God's Timing

I walked outside just now to take a walk, but as I started down the stairs, I noticed a spider hanging low over the stairwell, being blown about in the wind.

I suppose I could have risked it.  He should have stayed more than a few feet out of my way.  But I know better than to trust the wind ... or spiders.

Instead I took the back stairs and then, a moment later, found myself racing back into my condo to get my camera.

Out in the retention pond behind my building a cormorant was taking a shower in the fountain.  Personally, I hate getting water in my eyes, but the cormorant is built for the water.  Don't let the feathers fool you, it's a bird with a built-in wetsuit.

Of course, I would have missed the cormorant completely if it weren't for the spider.

Yesterday, I left church right when the sun was setting.  We had had an early Christmas dinner and I had read The Polar Express to the fifteen adults and three children who had shown for the dinner.  And when we passed out silver bells to everyone, I swear the adults smiled more than the children.

As I was leaving, I glanced out the car window to a clearing in the trees for overflow parking and that was when I saw it sitting there--a bobcat, my bobcat, my advent, December bobcat that I had first seen last December as it lounged in our prayer labyrinth.

I slammed on the brakes, threw the car in reverse and grabbed my camera.  He was skittish.  I only took a few pictures.

You're most likely to see the bobcat at dusk and dawn.  The thing is--I'm never at church at sunset or I'm rarely at church then, but I was yesterday, celebrating Christmas a week early, enjoying good company and good food, sharing a book that's theme is the power of belief.

And there, waiting for me when I was finished, a Christmas present, unwrapped and waiting.



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