August 25 – “Evil giraffes and Mansfield police”

Now The Claw was a boon to all residents of Greater Island, though at the time we saw it as the Great Interloper.  It arrived at random moments, roaring through the villages, realm after realm, stopping on occasion to perform its gruesome task.  The huge mechanical marvel spoke with the voice of a hungry beast.  The giant arm rose from its resting place within the monstrous travel wagon.  The claw at its tip opened its gaping jaws.  And slowly, deliberately, devoured pile after pile of the once precious belongings, ripping them from the ground, smashing branches of long cared for trees, tearing through grass and sod to reach under the target, and finally, forcefully, closing the jaws.  Sometimes rapidly like a ravenous lion tearing at his prey.  Sometimes slowly like a sated vulture finishing up his tasty victim, forcing the last little bits into his mouth before spreading his wings to fly away and bask in his victory.   Ah.  A boon to be sure.  But not always an easy one to accept.  We watched our Queen as her beloved instrument of music made its way past.  And many joined in her silent weeping.  For this maker of melody was the one on which the Queen as a very young child had learned of rhythm and notes and tunes of happiness from days gone by.  Her own young princes had touched the instrument's ivory teeth as they, too, garnered the wisdom and refreshing that comes from being immersed in fun songs of childhood laughter as well as expressions of deepest praise to the Great One Who Rules Even Queens.  It was the symbol of a life – a good life - that was passing, changing, never to be the same.    And The Claw took it away.  A boon.  A catastrophe.  A necessity.    And now life would go on.    What a dream.  I was on a drive to the beach with Mom in some 4 wheel drive vehicle (that becomes important later in the dream, but I didn't know it at the time).  We got to the seawall, but the waves were too close for the vehicle to get down to the sand.  So we started to back out, because suddenly we were somewhere in the West End on a one lane road with a red truck backing up behind us.  He got out first.  I backed up and pulled into a driveway off to the side so I could head forward.  The sand was very loose, but the 4 wheel drive was working well (told you it would be important).  As I put it in gear, I realized that there was a river of some kind ahead with a very nice car stuck in it.  I had to pull very close to the car to turn around.  Almost hit it in fact.  And as I backed away from that car and shifted into drive, some huge vines started reaching out from the other side of the river to grab our car.  They looked like tentacles from an evil villain in a super heroes movie.  I just managed to elude them when I heard a voice.  It was coming from one of the vines, which was actually a long neck with the head of a giraffe on top.  The head spoke through evil-looking fang teeth and said, "Oh, you're not going to get stuck with that car, are you?"  (Like I said, 4 wheel drive was important to the story).  "Well, it's a good thing, because the Mansfield police would arrest you in a heartbeat."  Whew.  Evil giraffes and Mansfield police.  I'm so glad I eluded them.  Both sounded terrifying.   Psalms 27:5 says, "For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock."   Father, thank you for assuring safety.  I can get scared of the strangest things.  Amen.