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August/September 2010 Middle Pentecost
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Junior Wardenwords – “Don’t Worry, Be Happy”
For the last several days, I have been sitting at my computer trying to sort through my thoughts in order to put a Junior Wardenwords article together -- and to get it submitted before the deadline expired (my goal always, just not always achieved). My ideas have been coming from many different directions and some of them even appeared promising but I just couldn’t seem to get focused. Too many competing “threads” in my mind just left me drifting, still wondering how I could put into words the sense of joyousness and rebirth I have been feeling for a number of weeks now and was wanting to tap into for this article.
So I worried instead. Procrastination being one of my most stellar talents, I have been for years fully equipped with resources for killing time instead of getting the job done. It’s amazing how appealing reorganizing a cabinet can become when the clock is ticking. And there are always books to read, TV to watch, errands to run, meals to cook, or a dog or two or three to play with.
So there I sat – Sunday afternoon, deadline day, fresh out of convenient excuses for failing to “put pen to paper” . . . large blank computer screen staring back at me.
And then suddenly my three year old dachshund dog-boy, Lincoln, began squeaking his favorite toy and ran over to me with it, wagging his tail. “Oh, great,” I thought, “Yet another opportunity to put off the inevitable.” But then it hit me like a ton of bricks. The toy has the words “Be Happy” embroidered on its side and it seemed as if those words were literally jumping out at me. Lincoln was showing me “the message” in a form I could readily relate to and just couldn’t ignore.
I quickly googled “Don’t Worry, Be Happy,” Bobby McFerrin’s famous song title from back in 1988 (do you remember it?) and that phrase led me on to a Wikipedia article which referenced an Indian mystic from the last century who was known for telling his followers: Do your best. Then, don’t worry; be happy in My Love. I will help you.
So that’s it, the “message” for this Junior Wardenwords article, brought to me and you by one of God’s precious creatures who (supposedly) can’t speak.
Divine love is indeed universal and revealed in many different ways – be happy in it!
Woof!
Ruth Robins, Junior Warden