Remember Le Petit Prince's drawing of a boa constrictor digesting an elephant? The grownups mistook it for a hat. Sometimes we have to look carefully to see what is right in front of us. Although this sign may appear to be a person and a parson's hat intended to warn of parsons crossing, it is in fact a warning that a bump in the road lies ahead. Whenever I see it I am reminded that a bump in the road (read anything from a minor irritation to a major catastrophe) may at first seem dismal, however, on closer examination a little bit of goodness may be found within.
I thought a preachy entry was well suited to the photo - don't you think?
2 comments:
Having just crossed the hump of the Atlantic, I'm looking forward to reconnecting with my favourite preachers.
Reminds me of a passage from Oliver Wendell Holmes that I memorized as a kid:
First of November, 'Fifty-five!
This morning the parson takes a drive.
Now, small boys, get out of the way!
Here comes the wonderful one-hoss shay,
Drawn by a rat-tailed, ewe-necked bay.
"Huddup!" said the parson. Off went they.
The parson was working his Sunday's text,
Had got to fifthly, and stopped perplexed
At what the—Moses—was coming next.
All at once the horse stood still,
Close by the meet'n'-house on the hill.
First a shiver, and then a thrill,
Then something decidedly like a spill,
And the parson was sitting upon a rock,
At half past nine by the meet'n'house clock,
Just the hour of the Earthquake shock!
What do you think the parson found,
When he got up and stared around?
The poor old chaise in a heap or mound,
As if it had been to the mill and ground!
You see, of course, if you're not a dunce,
How it went to pieces all at once,
All at once, and nothing first,
Just as bubbles do when they burst.
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