Tragedy And Carnage At The Church O’ the Pines

Tragedy and Carnage

THERE WAS TRAGEDY AND CARNAGE AT THE CHURCH O’ THE PINES THIS MORNING, as the local fox pair came loping through, caught a gray squirrel, and continued loping down the lane with it—tail dangling from the jaws that dispatched it. A welcome breakfast for nearby Junior and Junior Miss. All was quiet in the church for a few minutes, until Sparky the Cardinal once again began singing his hymns and carols, the orioles joined in, and a pair of mallards wandered up onto the lawn. And the squirrels returned.


It is interesting how such sins and transgressions seem easily and quickly forgiven in our church, as the circle of life goes spinning on. These moments are far from unheard of here of course, as we have otters, mink, eagles, hawks, snapping turtles, and all manner of church members who essentially make their living by eating their neighbors.

But they don’t lie to their neighbors. They don’t seek unlimited power over them. They don’t deny their worth or their right to be who they are or live as they do, and they don’t pretend to be better citizens than they are. Everyone just seems to kind of accept the rough edges and bumpy patches, to make space for one another, and to live within the same forest and under the same sky, with a general acceptance that life is good and worth living. And that part of life is death.

At least that’s the way things seem at the Church O’ The Pines. Good Sabbath to you. Oh—and Happy Father’s Day from Father Fox—successful this morning in his rounds. May all the dads have good luck and a fine day as well!

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