A Makeshift House In The Woods

It was so out of place sitting there in the woods.
I saw it out of the corner of my eye.
I could have easily missed it, since the color blended with the leaves around it.
It should not have been there.

It was a mailbox.
It was open, there on the ground in the woods.
I could see leaves and debris inside.
I wondered what it was doing there.

I took a picture of the scene.
I thought about it as I continued my walk.
It was out of place.
The mailbox should be on a post ready to accept the mail from the carrier.

It reminded me of an out of print book we have on one of the bookshelves.
It is called, Mousekin’s Golden House, by Edna Miller.
If you do happen to find the book, it is quite expensive.
It is a sweet story about a mouse who makes his home inside a Jack-O-Lantern.

As the story goes along, the pumpkin’s face changes.
We all know how our carved pumpkins look after a few weeks.
The face on the Jack-O–Lantern, which becomes Mousekin’s house, reflects those changes.
Mousekin is getting squished, as his pumpkin house seems to be getting smaller.

I thought of Mousekin as I walked away.
If only Mousekin had a mailbox as his house.
A mailbox would not rot over time.
A mailbox would not lose its shape.

I wondered what lived inside the mailbox in the woods.
Something lived there.
The debris was not in the mailbox haphazardly.
Something packed the leaves and debris just so.

A mailbox house in the woods.
It almost seemed as if it should have an address.
It almost seemed as if the flag should be up, alerting the carrier a letter was inside.
Except this mailbox had another function; this mailbox was a home for some little animal.

How many other makeshift homes are in the woods?
How many makeshift homes might we pass by on any given day?
Something that was discarded has now taken on a different function.
I have always heard that someone’s trash is someone’s treasure.

This time of year, one photo is inevitable.
Someone will have a picture of a bird’s nest in a wreath on their front door.
It has happened to us.
I always wanted to have a talk with the bird and say, What were you thinking?

Doesn’t the bird know that the door will be opened multiple times in a day?
Doesn’t the bird know that each time the door opens, it will have to fly away?
Doesn’t the bird know that the nest is not hidden at all?
Why did the bird choose the wreath anyway?

A mailbox house is actually quite ingenious.
It is sturdy.
It will protect the little animal from the weather.
It has a lot of room inside.

I smiled at the creativity of our God.
Think of all the things He has made.
Think of how each animal, from the tiniest to the largest, is under His care.
God cares for each one of them.

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?  “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:25-34)

God cares for everything that He has made.
The ingenuity of a little animal, to use a mailbox as a house, has God’s creativity all over it.
The bird’s ability to build the perfect nest, even if it is in a wreath, is no accident.
God cares for all that He has made.

God cares for us.
We worry about so many things.
What if we took a deep breath and thought of the mailbox house in the woods?
What if we really knew, from the bottom of our toes, that we are cared for by our Heavenly Father?

We are.
They are.
Everything He has made is in His tender care.
Isn’t that wonderful?

 

2 responses to “A Makeshift House In The Woods”

1. Great reminder! BTW I love when you include pictures with your writings

   Reply

   • Paula, I’m glad you enjoy the pictures.
     Sometimes the picture finishes the story.
     Blessings,
     Gina

     Reply