Bury The Past: The Blue Hawk Shovel: An Angel Message

Ever notice how something will suddenly stand out catching your attention? Like an image popping out in a 5-D picture.  That's what I've come to call angel messages. Pay attention...a lesson is coming.  It happened a few days ago. My little garden angel leaning on her shovel caught my attention.  Maybe because I'm digging in, gardening again like I haven't for years.  The angel shovel reminded me of a prized shovel of mine.  One that taught me a lesson on burying the past many years ago. The other day, I spotted it leaning against the garage as I turned on the water spigot to tend the garden. A memory flashed to mind how much I cherished that prized BLUE HAWK shovel, and all the peace I'd lost by not burying an issue but digging it up each day to spoil my peace.  Now...ten years later, I sheepishly notice the shovel is in sad shape. The wooden handle rotted from having left it out in the rain behind a tree. A sad tool, shortened in size, with the Blue Hawk emblem faded away, leaving only a memory on burying the past:     

 Our neighbor across the street had helped me out for pay, pruning our trees, planting bushes, and mulching the flower beds. A win-win situation for us both as he earned needed cash.  And, I was thankful for a hand with the heavy garden tasks.   Afterwards, he asked a favor.  He wanted to borrow my garden shovel for another job later that day. I was happy to do it but three weeks later with no shovel in sight, I began to lose patience.  When I did ask, he was always going to go and get it from the job site. I began to think my prized shovel was in some distant land, far beyond time and space.

I was digging in deep, ruminating over being unfairly treated, losing my peace rather than focusing on the good already planted.  Deep down, it wasn't about the shovel.  The shovel was a symbol of digging deeper down into my lack of Self worth...a place untouched by human emotions.   I asked the Holy Spirit to let me see peace instead of discord.  But my ego kept on digging up the past, flinging yesterday's dirt shrouding today's joy.  I had a long litany of past actions where this neighbor had expressed little gratitude, only coming back time and again for more favors.  

 

An angel thought interrupted my brooding.   Bury the shovel!  Or it will bury you! 

I got the image...  Bury the shovel...forgive and forget...and, you know, a short time later my neighbor turned up with my shovel in hand. The funny thing was my prized garden spade no longer had an anointing.  I parked it in the shade of a tree, and forgot all about it until a few days ago.  

The shovel brings to mind a wonderful vision of Truth. You may recall how on Easter morning, the risen Christ first appeared to Mary Magdalene. Bravely she had gone to the tomb to tend to his body, but it was missing.  And she began to weep.  In her sorrow, "she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus... supposing him to be the gardener." (John 20:14-15)  

 

When she heard his voice calling, Mary, her darkest hour suddenly became her greatest joy as she recognized the gardener is her risen Rabboni, the beloved Christ. 

 I love the image of Christ suddenly appearing with a shovel to greet us at our darkest hour of despair.   Sorrow turns into joy, when we turn around, and face the Light of Immortality.  A divine Love that never dies. "The past is over, it can touch me not."  (ACIM) 

Love and peace,


Rae Karen