There
is a children's book called The Judge: an Untrue Tale by Harve Zemach with pictures by
Margot Zemach. I cannot seem to get the chant out of my mind. It goes like this:
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| The Judge an Untrue Tale |
A horrible thing is coming this way,
Creeping closer day by day.
It's eyes are scary
It's tail is hairy
It's paws have claws
It snaps its jaws
I tell you, Judge, we all better pray!
Contrast in life, like in art, commands attention by the sheer force of its differences--March 1, 2020 compared to April 1, 2020.
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| Manon and Letty on the Palmer Course PGA West |
Playing
golf in sunny, to be truthful rainy and cool, southern California the week the
pandemic broke I felt isolated from the world of a future without enough toilet
tissue and sanitizer wipes to go around. On March 17 the day of our
departure to home, we stopped in downtown Palm Springs for breakfast. The shock
on our faces and fear in my gut told the entire story. Palm Springs,
unbeknownst to us, had closed it's restaurants to the public. At last we
found an empty diner with sparkling clean red vinyl seats that left us
feeling like we had just been transported back to the 1950's. We were quiet as
we ate, each of us sorting our thoughts.
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| Sonny Bono, Mayor |
Outside
I found a statue of Sonny Bono, former Mayor of Palm Springs, with a smile on
his face and open arms to greet the visitors, but there was no bustle around
him. No one sitting on his lap. No one beside him. No one honking and singing.
A blue face mask covered my nose and mouth that day as I boarded the airplane. For the first time, I felt frightened of something and that children's rhyme began to sing in my head.
A horrible thing is coming this way,
Creeping closer day by day.
It's eyes are scary
It's tail is hairy
It's paws have claws
It snaps its jaws
It growls, it groans
It chews up stones
I tell you, Judge, we all better pray!
No green beer or wine was served on the plane. One family dressed their three children in Leprechaun Green making all around them smile. Home and a day later, Wednesday, March 18 at midnight, Norman, Oklahoma shut its doors to the public. Not a fiber in my body understood.
Two
weeks of self-quarantine found me walking 10,000 + steps nearly every day.
Passing people playing outside with their children, in homes where I had never
seen movement. Tricycles and bikes left outside.
 |
| A child's version of Olaf. |
After two weeks, I ventured out with sanitizers in hand to pick up an order of humor
from International Pantry.
Sunny
days allowed Jack and me to spread our life into yard work away from the
television. Using my 20
Minute Gardening technique I feel like I have conquered the battle of
the Henbit weed. Two front flower gardens are weed free, fertilized, covered with mulch
and ready for Easter. Two more spacious gardens in front will reap the benefits
of our weeding over the next few weeks. Small tasks at a time.
Coming
into our home through the garage I am greeted by a monthly calendar--Scotland:
The Art of Deborah Phillips. Her artwork charms me each time I pass it. The
textures, colors, roof tops, and rain are true to my memory of Scotland. Each picture takes me where I have
been before and for a moment in time I am transported back to a country of my
ancestors.
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| Scotland calendar |
March's
artwork captured my attention on varying levels. The distress of seasons feels
personal now, as I experience spring in Oklahoma at home without company,
without family, without gatherings; summer one day winter the next. There is such beauty to be found in these
times and like The Judge the dark is there.
A horrible thing is coming this way,
Creeping closer day by day.
It's eyes are scary
It's tail is hairy
It's paws have claws
It snaps its jaws
It growls, it groans
It chews up stones
It spreads its wings
It belches flame
It has no name
I tell you, Judge, we all better pray!
No name, no words. no prayers. How could prayer have left me in a time like this? I hear my mother's words "This too Shall pass." This morning on The Today
Show these few true and sincere words from
an Episcopal minister touched my heart.
"A Prayer for the World"
God help us
Love us
Walk with us.
Help us Love each other.
And we will find our way.
Amen.
Yes,
the beast with no name arrived, clawing his way into our lives. We named him
Covid 19, now perhaps the warriors, our medical teams, will force him to retreat.
We are ALL IN THIS TOGETHER, and a simple prayer has helped me to
move forward in my heart and head. May this prayer help each of
you.
We are, indeed, all in this together. It helps to see the many ways people are reaching out, connecting, and helping one another through. Thanks for this post, Letty.
ReplyDeleteYou are most welcome, Linda. I needed your inspiration.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! And we Pray!! Linda
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. We are so glad the two of you are doing well. We certainly do need prayers at this time. I always enjoy your beautiful insightful stories. Blessing this day. jnjF
ReplyDeleteLetty, the prayer for the day plus the gorgeous photo of the iris put such a positive spin on my day. Thank yo so much.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a meaningful blog, so full of the realities of our day. jk
Wonderful post. Thank you Letty. kh
ReplyDeleteThank you for this Letty. Such amazing times. My mother-in-law caught one of the last planes our of Palm Springs in late March. She arrived home safely, saying that there were only eight people on the plane.
ReplyDeleteLove the poem about something scary coming this way, and the prayer at the end. You are such a talented writer, an oasis in this lonely desert of quarantine. Keep writing. vmr
Letty, Gayle and I really enjoy reading your blog. It is truly a scary time we are in. Never wold have thought times would be like this. It is a time we all need to pray. Wish you two the best and stay clear of the invisible enemy. Love, cs
ReplyDelete