Wednesday's Words on a Friday
The original Words for Wednesday was begun by Delores and eventually taken over by a moveable feast of participants when Delores had computer troubles. Sadly, Delores has now closed her blog forever due to other problems.
The aim of the words is to encourage us to write. A story, a poem, whatever comes to mind.
If you are posting an entry on your own blog, please let us know so we can come along to read it and add a few encouraging words.
This month the words/prompts are supplied by Sean Jeating and can be found here
This week's words/prompts are:
1.long 2.monk 3.novice 4.spiritual 5.time
and/or:
1.ants 2.boy 3.compassion 4.stream 5.trapped
**Words for February will be supplied by Lissa on her blog
Charlotte has not yet supplied a colour for February.
Here is my story:
As a boy, Father
Timothy had sat for hours watching ants in the scorched earth patch that was
his backyard. He would drop occasional crumbs of bread and notice how they all
worked together to carry any that were a bit large to the holes where their
nests were underneath. Timothy learned that many hands make light work and
co-operation was essential to the well being of the nest.
He watched as a stream
from the garden hose threatened the nest and saw hundreds of ants swarming to
drier ground carrying eggs away from the trapped queen underground. He carried
these “teachings” with him throughout his growing years and put them into
practice as much as he was able.
Father Timothy had been
a monk for many years now, loving the calm the spiritual life brought him and
helping each new novice adjust. But now, there was a problem. Timothy paced the
garden paths throughout the Abbey for long hours, giving thought to how he could
approach the newest novice. Martin was adamant about becoming a monk, but was
constantly at odds with the rules and routines, seeming to have no compassion
for others and wanting things done differently.
“Things have changed in
the outside world,” he would say, “we must move with the times.” Perhaps he was
right, thought Father Timothy. I should approach the Abbot and ask for
permission to spend some time in the local town and see how things really are,
I have spent fifty years behind these walls and loved every minute, but Martin
makes a good point and change, even a small change might just be the way to go.
I shall ask that Martin be allowed to come with me, and Father Terence too.
Wow! Such an imagination and the use of the words are spectacular. Very well done.
ReplyDeleteDVArtist; thank you.
DeleteI like this. Some truths are eternal and as such cannot change, but the way we tell of these truths may change over time. I wish all the best for Father Timothy and fervently hopes that he'll keep his peace of mind and find a way to tell Martin what he needs to be told in a way he can understand.
ReplyDeleteCharlotte; thank you. Father Timothy does keep his peace of mnd, but a month in the outside world brings forth a few ideas that help with the Abbey changing a little and Martin settling in better.
DeleteVery well done, River. And thanks for the "ants party". Still smiling.
ReplyDeleteHope life is treating you kindly.
Sean Jeating; thank you. The Ant party was sent to me by genuius daugher "no-one" when I dropped in one day while she was at work and found her sink crawling with ants, I texted her "ants are having a party on your sink" and she replied with that picture.
DeleteLife has been a bit rough this week, but we'll get through it.
Ha ha ha, lovely!!
DeleteHere's wishing you a relaxing weekend.
And thanks for having me this month again.
Very, very great story!! Ants I could tell a story, too, hehe.
ReplyDeleteI by accident (really) sat my Brother on an ant´s nest (he was learning to sit) - he was trapped and with time the stream of the ants went into his diaper. He started to cry, got louder and louder, I ran to get Mum - she found out and... laughed out loud!
Iris; thank you. Your poor brother! I stood on an ant's nest myself when I was very little, I didn't see it in the grass and they got all over me and bit, Dad scooped me up and put me in the bath with warm water and mum poured in some kerosene to kill the ants, I remember holding a towel over my face while they poured kerosene water through my hair. Then a proper bath after that with clean water and soap to get the kerosene off me. Since then I get itchy hives if ants bite me.
DeleteOh boy, I think it was Kalbarri NP - I put my chair on an ants nest in the dark by accident. I wore socks - Ingo did not - what fun... Later in Perth we had to leave the bus in an odd failure situation - an ant bit me.
DeleteIn Germany they are much, much smaller, hence my Mum laughed. And... <bro has two daughters - I didn´t do any damage.
We slept for hours today!!! 35C, sunny, light breeze, ravens, magpies, kookaburras, I´m in heaven!
It's hard to change but the world keeps changing so sometimes you do have to force to change. Good use of the prompts.
ReplyDeleteHave a lovely day.
lissa; change is hard for some and others take it all in their stride.places like convents and Abbeys where people are in seclusion sometimes do need a wake-up call to keep up with the world, even with small changes adaptation is needed.
DeleteHow long had Sean Jeating waited to be a fully fledged monk? It seemed that he had been a novice for ages but at last his spiritual observance was complete. The time had arrived for him to become Brother Sean. Ants scurried across the monastery floor and a crippled boy pulled the bell rope to call the entire holy community of St Elsie's Abbey to the baptism service. Holy compassion filled the air like wood smoke as a stream of monks settled in their pews to welcome Brother Sean into the Holy Order of Brown Monks. Those who might not understand could conclude that Sean was now trapped forever at St Elsie's Abbey but in his heart he felt the healing light of The Lord shining forth and freeing him from the restrictive chains of everyday life. "Arise Brother Sean for thou art free now!" announced Abbess Iris.
ReplyDeleteBoy! Never ever during his long time on this planet he would have got trapped by the wish of becoming a novice let alone a monk.
DeleteStill, having read the above stream of consciousness, Sean was overcome with great compassion, and so he asked Abbess Iris at St. Elsie's Abbey to hide but a few ants in Neil`s Yorkshire pudding ... just to let the old scoundrel know that Sean would never enter a brown order. Those are for spiritual fascists.
Yorkshire Pudding; a good effort but I fear you write of an imposter Sean Jeating as "our" boy prefers to remain free.
DeleteI'm a history buff. But it does get to me when people is stuck in past. Every so often I would remind my parent what year it is.
ReplyDeleteFor some reason the link isn't working for me.
Dora; blogger and links have been tricky lately. Many older people prefer the way things used to be, even when they adapt to the "now".
DeleteMolt bona imaginació i un magnífic ús de les paraules. 👏👏👏
ReplyDeleteI imagine Father Timothy had a bit of a shock when he first ventured to town! It's good that he has such an open mind to consider changes, and a way to help Martin settle in.
ReplyDelete