Arkansas Loon Flies to Minnesota

A story has a beginning, a middle, and an end. So does a gourd. A gourd starts with a seed, just as a story starts with the germ of an idea. The similarity between a gourd and a story is interesting. Among my stash of gourds, I searched until I found one whose bottom part resembled a bowl. It wasn’t much to look at. It was, in fact, dirty, with a film of yucky gourd skin that had to be scrubbed off. However, in that gourd, I saw its potential and what it would look like eventually.  I washed it, cut off the neck, scooped out the seeds, sanded the rough spots. Next, came holes around the top for lacing. After I sketched a loon swimming on a lake, it began to look like what I wanted. When the loon took on life with a bit of water color, I knew that it was on its way. Spraying it with clear acrylic was almost the final step. Last, came lacing twine through those holes at the top. Now, my loon gourd is ready to fly to Minnesota, with a little help from the US Post Office.

Writing a story and watching it take shape is pretty exciting. I know what I want it to look like when it is finished, but in between the beginning and the ending, lies a lot of work, just as with the gourd. As I gaze at that blank computer screen, I see the people, plot, and places that are possible;  however, many words, a lot of hours, and considerable thought will have to happen before it takes shape.  But, at last, with an exciting (shall we say nail-biting, heart-thumping, edge of chair) climax, comes the denouement, a satisfying ending, and the story is finished. Hopefully, from a cozy mystery standpoint, it is a thing of beauty.

I wonder, does the Lord look at us as a seed with potential, a story worth telling? As he gets rid of the stuff that would mar our inner beauty, sands off the rough spots, and trims us back, it may not be a pleasant process, but He knows we are worthwhile and He knows what we can be.

My brother Tracy lives in Minnesota and the loon is the state bird. So, that gourd that started as an Oklahoma seed and found life in Arkansas, will at last reach its home. I believe it will be happy there!