Tag Tuesday - Strawberries; And a Story: HOW MUCH INK?

Taking a sharp turn from all the blues and greens we've done the past few weeks, the theme today is Strawberries!

(click for detail)

It's bright enough to wake you up, don't you think? For details on how it was made, or to join the challenge, click here.

How Much Ink?

Nineteenth in the Tuesday Story Series

There was an illustrative story I read once, written by a man, I forget his name, who had realized a life's truth by an observation he made. He was sitting at his writing desk, engrossed in completing some correspondence to friends and acquaintances when he noticed a fly sitting on the windowsill near his desk. It was a common, ordinary housefly and it was busily grooming itself in the sunshine. The man dipped his quill in his ink bottle and bringing it over to the fly, let one drop of ink fall on it to see what the fly would do. The housefly immediately started vigorously cleaning itself, wiping his front legs over his face repeatedly and shaking its wings. 

"Interesting." thought the man who had at first believed that the ink drop would perhaps drown him. So as the fly was finishing his task, he filled the quill again and let it drop. Once again, the fly began taking care of this problem immediately. This course of events replayed a couple of more times, and the man noticed that the fly was becoming slower in its response. Finally, the fly did not move, whether done in by exhaustion, or the poisonous ink the man could not tell. He reflected on this experience and relating it to the human realm. thought how often people deal with adverse conditions, and that when calamity follows calamity how people are worn down and even more so when they are trying to fight in their own strength. When there is no break for reflection or refreshing of the spirit, man can be drowned in whatever ink has befallen him.

We are not meant to carry all that we struggle with alone. Prayer is an avenue open to us, not just for times of trouble, but times of praise as well. Having friends with whom to pour out your heart is another way of "cleaning the ink off". Being a friend willing to help someone unburden themselves is a precious gift. We all have been in both places and I hope that you will open your heart to someone you may know who is going through a rough time. Listening is an art, and easily done by keeping our mouths closed and using our ears to hear, not our minds to form responses for when it's our turn to talk. 

Recently I have felt like that fly and it's been difficult because there is no one here I can really talk with. We moved here 4 years ago, and I have been stricken with the illness now for 3 of those 4 years, not really having sufficient time to form friendships. We have been under crushing stress with the situation with our adopted son and my husband and I are leaning heavily on our faith to bring us through these troubling times. I long for a friend, though, someone who would enjoy spending some of their busy time sitting with me on the porch, helping me see better out of these ink stained eyes and help give me respite during this time of struggle. I pray God will give me such a gift!