Enchanted
Chapter 3: A Picnic with Nature and Creatures
It was a beautiful Saturday morning with gentle sunshine peeping through the grey clouds, a gentle breeze, and a temperature of 10C: perfect weather for breakfast al fresco at Café Sinhari1955. We settled on a picnic bench with a huge parasol. The air was unbelievably bright and crisp, and I savored each breath. Life can’t get any better than this!
@ Cafe Sinhari 1955 picnic bench on the right
“Thank you, Lord, for blessing me. I don’t deserve this abundance, but here I am.”
The four cappuccinos and two butter-yellow scones looked picture-perfect against the dark brown bench. Just as we were about to start our breakfast, Chong, in a hushed tone, directed our gaze to my right hand and said, “Hey, look at that!”
Hovering at my hand was something that looked like a hummingbird. I tried to keep perfectly still as I looked down. Its wings fluttered at a dizzying speed, allowing just enough time for me to notice its body was a lovely olive green, orange, and red before it darted off to the flower bed. I felt special to have such a beautiful creature drawn to me. We discovered later that it was a hummingbird moth! How wondrous are God’s creatures! It mimicked a hummingbird in every way. Isn’t it interesting that what you see isn’t always what you think it is?
Shortly after the moth flew away, the resident cat came to join us. She sat next to me, meowing softly as though communicating with me. I was pleasantly surprised because I am hardly an animal person. But this charcoal grey and white cat sat with me for a while before it strode calmly and unabashedly between our legs. Such confidence among strangers, I thought. She certainly got all our attention.
Just then, the amiable elderly owner of the cafe came with two freshly laid eggs, still warm to the touch, from her free-range chickens. She told Chong that they weren’t ordinary chickens and urged Chong to eat it raw, right there and then. I balked at the idea, but Malcolm and Chong gallantly gave it a go. The verdict? Both agreed that it was smooth, rich, silky, and delicate. Happy free-range chickens lay delicious eggs!
What an interesting morning! There were more surprises in store for us. Between the visits of the hummingbird moth and the charming cat was a brown beetle that made an unannounced entrance. Rather than my usual impulse to flick it off, I was amused by yet another guest. Malcolm, Chong, and Grace were equally amused. We looked at each other, wordless, and beamed at each other. Our silence was broken by Grace, who pointed to the center of the table and exclaimed, “Wow! Look! There are exactly four leaves.”
Four autumn leaves, the last of our uninvited guests.
We all echoed her in unison. I remember we were speechless after that. Those four autumn leaves were our next picnic guests! Can you believe it? Not one more, not one less, but four? I wonder what went through each of our minds.
What an enchanted morning! A hummingbird moth, a cat, a beetle, four leaves, and four of God’s beloved children! Chong called them gifts. They were, weren’t they? Four uninvited guests at our picnic. It brought out a childlike wonder in all of us. Chong was so inspired that he wrote a poem right there and then. What seemed like an ordinary morning has left me wondering how they knew we would welcome and find them delightful. Could this be what John O’Donohue meant when he wrote,
“When our eyes are graced with wonder, the world reveals its wonder to us.”
What would the world look like if all our eyes were graced with wonder? Would our souls be still? Would our breaths be slower and deeper? Would we begin to see God in all things?
Do visit Photos; we have uploaded some pictures curated by Malcolm.
