Where The Light Can be Seen

My talented artist daughter, Asherel, did a brave thing yesterday. She used the gifts God gave her to teach residents of a nursing home to draw a dog. I asked them all when they finished very nice dog drawings if they had ever drawn a dog before.
"No!" they all said.
"Wow! First dog in 80 years!" I exclaimed.
"Try 87," said one woman.
"Can we draw a bird next month?" asked Joe, another resident.
"That would be fun!" said my daughter.

When they started drawing the dog, one resident kept trying to hand me the pencil, "You do it for me," she asked.
"No," I said, "You can do it. Just listen to what Asherel is saying. Drawing with basic shapes is easy."
Soon, she stopped asking for help, and drew the dog face with intense concentration.
"I had 25 Foxhounds growing up," offered one resident.
"We had birddogs," said another.
"Those foxhounds used to love running over the mountain after the fox," said the woman, a wistful look of remembrance on her face.

Asherel had chosen a golden retriever photo to draw from, one with a huge smile on its face.
The ladies at my end of the table drew the happy dog, and then laughed, "He looks so happy! How funny!"
Later Asherel told me she chose that happy dog picture on purpose, "I thought it would make them smile."

I think my daughter learned something very valuable yesterday, even more valuable than the residents who now can draw a dog. She learned that when we use the gifts God gave us in service to others, we feel a sense of purpose and joy. There may be no more important lesson.

Luke 8:16 (NIV)
“No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light.


-save a dog- hollowcreekfarm.org