Gerald, the Mysterious Frog

I do not remember when Gerald joined the Moore Clan. I know only that he is a permanent fixture with us. Allow me to speculate; sometime during my granddaughter, Katie’s preschool days, Gerald showed up. I think Katie may have dug up this small concretion from a flower bed, having found him buried. Maybe the former owner left him; she was into growing flowers, shrubs and such. Gerald was covered in Georgia red clay and dirt; not an obvious treasure. But Katie loved him (I don’t know is gender, but a female would never stay this dirty!); she named him Gerald.

Although an inanimate object, Gerald disappeared from time to time.  Maybe I should say, Gerald reappeared from time to time—found in unlikely places; on the slide; on the deck; in the swing set; in a flowerpot; in Nana’s favorite outdoor swing; on the deck table at grilling time. Turns out, Katie was not the only one who resurrected Gerald. No one ever asked where Gerald was. We just knew he would show up.

We sold our house to move into a senior living facility. When Paige had to move into a skilled care facility, I moved in with Jennifer, our daughter. Somehow Gerald showed up there. When building codes did not permit our building my apartment onto her house, we moved again. Gerald showed up there, too. Over the years, Gerald remains a steadfast fixture at the Moore household.

In a world constantly changing, there is comfort in finding something constant. I have a few constant close friends; some from high school, some from college, and some from churches we served. Over the years our lives crisscrossed the world. Yet each time any of us reconnects, it is like a fun family reunion. Friends stick together. Many a time we have hugged each others’ babies, stood together by open graves, and, in times past, hugged each other for comfort or joy.

  A most remarkable friendship is that of David and Jonathan; he was son of King Saul; read about this friendship in the book of 1 Samuel. Jonathan and David were devoted friends.“And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul” (1 Samuel 18:1  KJV) However,  when David received more praise than Saul, he became a hunted man—by Jonathan’s father; yet David and Jonathan remained steadfast friends.

Steadfast friends are worth more than great wealth. They rank at the top in a hierarchy of relationships, close to something like your relationship with God. God will never leave you. God is steadfast, faithful; “… he is still faithful today to the covenant that he made with your ancestors .” Somewhat like Gerald, the mysterious frog, God just keeps showing up; sometimes when we least expect Him. Though we may not always feel God’s presence, or see God’s handiwork, God is faithful and will never leave us. “Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never leave you; I will never abandon you.”

Yep! You guessed it, as does God,—and faithful friends, Gerald showed up again.  He is  here; he sits outside our kitchen on a window ledge, watching over butterflies, birds, and wildlife near our deck.