“Let Love and Friendship reign”

 I was with a band of travelers.  I was in the tent of the leader.  He was a "cowboy-gentleman." He was rustic on the outside but refined on the inside. He was everyone's friend, their brother and their father.  He was kind and generous, he was powerful and respected.  He was rich and dictated his own rules that those who followed him kept. He was a gentle and loving King. He protected his followers and provide for them.  They did his work, and he loved them.  And they loved him. 

And I loved him.

And he asked me to stay with him.  And he presented a ring to me from his own finger.  He said I would belong with him, and I would stay with him.

I knew there was a reason I should say, "no."  But I didn't want to say no.  I hesitated.  He offered again; no pressure, just an offer of kindness.

Then I accepted his offer, and he gave me his ring.  It was a simple, but beautiful- Claddagh ring.  The symbols were on a band, and the band was covered in Celtic knots.  The Claddagh symbols were on the underside of the ring, which faces the palm.

As soon as I took the ring I realized why I should have said, "no."  

If I went with him I would have to leave my family.

If I stayed with my family I could not go with him.

When I woke up I felt really sad about this dream.

I wondered at first why a good and kind King would ask anyone to leave her family to be part of his kingdom.  It didn't seem fair.

Then I remembered that Jesus said this, "Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. "

Matthew 10:37-39 ESV

Sometimes the crosses we take up, the burdens we bear,  are really the things we lay down.  I lay down my family, I lay down myself, I lay down my things to follow Jesus.

The symbols of the hands holding the heart with a crown mean "Let Love and Friendship reign."

The Claddagh ring has been used a promise ring and a wedding ring for hundreds of years in the Gallaway Bay area of Ireland.

book list

 The other day I made a book list page in my notebook.  It's good to look back and remember what I have read. After I made the page I wanted to write down all the books I've read so far in 2021.  I was shocked to find (about myself) that it was March and I have only read one book in 2021.  That's disappointing. I mean- the year is 1/4 over and I've only read one book?!  Ugh.

So I snapped to it and read another one right quick.

Now I'm reading "The Collected Works of Oscar Wilde".  No lie- I was skeptical at first.  I wanted to read "A Picture of Dorian Gray," so I bought the collection.  Of course, that particular work was not in the collection. When I started reading the first story I was not impressed.  The writing is excellent as expected, but the topic was Shakespeare.  I know people who like English literature are supposed to love Shakespeare- but I'm not those people.  

I finally pushed my way through that story, and was delighted to find the other stories much more to my liking. They are, so far, everything I think a short story should be.  There is always a nice little twist at the end that makes me feel like I haven't wasted my time. 

I am also reading - rereading "A Handmaid's Tale." It has always been one of my favorites.  I'm preparing to read the sequel for the first time.  I have also started a book titled "How to Talk so Little Kids Will Listen."  I need that one because my little kids pretend words don't exist sometimes.

CS Lewis is on my list of 'to read' and I'll have to wait to see what else comes up!