. Peabody's Apples". Madonna, albeit, I love most of her music, I've never thought much of as a children's author..not sure I still do.. however, I did happen to enjoy this rather telling story. I asked my friends if I could borrow this text for a while.. they happily delivered.

I have read and re-read this story a number of times this week. I am reminded of a children's sermon that I did on it last year. I am again reminding myself to ask that powers that be to allow me to deliver it on special children's Sunday in church one of these days. As I always say, the stories out of kids books are the stories that hold the most truth. They are simple and honest. They actually teach a great lesson in less than 15 minutes. Perhaps in our adult world it all we have time for as well.

Mr. Peabody is a man that stands accused of something that looks morally bad. He in fact, knows otherwise. This is actually not the premise of the story. If that type of thing isn't sad enough for you..go one step further. Mr. Peabody's good name is now ruined and shred into so many littler lies as the story is told over and over to the tiny little town they all live in. (Much like ours). Mr. Peabody struggles to figure out one day why no one is befriending him. He hasn't a clue as he always helped others and lived a fairly normal life. It was in the perception of ONE individual that causes such great strife for Mr. Peabody. ONE person has the ability to cause much damage. Yes, that is a fact.

When Mr. Peabody finds out what he actually has been accused of and renders the situation to the individual doing the spreading..(mind you a person who never actually saw a thing he was being accused of)... he takes this person and shows them what one "harmless" accusation can do to someone and their circumstances. THIS is MY FAVORITE teachable moment... the accuser who has now been to see the truth and believes that he spoke out turn begs Mr. Peabody to make it all up to him. Mr. Peabody agrees that one thing could help him...the accuser happily agrees. (Now mind you, after the two have agreed the accuser was wrong and misguided.) Mr. Peabody asks this person to bring a pillow stuffed with feathers out to the baseball field where they have practiced and played games for years together. The act is readily done...the accuser thinking "all I need to do is empty a pillow out into the air." hmm. After the feathers are released into the windy air..the feathers neaturally spread across the entire baseball field and out inot the town... much like the way a rumor is spread. it is not in telling "one person", it is in the telling of one that spreads to many. Try catching one feather on a windy day..never mind a pillow full!!!
It is hard to prevent people from messing things up. Especially when it can be so damaging.. it is even harder to correct it. In my Advent season I am trying to clean up the feathers of doubt, mistrust, and patented falsehoods that permeate our little existences.. and not only for me but for those that need my help.
Please rememeber this little tale the next time you think to tell someone else something you may not be sure of...it can be forever damaging and certainly too much for us to manage as we are busy trying trying to figure out our own truths... remember the circle fo life never stops spinning. What goes around comes around. That was message to my children this week and hopefully a message we can all "prepare the way for".
Miss Dawn, EDS Director