Hunny! 40 Days in the 100 Aker Wood – Day 21 – Friday after 3rd Sunday of Lent
To Read:
While all this was happening, Piglet had gone back to his own house to get Eeyore’s balloon. He held it very tightly against himself, so that it shouldn’t blow away, and he ran as fast as he could so as to get to Eeyore before Pooh did; for he thought that he would like to be the first one to give a present, just as if he had thought of it without being told by anybody.
And running along, and thinking how pleased Eeyore would be, he didn’t look where he was going… and suddenly he put his foot in a rabbit hole, and fell down flat on his face.
BANG !!!???***!!!
Piglet lay there, wondering what had happened. At first he thought that the whole world had blown up; and then he thought that perhaps only the Forest part of it had; and then he thought that perhaps only he had, and he was now alone in the moon or somewhere, and would never see Christopher Robin or Pooh or Eeyore again. And then he thought, “Well, even if I’m in the moon, I needn’t be face downwards all the time,” so he got cautiously up and looked about him.
He was still in the Forest!
“Well, that’s funny,” he thought. “I wonder what that bang was I couldn’t have made such a noise just falling down. And where’s my balloon?
And what’s that small piece of damp rag doing?
It was the balloon!
“Oh, dear!” said Piglet. “Oh, dear, oh, dearie, dearie, dear! Well, it’s too late now. I can’t go back, and I haven’t another balloon, and perhaps Eeyore doesn’t like balloons so very much.” So he trotted on, rather sadly now, and down he came to the side of the stream where Eeyore was, and called out to him.
“Good morning, Eeyore,” shouted Piglet.
“Good morning, Little Piglet,” said Eeyore.
“If it is a good morning,” he said. “Which I doubt,” said he. “Not that it matters,” he said.
“Many happy returns of the day,” said Piglet, having now got closer.
Eeyore stopped looking at himself in the stream, and turned to stare at Piglet.
“Just say that again,” he said.
“Many hap -“
“Wait a moment.”
“Many happy returns of the day,” said Piglet again.
“Meaning me?”
“Of course, Eeyore.”
“My birthday?”
“Yes.’
“Me having a real birthday?”
“Yes, Eeyore, and I’ve brought you a present.” Eeyore took down his right hoof from his right ear, turned round, and with great difficulty put up his left hoof. “I must have that in the other ear,” he said.
“Now then.”
“A present,” said Piglet very loudly.
“Meaning me again?”
“Yes.”
“My birthday still?”
“Of course, Eeyore.”
“Me going on having a real birthday?”
“Yes, Eeyore, and I brought you a balloon.”
“Balloon?” said Eeyore. “You did say balloon?
One of those big coloured things you blow up?
Gaiety, song-and-dance, here we are and there we are?”
“Yes, but I’m afraid – I’m very sorry, Eeyore – but when I was running along to bring it you, I fell down.”
“Dear, dear, how unlucky! You ran too fast, I expect. You didn’t hurt yourself, Little Piglet?”
“No, but I – I – oh, Eeyore, I burst the balloon!”
There was a very long silence.
“My balloon?” said Eeyore at last.
Piglet nodded.
“My birthday balloon?”
“Yes, Eeyore,” said Piglet, sniffing a little.
(Winnie the Pooh – In which Eeyore has a birthday)
From the Scriptures:
Let love be genuine; hate what is evil; hold fast to what is good; 10 love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honour. 11 Do not lag in zeal; be ardent in spirit; serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; persevere in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints; pursue hospitality to strangers.
(Romans 12v9-13)
To Reflect:
“Balloon?” said Eeyore. “You did say balloon?
One of those big coloured things you blow up?
Gaiety, song-and-dance, here we are and there we are?”
“Yes, but I’m afraid – I’m very sorry, Eeyore – but when I was running along to bring it you, I fell down.”
“Dear, dear, how unlucky! You ran too fast, I expect. You didn’t hurt yourself, Little Piglet?”
When I was going through this story the tender heart of Eeyore shone through and brought a tear to my eye. He begins to be excited at the possibility of becoming the proud owner of a big coloured balloon and all the possibilities of ‘Gaiety, song-and-dance, here we are and there we are?’ only to have his bubble literally burst.
Does he descend into one of his usual pity parties? No.
Does he upbraid Piglet for not being more careful with his precious cargo? No.
He hears that his friend fell over and his first concern is, ‘You didn’t hurt yourself, Little Piglet?’
I just love the way he uses a double diminutive for his fallen down friend. I wonder if he also asked. ‘Where does it hurt? Can I kiss it better?’ Undoubtedly upset that the present he never expected (‘My birthday balloon?’) has vanished into thin air, Eeyore looks past the joy he might have had to the pain his Little Piglet is feeling both in his body and his heart.
Eeyore Christians may be a challenge at times but everyone needs one when they are in places of sadness because it’s the Eeyore’s amongst us who can really understand our pain. Perhaps this is the gift that only those who find their lot to be on the dark and gloomy side of life, those who are used to being ignored and neglected, those who never expect care and concern, can give. Out of the deep well of their experience they find a compassion and empathy that those who chase balloons and honey do not always possess. William Vanstone’s seminal book The Stature of Waiting reminds us that for all the busy-ness of the ministry of Jesus, the miracle working, multitude feeding, establishment challenging Redeemer; it is when our Beloved cannot move, cannot act, can only suffer, that the greatest miracle is given to a sin-sick world. The weal for our woe is the pain of our Beloved and all we can do in response is handover the broken pieces of our life and say, ‘Here Lord, take these broken pieces and make them whole.’
To Pray:
Take, O Lord, and receive all my liberty,
my memory, my understanding, and my entire will,
all that I have and possess.
You have given all to me.
To you, O Lord, I return it.
All is Yours, dispose of it wholly according to Your will.
Give me Your love and Your grace, for this is sufficient for me.
(Ignatius Loyola)
To Do:
1) Fix something that is broken. Or sew something that is torn. Or rebuild something that has fallen down.
2) That broken part of yourself that you hide deep inside. It is of no use to you so why not give it to our Beloved and look to see the smile you will receive as you are born again on a new Birthday.
Please Note: These reflections are also published on my blog: suffolkvicarhomes.com on Twitter as @SuffolkVicar, and on my public Facebook page Rev Andrew Dotchin
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Acknowledgements:
Text from ‘Winnie the Pooh’ and ‘The House at Pooh Corner’ by A.A. Milne copyright © The Trustees of the Pooh Properties.
Line illustrations copyright © The Estate of E.H. Shepard.
Colouring of the illustrations copyright © 1970 and 1973 The Estate of E.H. Shepard and HarperCollins Publishers Limited
Prayers are from ‘The Little Book of Prayers’ edited by David Schiller copyright © David Schiller 1996: Workman Publications.
Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
These Reflections, ‘Hunny! 40 Days in the 100 Aker Wood’ are copyright © Andrew Dotchin 2024
Suffolk Vicar 