Begin the Beguine

"Now when Elisha had fallen sick with the illness of which he was to die, Joash king of Israel went down to him, and wept before him ... So Elisha died, and they buried him. Now bands of Moabites used to invade the land in the spring of the year. And as a man was being buried, lo, a marauding band was seen and the man was cast into the grave of Elisha; and as soon as the man touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood on his feet." (2 Kings 13:14,20-21 RSV)

A long time ago I heard this and I liked it. Particularly the idea of touching bones and being blessed because of it. Touching a dead, inanimate thing, which still holds the power to bring blessing. It reminds me of gratitude.

So the name, maybe this cold inanimate thing, Elisha's Bones, can bring blessing to who reads, who writes, or maybe it recounts a good thing, in the midst of so much of the opposite.