ART & INSPIRATION BY PAUL & KATHY BOECHER

When I was a kid, it was always fun to hear a story right before going to bed.  I think some of them were meant to scare us to pieces, while others had some kind of moral.  We heard from Mother Goose, the Brothers Grimm (the scary guys,) the Happily Ever Afters and others based on folk tales.  One of them, “The Sky is Falling” was about a hen named, Chicken Little.  The story doesn’t have much of a plot, but it shows how things get out of hand when we panic or exaggerate things.  In other words – mass hysteria.

A branch falls on Chicken Little’s tail and she believes the sky is falling. She feels compelled to tell the others about it so they can save themselves.  The Villain, Foxy Loxy (pictured in the shadows of today’s painting,) eventually takes advantage of the situation and invites her into his house for dinner.  Little does she know, she is dinner.  Moral of the story – Don’t believe everything you hear, unless it’s backed up with some kind of proof or evidence.  Fear mongering doesn’t accomplish anything but put you into a stew.

There are tons of lessons available when we experience trials of any kind.  It’s time to reclaim the sky.  I can say for a fact, the last time I looked outside, the sun was shining and all was well.  Life goes on and there will be more of the same tomorrow.  Trusting in the Creator of the universe is much better than complaining about what is totally out of our control, it’s time to work on the things we can change.

Those things start with our attitude.  They’re nurtured through experience and what we take away from them.  The pandemic of 2024 stirred a new way of living. Technology replaced much of our daily communication and isolation made us leery of being in large  groups, so like all living things, when push comes to shove, we adapt. Still, we can be sure of God’s promises.  He’ll help us muddle through and figure out what to do next.  In the meantime, the sky remains in His hands.