Thought Picnic: The lioness is having her cubs

Up and out, just in time

This Sunday was one where I had to get to church early, I am on the rota for setting up that includes putting out the flags, laying prayer and offering cards on the seats, helping with the offertory and today we also had holy communion.

That extra bit of preparing the bread and the wine or rather the fruit of vine without alcoholic content meant we start 30 minutes early.

The night passed, I having slept like a babe and I was up at 6:00AM. Just a bit too early for comfort and not much to do for rest in the hour between waking up and leaving home at 8:00AM.

My memory of checking the weather forecast from a few days before suggested it might be sunny but not warm but I was not feeling like the 55-minute bicycle ride to church. It meant I could leave home later but I had to catch the tram and metro at the right times to make the connections necessary to be in church on time.

Caught with help

Looking out to the tram terminus from my apartment, the tram had begun to move before I made it out of my door, this normally means I will miss it. Calling the lift to the 7^th floor and running out of the apartment block, the tram had already made it to the stop in from of my block but thankfully, the one other person at the tram stop saw me and delayed the tram for me to scale the barriers and get on. Phew!

I then changed for the metro and had to wait 12 minutes for the next one unsure of it will run to my intended stop or I will have to change unto a substitute bus. That is what the timetable appeared to indicate but I decided not to bother myself with that thought until it was necessary to act on it.

I did not have to change transport. As I got off at my stop and commenced the 7-minute walk to our church building, droplets of rain indicated an unexpected change in the weather and glee at the prescience of not muscling in on my bicycle to end up drenched.

Nature and light

My original Senz umbrella which for all purposes of its design and claims is really only practically suitable for light rains and no wind was put up and before long, I saw a long dark shadow cast before me towards my right.

Engrossed in thought, I remembered that tale from my childhood about what nature is up to when it rains and the sun is shining too. Forget the science of clouds and any other logical explanation because over 40 years on, I can still believe the lioness is giving birth to her cubs somewhere in the bush.

The rain to wash them and the sun to dry them – as the maelstrom of circumstances also beclouds one’s thoughts you also remember that along with the shelter from the rain, the sun shines to give light and seeing the shadow quite clearly also indicates with the light comes warm, insight and hope – it is not time to walk in the dark of your shadow but in the light of the path before you.