Words of
Encouragement & Hope
Adapted to a story told by
Nancy Cushman, District Superintendent
Buddy’s World Turned
Upside-Down in a Minute
One day, Buddy was enjoying his quiet routine when his owner noticed his birdcage was dirty. She decided to do it quickly, so she got her vacuum cleaner out and thought it would be fast and efficient.
Little did Buddy know what was coming next. Ethel turned on the vacuum cleaner and began to get to the task of cleaning up the mess, when the phone rang. Multitasking, she grabbed the phone and at the same time the vacuum cleaner hose turned and quickly sucked up poor little Buddy.
Ethel hurriedly turned off the vacuum and ripped the bag open and there sat Buddy, with soot and debris surrounding him. He was disoriented and totally unrecognizable with dirty feathers. He held on and survived.
Ethel was in awe that he was still alive. She scooped him up and decided he needed a bath right away. Well, you can imagine how Buddy liked being first sucked up in the vacuum cleaner and then the trauma of a bath. Ethel prevailed and scrubbed the little bird clean. Buddy was shaking and not saying a word. Not even a chirp. He held on despite being wet and trembling.
Ethel thought, "I must get him dried off quickly and help this poor bird." She had this bright idea to use her hair dryer to warm him up and dry him off. Well, you can imagine this poor little bird getting this blast of hot air with this fiery inferno surrounding him. Buddy hung on.
Buddy survived, to Ethel's amazement. He began singing again and doing what parakeets do. Looking in a little mirror and dinging little bells. Do you feel like Buddy?
This year a pandemic struck without notice. Sucked us up like a big vacuum cleaner. Bathed us with isolation, frustration and loneliness. The heat of the debates and the political rhetoric separating us as a Nation.
However, we are surviving because we are holding onto God’s promises to never leave us. We will sing again and our future will look bright.
Just hold on and pray.
