December 25, 2019

A  PIECE OF  STRAW

It was in a crib ….

It touched the baby ….

A 3 year old took it from the church

after Christmas Mass ….

She held it in her hand

like a balloon string - as she walked

to their car in the church parking lot ….

She pointed with it to a Burger King

and a water tower on the way home ….

She dropped it getting out of the car

and screamed as it blew away in the wind ….

Once inside the house she headed

for her new baby doll under the tree

next to crib – which had straw –

and all was okay …. Her father – like

Aquinas* - looking at the discarded

wrapping paper –knew all was straw –

except his 3 year old, her 2 brothers,

his wife, and his parents whom they

would see this afternoon for Christmas

dinner and many more presents to come ….

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2019
* Aquinas - the great theologian -
near the end of his life - looked
at his writings - and thought of
what he wrote as straw - compared
to the Great God he was moving
towards - in case you don't get
the reference *.