The other day I was speaking with my father and he shared with me how a few days earlier he had lost the keys to one of his cars. For several days he worried and searched for the keys with no satisfaction. Finally he decided to stop worrying, simply because this was out of character for him, and just trust that the keys would show up eventually. He went on to tell me that a day later as he was driving home from the store he heard a small voice telling him to reach underneath the seat and get his keys. So once he reached home he did just that and got his keys.
He laughed and said that this incident reminded him of the nursery rhyme “Little Bo-Peep”. I laughed and started to recite the rhyme,
“Little Bo-Peep has lost her sheep and doesn’t know where to find them. Leave them alone and they’ll come home, bringing their tails behind them.”
Such simple words yet so powerful!
I love this…and it’s such a larger life lesson than it appears to be. It’s right along with the poetically phrased, “If you love something, set it free…if it comes back to you, it’s yours; if not…it never was”. Sometimes, we have to take a few steps back from situations…concentrate our energies elsewhere and let situations work themselves out. Other times, we might have to assert more energy. The true wisdom, as “The Serenity Prayer” suggests, is in knowing the difference. Wonderful lesson Cynthia. Aren’t you thankful for a father’s wisdom? Love it!!