Are You Ready?

Are You Ready?

Once upon a time there was a squirrel named Randy who stored his accumulation of nuts in a hollowed out log. Now Randy was known for his adeptness at planning for the future, so he was likely to have more nuts than he needed saved up the coming Winter, than not enough.

One day, Randy was scrambling through the trees when he came upon a bee. The bee looked at him and asked”

“Are you ready?”

“Ready for what?” Randy answered.

“You had better get ready” the bee repeated and buzzed away to resume its chores.

Randy mumbled to himself a few choice comments about nosy bees and then resumed tearing around through the trees looking for something to do.

One morning, shortly after the encounter with the bee, Randy was beside himself as he awakened this morning to find a fresh blanket of snow covering the forest grounds.

“Oh dear,” he thought, “how will I ever find nuts now?”

And the bee came buzzing by and repeated:

“Aren’t you ready?”

“No I’m not, Randy shot back. “No, I am definitely not. What am I to do?”

“Well,” the bee repeated, “you had better get ready.” And off he flew once more.

Randy again mumbled a few choice phrases about bees who were basically useless. He decided he’d better scour the ground for what nuts he could find and take his chances that way.

A short time later the bee returned to advise that it was ready.

“Ready for what?” Randy shot back, somewhat exasperated now. “If you are referring to Winter, then good for you. But I’m not ready, if that’s what you mean.”

“That’s not what I mean,” the bee continued. “I asked if you were ready!”

“I know, I know,” Randy replied in frustration. “Whatever do you mean then?”

“Well,” the bee went on, “when I was flying over this area doing the last of my pollinations for this season, I noticed a grove of flowers that were wilting rather quickly. So I rushed over to draw from them what little nectar I could, when one of the flowers said to me:

“Are you ready?”

“And I answered - ready for what?”

“And the flower said – ready for the Creator?”

“The Creator, I repeated – Who is that?”

“You know, the Creator the flower repeated. I didn’t understand until she showed me the Creator inside of herself.”

“How did she do that?” Randy asked, now quite curious.

“Well, she lifted her petals to show me this small dot on her stem. That, she told me, is the Creator.”

“Really, I said, then why is He so small?”

“Oh, He’s not small, the flower answered, He’s only retiring.”

“Retiring, I asked.”

“Yes, retiring, she replied. Winter is upon us, so the Creator retires.”

“Where does he go? I asked.”

“Inside Himself was the answer, to await the next Spring.”

“So what does that have to do with me? I then asked.”

“And the flower replied with the following. The Creator is in everything. When seasons change, He/She retires, indoors so to speak, to await the next cycle of awakening which we call Spring. But while waiting the Creator needs a safe place to rest. And that is why He selects a certain place within each of us as a place to retire. We make this place ready by opening up our hearts. And that is where He/She will retire to until it is time to emerge once again. So when I ask ‘Are you ready?’ – that is what I wish to know. Have you prepared a place inside your Heart where your Creator can over-winter?”

“So, the bee went on, “I looked at the flower and then at myself, to find that special place. I had no stem, so I looked under my wings, and there it was, a special spot that I could open to allow the Creator in. And as soon as I acknowledged that the Creator entered and I kne3w I was ready.”

“So that is what you meant when you asked if I was ready?” Randy acknowledged.

“That is right,” answered the bee. “That is exactly what I meant.”

“And I thought it was about nuts,” Randy went on.

“I know,” stated the bee. “And I had thought it was about pollinating. It seems so easy to be confused.”

“So where do you suppose my spot is,” Randy asked?

“I don’t know,” answered the bee. “I had to find mine by looking all about my body. But when I did locate it, I knew it was the right one.”

“Very well then,” Randy went on. “It is time for me to get ready.”

“Yes indeed,” the bee echoed, and flew off to tend to his final chores before hibernating for the Winter.

Randy decided to sit for a while and contemplate his future. First off, he had enough nuts stored away, because once again, he had oversupplied himself, so he could let go of that concern. But he did want to be ready, so he began to examine himself to see if he could locate the spot where he could let the Creator enter in for the Winter. And sure enough, he found it. “Eureka,” he shouted, “there it is, my heart.” And with that discovery, he opened wide and the Creator entered in.

“I am ready,” he yelled. “I am ready!”