by Mark Weinrich
When I was twelve, a weasel waved at me. The damp musty scent of early spring hung in the alcove of skeletal trees. A calico creature was crouched on a deadfall not thirty feet away. The long, skinny thing with puzzling brown and white splotches was a wonderment to me. An ermine is white in the winter, a weasel brown in the summer— the same animal but different seasons. Somehow, this creature was caught between. If it snowed that part ermine-weasel would no more fit in the woods than I— half-boy and man fit in the dysfunctional house below. Then the weasel stretched like a grizzly to all its height, one creamy paw waving. I realized, it was as curious of me as I of it. From that moment, God sowed a thought in my mind, change was coming for that weasel and change was coming for me. Four years later, God made me a new creature when I surrendered to Christ. He clothed me with unchanging ermine whiteness so I would fit in His kingdom forever.
Mark Weinrich lives a creative life as a writer, photographer, musician, and artist—all wrapped together in an outdoorsman. He is a retired pastor and nine-year cancer survivor. His writing and photography have appeared in over 130 news stand, inspirational, and literary publications. He has sold eight children’s books and currently has two fantasy novels on Kindle.