A Small Piece of Fluff

“If the person you are talking to doesn’t appear to be listening; be patient.  It may simply be that he has a small piece of fluff in his ear.”  — Winnie The Pooh

 

And I think its like the log in my eye. How I might want to take it out before I worry about the speck in yours.

Do I listen in love to those in the shadow of my day? The things that are said, and unsaid? The unexpressed
feelings that are stuck in their hearts that need the balm of an attentive ear to coax them out. Like a hurt dog needs to be lovelingly coaxed out of the bobbed wire fence. Hurting he bites, and won’t accept the loving hand that’s trying to help. Leaving the bitten hand hurting. Knowing he needs to get out of the fence to stop the pain,the hand continues to help in love..

Stuck in the selfish, worried about being heard myself am I listening to the mummblings and groans and pleads of the hearts in my home, in my world.

“Don’t pick on people, jump on their failure, criticize their faults – unless of course you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbors face and be oblivious to the ugly smeer on your own”. Matthew 7 – The Message

Picking the fluff out of my ear so that I can hear clearly and respond lovingly this Valentine’s Day.

Seeking the patience that Pooh recommends, his fluffly old wise- bear self.

And praying this part of the prayer from my wedding twenty three years ago to The Patient One:

“Bless this loving wife. Give her a tenderness that will make her great through a deep and understanding faith in thee. Give her that inner beauty that never fades and abiding joy in him who has chosen her out of all the world, and may they never take each other’s love for granted. Now make such assignments to them on the scroll of thy will as shall bless them and develop them as thy faithful servants as they walk with thee. Give them enough tears to keep them tender;enough hurts to keep them humane, enough failure to keep their hands clenched tightly in Thine, and enough joy and success as shall assure them you are walking with them.”

LOVE IS PATIENT. LOVE IS KIND. And all God’s people say amen. AMEN.