Walking with Francis as he walked with Jesus, is not just something we study; it becomes a way of life. As we come to know about Francis, we are being challenged. What was available to St. Francis is still available to us here today! The change in our group seemed to occur about the time we were reading one of the "little stories" of how Francis made a deal with a ravaging wolf. In a remarkable conversation with the animal, Francis proposed that, in return for the hungry wolf not eating the villagers, the villagers would regularly feed the wolf! The deal was accepted by the wolf.

One of our group was being awakened at night by a chirping bird in a bush outside his bedroom. The only way the bird could be stopped was to go outside, take a stick and smack the bush. We encouraged our fellow member to speak to the bird, explain the situation and suggest a solution: If the bird would stop chirping at night and thus waking him, he would stop smacking the bird's bush with the stick.

You might be laughing, but what was proposed was accepted. The bird, the bush, and our group member were all happy with the new arrangement.