Article December 26, 2005 Issue

WHAT ABOUT THE PUMA?

A lesson in fixing the unfixable.

BY WENDY MANKER

THE HOUSE was quiet and peaceful one Sunday afternoon, when suddenly everything began to shake violently. Books began flying off shelves. The large plate glass window over the front door shattered. Table lamps and precious objects our family had gathered over the years fell from the tabletops. In the midst of this, I reached out to God in prayer to feel His ever-presence and all-power.

When the earthquake finally stopped, the family sat in shock, chaos surrounding us. As my husband, son, and I walked through the house surveying the damage, I listened for an angel message from God that would comfort me.

Then I spied the Puma. The Puma is a beautiful, very large clay sculpture that has been in the family for generations. It is the work of a family friend who has since become an artist of great renown. The latest generation to have enjoyed its beauty, we'd welcomed the Puma into our home. Now it lay on its side, its head shattered into pieces. In the violence of the earth's shaking, it had tipped off its low pedestal and landed on its head on the hard floor. It seemed to symbolize the feeling of loss that engulfed the whole family.

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