HARVEST GLEANINGS from my collection of poems, prose, originals and Scripture.

"What is a joy? It is a bird we all want to catch.  It is the same bird we all love to see flying."

                                                                   Sri Chinmoy

I heard a story of a lady visiting our area who was entranced by the snowy egrets.  She pulled over, and carefully stalked one until she caught it and tried to put it in her trunk. Shall I say, it did not go well.

                                         "I'LL FLY AWAY to our home where joys will never end."

Just imagine a heaven filled with bird song: chickadees, mockingbirds, sparrows, the coos of doves, the call of the hawk and heron and multitudes of the heavenly hosts.  

Just imagine a heaven with loving loyal pets waiting, so happy to see you that they leap for joy upon your arrival.  Just imagine the wild animals, wild no more but following you about full of curiosity, not thoughts of harm.  Imagine the children leading them.

"And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, And the leopard will lie down with the young goat, And the calf and the young lion and the fatling together, and a little boy will lead them.  Also the cow and the bear will graze, their young will lie down together, And the lion will eat straw like the ox.  The nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra, And the weaned child will put his hand on the vipers den.  They will not hurt or destroy on My holy mountains...And His resting place will be glorious."  Isaiah 11.

After Adam and Eve were kicked out of the Garden, they led a parade of animals out as well, that which God saw what He created and said, "It is good."  Animals were still tame, not meat eaters.  Adam and Eve were vegans as well as their first two children, Cain and Able.  Able tilled the ground, but Cain tended the flocks.  Able's offering of produce pleased God.  However, when Cain brought his offering of a sacrifice of one of the flock, God was displeased.  God had made the first sacrifice in the Garden by the killing of a lamb, spilling its blood to pay the price for the sin, making coverings for their guilt and shame of nakedness.  This is, of course, a symbol of what His own Son would do.  However, it was not His original plan to take a life, thus He was displeased with Cain.  Next we find a jealous Cain killing his brother Able.  It did not take many generation before the days of Noah as sin multiplied.  Some believe that animals did not kill each other until after the flood when they stepped off the ark to a harsh new world without enough plant life to sustain them.  As the Ark shows, God loved all His animals and still does.  After all, who were the first to greet the Savior in the stable, even before the shepherds? Barn animals.  God must delight in all His creatures. 

Do you believe animals will greet us in heaven or will there only be horses from Jesus' stables which He will ride when He comes again?  

                         "My little dog-a heartbeat at my feet." Edith Wharton 

 (Right now, my little dog is up to so much mischief that he will need to repent to make it to heaven.)