The Rose Bush

On June 12, I had my Fabulous Femur Fracture. I propped the stick up against the stone wall. I brought my left leg down on that stick. To break it in two. Instead of breaking, that nasty old stick went BOING! That nasty old stick threw me down the hill. I landed with all my weight on my upper left leg. My Fabulous Femur Fracture. I had planned my accident poorly. When the ambulance gets you to the Emergency Room at 7 am on Friday morning, the Operating Room has already been booked up for the day. No surgery until Saturday. (I'm really thankful I didn't have to wait until Monday!) I had planned my accident poorly. When the ambulance gets you to the Emergency Room at 7 am on Friday morning, it's like showing up early at the motel. No rooms available. And so it was. We spent much of the day, waiting in cubicle 51 in the ER. What happens when you're in a place with no windows? Like cubicle 51. You forget there is an outside world This is our culture today. We've forgotten there might be a Beyond. We've forgotten there might be a Beyond, Beyond the next bit of screen time. We've forgotten there might be a Beyond, Beyond the next Amazon order. We've forgotten there might be a Beyond, Beyond the next snack. But I'm just the Crabby Old Minister! As we sat in the ER, with no windows, we forgot there was an outside world, Beyond cubicle 51. Finally, a room was available. Yes! Room 234. The window looked out on the roof. Let me tell you, it was weird to be on the second floor and watch construction workers walk by your window! Some bright boy had decided to put a Rose Bush in a tub of dirt outside my window. This was to block the AC unit mounted on the roof. That poor Rose Bush! Putting a Rose Bush in a small tub of dirt on a hot summer roof is like putting it on a hot stove. The poor thing was getting cooked!! Most of the leaves were brown and dead. I felt sorry for the poor thing! I was wishing I could somehow get out there and give the poor Rose Bush a much-needed drink. Instead, we just watched that poor thing cook out on the hot summer roof. Saturday the operation. Sunday the day two nurses lift me under the arms to get me to the chair. "How are you?" they ask. Of course, because this is how I am, I say, "I'm okay." Then I pass out from the pain. At least I talked them into trying again and putting me in the chair. Progress! And I'm a little closer to that poor Rose Bush. Out there, cooking on that hot summer roof. Sunday night comes. As I'm lying there, not sleeping, I hear the rain start up. I think of my friend. She likes to listen to the rain, because it makes her feel cozy. I'm just happy that poor Rose Bush is getting a drink. The next morning, the sun comes up. Funny how that keeps happening. And there, on the poor half-dead Rose Bush, there is one single, beautiful flower! So red! So full! So alive! Let me tell you, that single red Rose gave me so much hope!!

In our Gospel reading for this Sunday, Jesus compares God's Kingdom to a mustard seed--small but growing. Me, I'm not that familiar with mustard seeds. To me, mustard seeds are those funny little round things, floating around in the pickle jar. Me, I'm gonna think of God's work in this tired old world like that Rose Bush. Out on that hot summer roof. It may look pretty dead. But you never know when the rain of Grace is gonna come along. And make something beautiful out of what looks almost dead!