E

There they crawl, coming out at dark, but once you turn on the light they scatter. Cockroaches, a way of life in Texas. They are everywhere, if Texas had a state bug, I am sure it would be the cockroach. Or maybe the Mosquito. Matagorda, if I am not mistaken, actually has a Mosquito festival. If the winter is not cold enough or the Spring brings buckets of water falling from the sky, these little pests can drive you crazy. Have one in the car with you, driving down the road. Memorable Cockroach or Mosquito, it is hard to decide which would be the bug of Texas. But the question is Clean or Unclean. We fear them, or at least we don't like them. But they are creations, creation of and from God.

Hear the Good News, though elements of life around us might bring frustration and dislike, all that God has created is clean and pure. May little ones may think that big brothers and sisters or little brothers and sisters are anything but good, but they are blessings. What we might call ugly, dirty or unclean might be more beautiful than we could ever imagine. Annelids, some call them ugly and slime but without them, life as we know it would be different. Called "nature's ploughs," "soldiers of the soil," and "intestines of the earth." That last one was from Aristotle. Earthworms are long, thin digestive tracts that ingest large amounts of dirt. As a result of their tunneling, worms break up the soil, providing oxygen for roots of plants. Worms help the soil hold more water. Worms clean up dead organic matter by eating it and turning it into castings, which may be the world's best fertilizer. Clean or unclean?

Oh Father, how many times we see the world we live in and look with blurred vision. We do not always see the big picture, the whole. Allow us to see, to know and to realize the beauty in all of your creation. More over, let me see the beauty in myself, my friends and strangers too. And thank You for worms. Thank You Father, for all You have done in my life and all You will continue to do. Amen.