Watch Your Step

 

 My family and I undertook a big project in the backyard this weekend. It was quite literally an "all hands on deck" situation. At the end of the day, I rounded the corner of my house to grab a hose. I was carrying my granddaughter when I mistakenly stepped into a hole left by a talented groundhog. I felt my knee twist as I held onto my granddaughter tight. Fortunately, I was able to keep my balance and not fall. My knee hurt, but it was not a serious injury.

 I was so mad at myself. I knew that stupid hole was there. It was on my "to-do list" to fix. I have managed to avoid it plenty of times in the past month, but this time I was distracted, and my vision was partially obstructed. I had to ask myself, "What was I so busy doing that I couldn't handle this dangerous situation?"

 Sitting on my couch, I remembered one of St. John Bosco's dreams about the boys in his oratory. In his dream, John Bosco saw a large pit in the middle of a meadow and noticed a serpent at the bottom. Its ugliness horrified John Bosco. Then he saw his students jumping over the hole. Some boys jumped over the pit quickly, but not all were so lucky. The serpent got some of them. In disbelief, John Bosco asked the boys why did they keep jumping if they saw what was happening to some of their classmates? The boys didn't think their actions were risky. They didn't perceive the danger of playing near the serpent.

 My children filled the hole for me as I rested. "Wow," my daughter said, "The hole was much deeper than it looked!" It is good that the Lord gave us each other. We need to look out for one another. I encourage everyone to look around their homes and determine if dangerous pitfalls need filling. Not everyone perceives the danger.

-Susan