Remembering A Balloon

When I was a girl, it was always a treat to take the train into the city.
Going into Philadelphia and shopping with my mother and my aunt was quite an excursion.
We would meet under the eagle in the Wanamaker’s store.
We would have lunch in Horn and Hardart’s restaurant with its revolving doors.

My mother and I would meet my aunt in the city.
She was a legal secretary for the law department and lived near the Art Museum.
It was expected that you would get dressed up when you go into the city.
It was expected that this would be an out of the ordinary kind of day.

My aunt would always insist on buying me an Easter dress.
I can remember fidgeting as I had to try on each one in the dressing room.
We would go to the shoe department to get a pair of white patent leather shoes.
I remember the shoes had small buttons that were impossible to fasten with your fingers.

That is why the shoes came with a metal button hook.
It was never something a little girl could do on her own.
Then again it was not everyday you wore white patent leather shoes.
An Easter hat and little pocketbook finished the outfit.

I always felt so small in the city.
There were the safety instructions of holding my mother’s hand as we crossed the street.
There were the expectations of acting like a lady as we sat and ate our lunch.
There was the warning about whining or complaining before the day was done.

That was an easy one to follow since going into the city was a special time.
Without fail, my aunt would sing a rendition of the song Easter Parade as we walked along.
We would always stop at a candy store to get some chocolate Easter eggs and jelly beans.
It was usually in the candy shop, a small child could get a balloon.

I remember my balloon vividly.
It was a balloon that was shaped like a bunny, with two long ears.
I thought it was the greatest balloon I had ever seen.
My mother wondered how we would get it home on the train.

We said our goodbyes.
I hugged my aunt and thanked her for a wonderful day.
My mother and I got on the train.
She wrapped the string around my wrist so the balloon would not fly away.

I had to keep the balloon close to me so it would not hit anyone in the face as I walked by.
When we got our seats, I could loosen the string a bit.
As I child is apt to do, I talked to my bunny face balloon.
Look at your pretty eyes, I said pointing to the painted eye lashes.

I remember a lady sitting in a seat facing us.
She was smiling at me.
The two women began to talk.
You have big ears, I said poking the left bunny ear of my balloon.

Suddenly, as if on cue, the left ear deflated.
In my child’s mind, I thought that I made the ear deflate.
I began to cry.
There was nothing I could do to restore the left ear of my bunny face balloon.

It was as if my poke caused all the damage.
It was as if my unkind words to my bunny face balloon caused it to deflate.
I remember the woman saying something kind to me.
I remember my mother hugging me close.

The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. Seeing in the distance, a fig tree in leaf, He went out to find if it had any fruit. When He reached it, He found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. Then He said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And His disciples heard Him say it. On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple area and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. And as He taught them, He said, “Is it not written: My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations? But you have made it a den of robbers.” The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill Him, for they feared Him because the whole crowd was amazed at His teaching. When evening came, they went out of the city. In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!” “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believe that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive your sins.” (Mark 11:12-25)

The fig tree always represented Israel.
Even though it was not the season for figs, there should have been edible buds on the tree.
However, this tree produced no fruit.
The state of the fig tree was much like the state of Israel, to Jesus’ dismay.

In between the two stories of the fig tree, there is the story of the temple cleansing.
Jesus was angry, though not in a sinful way, since Jesus was without sin.
Jesus had righteous anger; the buying and selling were done in the Court of the Gentiles.
Since the marketplace was there, the Gentiles had no place to pray.

This infuriated Jesus and rightfully so.
The temple was to be a house of prayer for all nations.
The merchants were more interested in making money than in people worshiping.
There was no fruit on the fig tree and no fruit in the temple.

There was no fruit.
When Jesus saw the fig tree without fruit, he spoke a curse on it.
When they passed that very tree again, they saw that it was withered from the roots.
Shallowness, monetary gain, and disregard for appropriate worship were symptoms.

They were symptoms of fruitlessness.
They were symptoms of the state of their hearts.
As with the fig tree, there will be judgment on them as well.
But there was still time to repent and produce much fruit.

With grace, there is time for fruit bearing.
There will be lifting up so that more light and more water will reach the roots.
There will be pruning and cutting off.
There is still time for fruit to appear on the vine.

There is still time for fruit in your life as well.
Jesus wants to see fruit.
May it never be said of us, It is not the season for figs.
Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. (Matthew 3:8)

Funny what you think of when you remember a balloon.