Jules
Potters Clay
From the book, "A Union of Hearts, celebrating the beauty of love.~written and compiled by Ellyn Sanna
LOVING DESPITE THE PRICKLES
"One winter a group of porcupines were caught out in a storm. As night fell, they tried to huddle together for warmth--but when they did, their quills kept poking each other. At last, frustrated and angry, several of the porcupines walked away alone into the blizzard. "At least," they muttered to themselves, "we can sleep in peace now." When morning came, however, the porcupines who had huddled close together, finding ways to endure each other's quills, were warm and safe. But the ones who had gone off by themselves were nearly frozen solid from the cold.
We're not so different. When we get close to other people, we end up being hurt--and whether we realize it or not, we hurt others, too. It's far easier to love from a distance; loving people closest to us, the people we live with and work with, our husbands and wives and children, our neighbors and coworkers--that's hard work. We imperfect humans are a prickly bunch. But when we work out our ways to get along, when we forgive each other and accept forgiveness for ourselves, when we offer to each other the ordinary duties of our everyday lives, then we find warmth of true life, the life that flows from Jesus Christ."
LOVING DESPITE THE PRICKLES
"One winter a group of porcupines were caught out in a storm. As night fell, they tried to huddle together for warmth--but when they did, their quills kept poking each other. At last, frustrated and angry, several of the porcupines walked away alone into the blizzard. "At least," they muttered to themselves, "we can sleep in peace now." When morning came, however, the porcupines who had huddled close together, finding ways to endure each other's quills, were warm and safe. But the ones who had gone off by themselves were nearly frozen solid from the cold.
We're not so different. When we get close to other people, we end up being hurt--and whether we realize it or not, we hurt others, too. It's far easier to love from a distance; loving people closest to us, the people we live with and work with, our husbands and wives and children, our neighbors and coworkers--that's hard work. We imperfect humans are a prickly bunch. But when we work out our ways to get along, when we forgive each other and accept forgiveness for ourselves, when we offer to each other the ordinary duties of our everyday lives, then we find warmth of true life, the life that flows from Jesus Christ."
