Sorrow, Glory, and a Mouse

Friday morning as Stu and I were sharing a ride into town we came upon a gravely wounded juvenile bird sitting in the road, hit, hurt, and too damaged to save.  In an act of deep mercy, Stu took its life.

No one has ever given me an adequate explanation for the pain in the world.  Easy answers make me crazy and even the Book of Job artfully mocks those who, sitting in safety, offer facile answers to the ones who suffer.

Oddly (or perhaps not so oddly) I have a mental block whenever I try to remember the word defined as "an explanation of how a good Creator can allow suffering and evil."  The word is "theodicy" and I have to look it up EVERY SINGLE TIME I want to use it.  "Epistemology" I've got.  Ditto for "apocalyptic" and other hard words that are fun to say but "theodicy" always slips away like a burglar through the back door.

So I'm not even going to try to offer an explanation.  I do, however, have an observation.  I saw Stu's ashen face after the bird was dead.  Only love leaves such a mark. Love wins.

Next subject (that's actually related if you think about it):  The wildflowers are rampant in the mountains right now -- rhododendrons that appear to be lit from within, bear grass, Indian paintbrush, columbine, wild raspberries (that look exactly like strawberry plants), twin flowers,.  Glory and more glory everywhere you look.  Exhibit A is Reflection Lake at Mt. Rainier (see photo above).



Today's front yard critter count:
Deer: 1 doe
Raccoons: 2 (Crabby Mama's youngest, smallest, and sweetest daughter and Old Tailless Guy's Little Woman without her 4 eggplant-sized babies)
Mice: 1 (sheltering underneath the wellhead cover)

Great Stories and a Banana Slug

I firmly believe that humans are wired for meaning and thrills.  We all live for something, whether it be money, politics, public service, God, art, ferrets, liquor, resentment, or a weed-free lawn. 

I'm convinced that folks who join extremist movements -- Islamists, John Birchers (do they still exist?), or the crazy wing of the Tea Party -- are motivated by a search for meaning and excitement that has been derailed by laziness and fear.  Join any of these three movements and your life has an immediate scoop loader full of meaning coupled with thrills up the wazoo. What could be more fun and fulfilling than banding together with a clot of like-minded collaborators to battle a conspiracy of evil adversaries?

But the problem is that this choice is ultimately a dead-end.  What do all the great stories tell us?  Choose a risky path that challenges your preconceived notions and end up braver, stronger, and more compassionate (and maybe save the world).  Choose a path that justifies your preconceived notions and end up just as selfish, ignorant, fearful, and self-satisfied as you were when you started out.  And that's a ginormous wasted opportunity.

Next subject:  here's an enthusiastic high five to the theology geeks who knew the answer to my last quiz question.  The correct answer was: "Nothing."  Jesus had exactly nothing to say about homosexuality. He did, however, have quite a bit to say about compassion and reconciliation.

Next next subject: the picture at the top of the page is of 3/4ths of Crabby Mama's youngsters.

Today's front yard critter count:
Deer: 3 (a doe and her two spotted spring babies).
Raccoons: 3 (Old Tailless Guy's Little Woman and her 2 eggplant-sized babies who seem to communicate with their mama by chirping)
Swainson's Thrushes: Lots
Chipmunks: Two
Slugs: 1 (a very handsome Banana Slug streaming across the front porch)