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December 02, 2007 |
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A Safe Dwelling Place
FOUND by Andrea Fragassi
in Cortland, New York
I found this on the floor at my work, an ice rink where lots of little kids hang out. This probably fell out of someone's coat.
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We collect FOUND stuff: love letters, birthday cards, kids' homework,
to-do lists, ticket stubs, poetry on napkins, telephone bills, doodles -
anything that gives a glimpse into someone
else's life. Anything goes...
the only safe place is knowing that you have someone who truly loves you.
out of the mouths of babes...the absolute unadulterated truth.
Isn't that what the child said.
"I searched the whole world
but it come from above.
It's a love that is true,
a love just because."
-Scott Philips
I am puzzled what apples have to do with it- an analogy that trees offer shelter? Then apples fall and when life give you apples....make apple cider???
Oh. That's a comforting thought.
Psalm 46 v1
God is my refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble.
A comforting thought for this Sonday.
"You are my hiding place, what time I am afraid I will trust in You."
Oh I love this find. Very comforting thought for today. One that I needed too.
Now, someone better tell that little apple - he doesn't look too 'comforted' in this picture. Perhaps he knows he will be cider. You'd think the apples would get it by now.
And I agree w/all of those above who said "OUT OF THE MOUTHS OF BABES!" Children 'get it.' We adults tend to lose our way and forget.
Reading left to right: God is an apple, cider is a safe place, and apple trees are life's storms. Makes complete sense.
Or maybe the kid just likes apples and the pictures have nothing to do with God.
This is simply precious.
What's the text in about (paraphrasing) "Only with the heart of a child shall you enter into the kingdom of God..."
Simply precious.
Folks, the child didn't write this, the child's Mom wrote this.
I Am
I wonder how cider relates to God and life's storms. Nice tree!
Aww I am so glad this was posted...I found this about a year ago when I was still living in my college town.
Thanks so much, FoundMagazine!
this find warmed me up. it made me remember what's really important, and it reminded me of my days as a child hanging out at the ice rink. PS it's ironic how the answer to the spam protection was "God"...
This is the writing of a seven or eight year old. We are having a huge wind 'storm' in the Northwest today. I think I'll go to church, and I haven't wanted to go for a long time. Thanks for posting! God has been my dwelling place for the last 28 years. Churches..... not so much.
I wish I had the faith I did as a child. But Im thankful that in time I have rediscovered faith, not in myself, but in He who dwells in me. Im so thankful that yesterday I didnt take those pills and that nothing can seperate me from His love. To God be the glory.
This is that saying, "If life gives you lemons, make lemonade"--only told from the lemon's point of view (or in this case, the apple.) An apple complains about hanging on the tree, being buffeted by the wind, soaked in the rain, and exposed to the depradations of birds. THEN he gets picked and made into cider--which is most uncomfortable--but only by being crushed and pressed can he give up his natural sweetness and goodness. So it is with life...grace under pressure means that the goodness can flow out of us to others. The apple doesn't have all that sweetness for itself, nor for the apple tree--but to be shared with others in order to nourish them.
(Spam protection Q: Anyone from any Eastern countries, with no knowledge of English Middle Ages rhymes, is up the proverbial creek without means of locomotion!)
Does this remind anyone else of http://www.foundmagazine.com/find/1911 ?
I love how things children say can be so simplistic and eloquent, I recently got a fwd email about how they asked children what love is, and my favorite responses was from a four year old that said
"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth."
I sent this to my pastor today. I haven't been to church in over a year but just this morning, before I read this, I started to listen to a download of one of his sermons. I had to walk away when I put in my "earplugs". I talked to him before about epiphanies. I had one this morning after reading this. I want to feel Him in my life again. I keep stumbling, but I am trying. Thank you for reminding me.
God is a terrible place in storms. The roof leaks, the windows aren't sealed, and the insulation is non-existent. All is all I recommend the Holiday Inn.
Baby Basil, your explaination of the apples reminds me of that George Herbert Poem:
But can he want the grape that hath the wine?
I have his gifts and more
but much more him I must adore
who out of the vine's sour grapes sweet wine did make,
even god himself being pressed for my sake.
that said, this find is why I hate organized religion and how it is thrust on children too young to understand. This is probably copied off a blackboard, not written in an organic celebration of god's love. To quote Dawkins, expanding on Russell's Teapot:
The reason organized religion merits outright hostility is that, unlike belief in Russell's teapot, religion is powerful, influential, tax-exempt and systematically passed on to children too young to defend themselves. Children are not compelled to spend their formative years memorizing loony books about teapots. Government-subsidized schools don't exclude children whose parents prefer the wrong shape of teapot. Teapot-believers don't stone teapot-unbelievers, teapot-apostates, teapot-heretics and teapot-blasphemers to death. Mothers don't warn their sons off marrying teapot-shiksas whose parents believe in three teapots rather than one. People who put the milk in first don't kneecap those who put the tea in first.
Yes, I pulled that off Wikipedia, apologies if it's misquoted.
You are your own safe dwelling place, look no further.
God is good.
Apple trees are where you get the apples for your cider of knowledge. And your pie of knowledge. And your sauce of knowledge.
S'OK, Martina, I hear what you're saying. These are probably notes of a sort taken during Children's Church.
I was 30, myself, before I found God. And no one can take me from Him or Him from me...I like myself, and I like my life, with all their imperfections.
Good enough for me.
"They call me 'dog', but they got the letters backwards"
If you don't know that you are god, and god is you, you are at anybody's whim. A picture says a thousand words, in a thousand different ways. What do you see coming from this child other than the repitition of words? Perhaps apples really are the fruit of knowledge...
...drink the nourishment squeezed out of a hard life, and it will feed many.
God is Love. Love is God.
This must be from the illustrated post-it version of proverbs.
Aren't apple trees associated with the fall from grace?
Brianna: thanks for that lovely quote! Out of the mouths of babes, indeed.
Jack: that's kind of what I like the best about this note. I hope that in Children's Church or wherever this child was learning about this, that was why they chose apples for the metaphor instead of, I don't know, cherries or lemons or peaches. I like the idea that the apple is both knowledge, and the knowledge of Evil that causes you to be sent out of Eden, and the remembrance of God's love. Very nice. Very "true."
Of course, I don't teach Children's Church, and I'm not a Christian, so apologies if I annoyed anyone with that.
Isn't God also the source of life's storms, both literal and figurative?
Yeah I know - the perils of free will, but surely not all suffering on Earth comes from human wrongdoing...
How much credit is deserved then if he is a comfort during suffering He wrought?
Just sweet.
martina, i was my own safe dwelling place today. I really needed to reconnect all the pieces.
I don't know but I perceived this as the child being sad to write something like this, maybe something is happening to the child to need a "safe place"
lost in america: that is not ironic; it's just coincidental. conicidence is not irony.
I definitely agree, looking at the pictures I pity the apple, the expression is one of confusion – or constipation.
Alcoholics find God in a bottle of apple cider...if it's the good stuff.
Maybe an apple a day will keep the devil away!
Just kidding...I doen't know how I would have made it through some of the times in my life without the comfort of God.
That's really my favorite find ever so far.
Here's the explanation...
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/28484
(God Diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder)
My life's been stormy. On T'giving day found out my sister's youngest daughter (16) is in the final days of terminal cancer and my father-in-law died this past Tuesday. God has helped my keep my sanity.
Hmm... Apples are multi-taskers.
-Kelsey & Jack – Yep, associated with Fall-from-Grace. But *also* with keeping the doctor away!!
-Apple-cheeked - I think it's supposed to be fresh & wholesome?
-American as Apple Pie...
- [bye bye ms. american pie]
- apple for your teacher?
- then... THINK about poor (Newton's?) son... with apple-on-head, re-connecting desperately with his Higher Power (...please let my dad's aim be true!!)
...hmmm, apple jack, apple fritters, (i'm running low on apples..)
Brianna – thanks for the link to “meen to me”… I think I missed that one! And I absolutely love the ‘name is safe’ quote; thanks for reminding me..
---Listening to a 12-step recovewry taped talk once... Speaker said, "I've been in the Zone with God.. and it's great! Sometimes I lose that... Then someone said to me, "If you are out-of-the-zone with God... who moved?"
yeah, I'm an it's-all-inside-us Higher Power person.
"oh the lord's been good to me. and so i thank the lord.. for giving me the things i need.. the sun and the rain and the appleseed... the lord's been good to me"
sing it loud and that's grace for breakfast.
this does not bring me any comfort whatsoever.
on another note, I am quite surprised that there aren't more comments today? where are the atheists and agnostics? "religious" finds usually get a lot more comments.
Cameila, newton got bonked on the head with an apple, thus "discovering" gravity. It was william tell's kid that had to trust his dad's markmanship and archery skills. (allegedly.)
Ben Jammin, did you know William Burroughs shot and killed his wife with a gun while playing a drunken game of William Tell (allegedly) ?
this is obviously not written by a child. the mastery of the apostrophe, the proper spelling, and relative spacing all point to adult.
not to tarnish the "mouths of babes" discussion.
"i've got one hand in my pocket said:
lost in america: that is not ironic; it's just coincidental. conicidence is not irony." You can blame alanis for the confusing between coincidence and irony.
Freon, my thoughts are with you.
I just keep thinking of Alanis Morissette as an apple.
If you understand, let's be best friends.
skee-ball is also a safe place in life's storms...
Freon, God bless you and your family.
Hey, Freon. Hang in there.
Dear BenJ... thank you! I was too tired to look it up, but I found myself wondering "Newton? What the heck does apples-n-arrows have to do with gravity!!?!" thanks for fixing it
Freon - I am very sad for you & your family. Sending supportive thoughts 'n' things.
true, mona, but the fact that my name is a line from an alanis song is merely coincidental, and not ironic ;-)
Thank you to all offering support and comfort.
absolutely, 'i've got one hand', that's the way i took it.
All in all...I think this find is along the line of, "If life gives you lemons...etc"
However, I do think a wee-one has copied it from the blackboard? At Sunday School?
I doubt this was intended, but, the fact that they used an apple tree for their pictorial analogy makes this a very thought provoking find to me. Because, as someone else said, I always associate apples with sin in a way.
So, maybe they meant that even when you do wrong, you can still look to God for comfort and support? I dunno, but I like it.
Yeah, god is a shelter from storms.
So's a fucking prison cell.
Baby Basil: comments like yours, in the context of the storm analogy remind me of the tale of the oak tree and the long grass. You've got your rigid beleif in god standing up against the wind while I keep an open mind. I'm tossed and battered by life's storms, but i will survive them all, and adapt to my situation. Eventually, your god will give way and then you will be destroyed utterly.
Rex..good to see you back, dont stay away so long...
Rex, good luck. My belief in God is not "rigid", but it is mine. And it needn't trouble you at all. If your mind is indeed open, my beliefs can breeze on through without upsetting you, right? In one door and out the other.
Rex,
I'm so glad you spoke up! I was worried that there were too many people on here writing with joy and optimism. I appreciate that you have tried to remove any notion of hope in mankind or the future and that we should all live a life of utter lostness and despondency. Just like you.
OK, that's a lie. But it is fun watching you bleat like a whiney child because there are people who are at peace with themselves and their faith.
So, c'mon dude, keep spewing your bile! It's a hoot!
Not drawn by a child. A wise and artistic old granny perhaps. My take on this is that the apple tree is shaken by storms, and the not-amused apple has been blown adrift and is in danger of being turned into cider?
No doubt it made sense when Granny was explaining it.
Makes me think of --
'Malo -- I would rather be
Malo -- in an apple tree
Malo -- than a naughty boy
Malo -- in adversity'
-- which is a nonsense rhyme to remember the possible meanings of the word 'malo' in Latin (our Latin master at school used to quote it)-- and it becomes a chillingly sinister song in Britten's opera The Turn of The Screw.
Not much consolation or shelter from God or anyone else in that spooky show.
God calms all storms.
It's not like that, Still a Strong Voice. You are the bleating ones, oh you poor poor lambs following shapes of nonsense. At least Rex can think for himself.
oh Martina.. how much do i love the turning of your phrase..'lambs following shapes of nonsense'.. its lovely.
i don't know how you get 'apples' when you think of God and all of life's storms, but we all have our own way of thinking.
i envy that kind of unwavering faith.
that's ironic, because this is the same day that the crazy storm started here.
Did anyone else catch the Adam and Eve reference?
I don't know about the rest of you, but on a cold day warm apple cider is liquid comfort.
This is so sweet. Really innocent and carefree. I love it.