Image Courtesy of Play.Google.com

Do you remember the book "Horton Hatches an Egg?" (By Dr. Seuss).  I was reminded about it today.  Just in case you need your memory jogged, here is a 'replay'.  "Mayzie" was a lazy bird who was sitting on her egg when Horton was walking by.  Listen to Mayzie:


“I’m tired and I’m bored
And I’ve kinks in my leg
From sitting, just sitting here day after day.
It’s work! How I hate it!
I’d much rather play!
I’d take a vacation, fly off for a rest
If I could find someone to stay on my nest!
If I could find someone, I’d fly away-free…”
Then Horton, the Elephant, passed by her tree.
“Hello!” called the lazy bird, smiling her best,
“You’ve nothing to do and I do need a rest.
Would you like to sit on the egg in my nest?”

Well, as you may recall, Horton agrees and Mayzie takes off far away and ends up on the Beach. She doesn't return for a long time.  Horton faithfully says with the egg despite weather, and media sensationalism. He never veered from his task.  

When Mayzie returned, it wasn't to see how her egg was doing, it was to see a circus. By now Horton and the egg had become a main event in the circus.

"And she swooped from the clouds
Through an open tent door…
“Good gracious!” gasped Mayzie,
“I’ve seen you before!”
Poor Horton looked up with his face white as chalk!
He started to speak, but before he could talk…
There rang out the noisiest ear-splitting squeaks
From the egg that he’d sat on for fifty-one weeks!
A thumping! A Bumping! A wild alive scratching!
“My egg!”  Shouted Horton. “My egg! Why, it’s hatching!”

So, now that the task is completed, Mayzie wants her day in the sun....

“But it’s Mine!” screamed the bird, when she heard the egg crack.
(the work was all done. Now she wanted it back.)
“It’s my egg!” she sputtered.  “You stole it from me!
Get off of my nest and get out of my tree!”
Poor Horton backed down
With a sad, heavy heart…
 But at that very instant, the egg burst apart!
And out of the pieces of red and white shell,
From the egg that he’d sat on so long and so well,
Horton the Elephant saw something whizz!
It had Ears
And a Tail
And a trunk just like his!

Oh the Folly of Mayzie.  She had thought that her station in life was unsuitable and that the grass was greener elsewhere.  She had delegated her duty and her influence away.

“My goodness! My gracious!” they shouted. “My Word!
It’s something brand new!
It’s an elephant-bird!!
And it should be, it should be, it should be like that!
Because Horton was faithful!  He sat and he sat!
He meant what he said
And he said what he meant…”
 …And they sent him home
Happy,
One hundred per cent!"

I loved the "100%" part.  As a parent, I know that I longed to be with my children as much as I could, but circumstances did not always allow it.  However, I made sure that practices, performances, FHE, Games, family trips, and simple things such as sleep-overs in the living-room and just snuggling under the covers were priorities of mine.  I love my children more than life...and have always felt that motherhood and being a parent has been such a great privilege that was extended to me by a loving Heavenly Father.  

I only had a handful of children to love and influence.  Imagine the role of our Heavenly Father in this same arena.  I saw this video today.....and I think it will now be one of my favorites.  Heavenly Father is a Father "100%", and he does it on such a grand scale.  How fortunate we are to be loved and respected by such a great being....who only asks us to call him "Father".


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