Try, Try Again

NATURE PROVIDES US INSPIRATION when we need it. One morning I went out to fill the birdbath in the corner of our vegetable garden. My mind was filled with worried thoughts of how to encourage a friend who had many troubles and was feeling insecure and unsure of herself.

Our garden is fenced to keep the tomato-loving deer and salad-loving rabbits where they belong. I was within inches of the fence before I saw the toad. Using all four appendages to cling to the wires, he sat suspended halfway up the fence. Well…not exactly “sat”…he was climbing. I ran to the house to retrieve my camera. He wasn’t concerned that I was there. That toad was focused on a mission!

As I watched over the next half hour, this toad captured my heart. Over and over again, he attempted to make it to the fence top, only to be within a few inches, then lose his grip and tumble backward to the ground. Stunned for a few seconds, he would then gather himself up and start the colossal climb again.

I was tempted to pick him up and place him in the garden, but I sensed he needed to prove to himself he was capable. On the sixth try, he finally made it! As he plummeted to the other side, I breathed a long sigh of relief.

I thought of my friend who had confided in me. I now knew exactly how to encourage her. Mr. Toad had just given me a sermon to share from atop the garden fence.

DELILA LUMBARDY

Spearfish, South Dakota