The Gift

I learned from Community Action this year how to make plarn, yarn from plastic bags, to which then crocheters come in and use the plarn to crochet mats to be given to the homeless.  It takes hundreds of bags to make the plarn.  I was given big, black trash bags filled with WHITE, plastic Wal-Mart bags.  I folded, cut, stripped, and rolled WHITE bags over and over and over again.  In time it began to get very monotonous, working with WHITE bag after WHITE bag.

Then last night, my dear, sweet neighbor brought over her bag of bags she had been saving for me.  Later I went to the kitchen to begin working monotonously again on this project when lo and behold, I opened her bag and pulled out a GREEN bag.  My heart fluttered.  I looked again, reached in and pulled out a BROWN bag, and then a BLUE bag, and then RED,WHITE, and BLUE bags.  Oh, the joy of colors!  I was so giddy folding, cutting, stripping, and rolling all those beautiful colors!  Who knew colored bags could make me so happy?

Oh, the simple pleasures.  I think God must have smiled seeing me get such joy out of this “gift.”  The gift of color just when I needed it.  The creator of color gave me a gift and used my dear neighbor to deliver it.  It renewed me, revived me, and I was ready with zip and zing to make more plarn.  I found myself humming, smiling as I pulled out yet another colorful bag…what joy!

I think there are lessons here.  I’m just going to let you ponder on that for yourself.  I’m going back to my “gift” bag and see what color I pull out next.  I can’t wait!

What fun!  What joy!  What a gift!  All from a plastic bag.

Thank you Father.