As I was reading Chanticleer and the fox I was struck by the widow at the beginning of the story who was poor and had lived many years after her husband died. She took care of her two children with her meagre means because she "lived well." There are pictures of the widows farm and her cozy house. (That is my favorite part of the story.)The widow is not mentioned after the beginning as the plot moves on to Chantacleer the rooster and the fox but it struck me as I was reading this that she was waiting for heaven. Her husband had already been taken and she was poor but she had a place to live where she could take care of herself and her children with her meagre means. She lived a very simple life but I'm guessing that it was dedicated to God and she had faith in the promise of eternal life.
What is our home supposed to be on earth? A foretaste of heaven while we are waiting for heaven: physically beautiful, to the best of our ability, but more importantly, beautiful in the people that live with us and how we treat each other; a place where we wait for heaven and work for heaven by cooking and then engaging in fellowship at meal time; cleaning and then enjoying the clarity of a clean, organized space where life can function more smoothly; teaching and learning, gaining in understanding and wisdom.
" May the work we do today show its fruits in eteranal life." This is in the closing prayer of Monday's Compline Office. This is the vision I would like to keep before my eyes as I go about my day and periodically ask myself: is what I am doing right now of eternal importance? This doesn't mean everything I do has to be serious in nature. Do you suppose that laughing with my children may make all the difference to their and my eternal salvation. Doing the work that is supposed to be done at a particular time will help me to be more charitable because I won't be scrambling and yelling at children because I am frustrated and behind in my work of getting supper on the table. Organizing my shelves so I have some arts and crafts activities ready for my preschoolers which bring them (and me when I finally get around to it) such joy. Does the joy we experience now have bearing in our joy in eternal life? I'm sure it does now that I think about it especially the joy that we help bring about in others which we can't help but share with them.
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