SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS

      Sitting in “A Friendly Shade,” I see the reflection of fallen leaves lying scattered across the ground.   The trees do not reflect the same image they did during the spring and summer months.  Their limbs are laid bare, and I am left with the chore of cleaning up what was once an array of beautiful clothing layering the horizon.  I see these leaves and bare tree limbs in a different light.  Thinking more about this, I reflected upon the fairy tale story of Snow White and how the wicked Queen changed when her magic mirror told her words something like, "Though fair ye be, ye are no longer the fairest to see."  
     For those not familiar with the story, Snow White's evil stepmother possessed a magic mirror which she asks every morning, "Magic mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?"  The mirror replies, "My Queen, you are the fairest of them all." The queen is pleased because the magic mirror never lies, but when Snow White grows up and becomes more beautiful than the Queen her mirror responds, "Oh my Queen, though fair ye be, Snow White is fairer far to see.”  Not hearing what she expects, the Queen gasps! She is horrified.  She becomes bitter and deceitful which leads her to plot evil against Snow White. 
     Mirror images often fool us.  What do we see when we look in the mirror?  Does the lighting over the mirror cause us to look different from one mirror to another?  Indeed, what we see may not be what others see; the mirror reflection could be far different.  Actually what most people come to see, over time, is the reflection of what comes from the mouth and the heart, and it is that mirror image they will remember. 
     If we truly want to become “the fairest in all the land” maybe we need to clean up our attire by shedding the leaves that hinder our growth.  Could we possible take a lesson from the seven dwarfs who rescued Snow White?    
  Bashful- may just have to get outside himself, open up to others, and unashamedly be a good Christian example. 
  Doc – may have to get closer to God and His Word to heal the mind and the spirit.  He may need to provide some loving care toward others to help heal their broken spirit.
  Dopey- may need to wise up and began to love others more.
  Grumpy- may need to make a decision to enjoy life and be happy.
  Happy - already has joy in his heart but may need to be more supportive toward others to spread his “Happy” around.  He needs to show people he cares about them and their happiness.
  Sleepy – could do with a little less sleep to spend more time with God, create more time for church attendance, and allow more time to do good deeds for others.
  Sneezy – needs to take better care of his life style and eating habits in order to become healthier and better able to carry on God’s calling.
     Now that I have given myself a lesson in cleaning up my attire and in what I want to see reflected from the mirror of life, it is time to abandon “A Friendly Shade”, take rake in hand and clean up some of these fallen leaves in order to make my landscape more attractive for the fast approaching festive holiday season.   I would truly like the appearance of my landscape to cause an exclamation, "Though fair other's be, yours is the fairest for all to see."