Dear Reader:

About a week ago, before Anne left for Paris, we saw a most unusual thing…..a squirrel carrying a baby squirrel in its mouth. It ran through the garden and dropped the baby off somewhere around the side of the house and then hurried back across the garden and scampered up a tree where we could see the nest.

We waited and watched but didn’t see the mother squirrel return. All we could think of was that the nest was in danger from either a bird predator or even a snake. The whole incident was somewhat unsettling but it did re-enforce the notion that mothers are alike, no matter what shape or form they take in their maternal instincts. They want to protect their young and will do so at great risk to their own safety.

*Before we start the story….here is a picture of Anne and her artist friends in Paris ….it is nice to know there are no “starving artists” among them!

Today’s story is another example of this….the love of a mother and the love of our Creator.

“The Fire” 

An article in National Geographic several years ago provided a penetrating picture of God’s wings.
After a forest fire in Yellowstone National Park, forest rangers began their trek up a mountain to assess the inferno’s damage. One ranger found a bird literally petrified in ashes, perched statuesquely on the ground at the base of a tree. Somewhat sickened by the eerie sight, he knocked over the bird with a stick. When he struck it, three tiny chicks scurried from under their dead mother’s wings.

The loving mother, keenly aware of impending disaster, had carried her offspring to the base of the tree and had gathered them under her wings, instinctively knowing that the toxic smoke would rise.

She could have flown to safety but had refused to abandon her babies. When the blaze had arrived and the heat had singed her small body, the mother remained steadfast. She had been willing to die so those under the cover of her wings would live.

He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
Psalm 91:4 (NIV)

So until tomorrow….I find it most comforting that I have a Father Who will take me under His wings to comfort me when needed.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh