DEDICATED TO MY BELOVED GINGERSNAPPING FRIEND!!
I don't think that anyone that knows me would be surprised to learn that I LOVE AUTUMN! I love the color, the crunchiness of leaves, the ability to swish through them sending leaviness upwards towards the heavens!
It seems to me that the dear Lord even put a stamp on me that assured Autumn was my favorite season. If anyone looks at me they can see that. My eyes are hazel green/brown, my skin is light olive, and my hair is brown/reddish/auburnish. YUP....I look my personal best in Autumn colors!
Speaking of the colors of Fall I had a vivid fun image that rose up in my head. I saw the leaves in their glorious robes of color, amber, crimson, russet, and rust. It occurred to me that you don't really see one image of color as you look at the trees. It's as though the colors sing a joyous chorus celebrating the transition of seasons.
To use another example for Autumn, I am currently in the Autumn of life. I read a quote somewhere that said, "40 is the old age of youth, and 50 is the youth of old age." I quite like that. Since I'm 55, I guess that makes me in the youth of old age. It also makes me a colorful leaf clinging to my brother and sister leaves on a glorious mountain hillside.
At some point I will let go of the tree's steadiness and flow, downwards into a staunch stack, where again I will be joined with my brother and sisters.
Next we will be transformed into part of this earth....this turning, whirling, twirling earth, and parts and bit of us will go into the warm inviting earth. Other parts will move downward into the water supply, where we will move forward into rivers, creeks, lakes, streams, and ever onward to the ocean.
That's not the end of the journey even then...the earth will pull us upwards to the sky where we will become rain to move over the dry, thirsty earth, and fall down. We then water seeds in the ground, become trees with leaves, that turn into brilliantly robed colored leaves each Autumn.
Then....why then the entire cycle begins anew.
Do you see why I LOVE Autumn? It's NOT the pre-cursor to a harsh earth season. It's a part of the entire, glorious ebb and flow, start and stop, beginning and renewal of life.
Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass....it's about learning to dance in the rain!
Friday, November 25, 2011
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Gold or Red?
Golden leaves filled the gutter. I walked with my head held high breathing in deeply God's glorious autumn. Then something caught my eye, a RED leaf. There were NO other red leaves, just this one leaf lying in the very middle of the rest of the golden glory.
Into my mind came the story of the Good Samaritan from the Bible. A Jewish man was
traveling and as often happened in that time robbers ambushed him. They stole anything he had of worth and then beat him senseless.
There he lay on the road, broken and bleeding. Now it would have been pretty obvious that he was Jewish. They wore their hair a certain way, and dressed in a certain way.
Along comes one person after another that sees this man senseless and bleeding. Not ONE of them stops and does anything for or about him.
Now I recognize there is a logical reason for this. Robbers would sometimes put one of their own number out looking wounded. This they would do as bait. So someone would stop to assist the wounded person only to be ambushed. So....these passerby's were thinking of their OWN safety.
Yet I am sad to think that a Jewish Rabbi....a man of the same faith as the wounded would not only pass by but he crossed on the opposite side of the road.
Then comes a Samaritan. Now the Jews and the Samaritans had a long history of dislike for each other. I don't remember the historical reasons but trust me, they did NOT like each other AT ALL.
Yet of all the Jewish people that passed this poor man by the Samaritan stopped. He put the man on his horse and took him to an inn. He paid for the man to be nursed back to health, to be in a nice room. He even left extra money in case the man needed more.
Now you may wonder, what does a red leaf amongst a HUGE pile of golden leaves have to do with the good Samaritan? The good Samaritan was the red leaf and the people that ignored the wounded man were the golden leaves. They were probably good people, and they had a good reason to ignore him, their own safety. Yet this Samaritan, (remember Jews and Samaritans did NOT like each other), risked his own life, and used his own means to save this man's life, and health.
Now I am NOT saying, "Ok, let's pick up hitchhikers, and bring the homeless into our own homes. I AM saying, let's find ways to lift up the wounded amongst us. The amazing part about that is that when we serve others, WE are the ones most blessed.
So.....let us all be red leaves today. Let us look for ways, even small ways to love each other, and help the wounded in our midst.
I can't end this post without thanking the myriad plethora of people who have made my life so much richer, and better. Even in medical situations there are always those other patients who reach out with love and caring. Thank you to all of you that I am grateful to call family, friend and neighbor.
Into my mind came the story of the Good Samaritan from the Bible. A Jewish man was
traveling and as often happened in that time robbers ambushed him. They stole anything he had of worth and then beat him senseless.
There he lay on the road, broken and bleeding. Now it would have been pretty obvious that he was Jewish. They wore their hair a certain way, and dressed in a certain way.
Along comes one person after another that sees this man senseless and bleeding. Not ONE of them stops and does anything for or about him.
Now I recognize there is a logical reason for this. Robbers would sometimes put one of their own number out looking wounded. This they would do as bait. So someone would stop to assist the wounded person only to be ambushed. So....these passerby's were thinking of their OWN safety.
Yet I am sad to think that a Jewish Rabbi....a man of the same faith as the wounded would not only pass by but he crossed on the opposite side of the road.
Then comes a Samaritan. Now the Jews and the Samaritans had a long history of dislike for each other. I don't remember the historical reasons but trust me, they did NOT like each other AT ALL.
Yet of all the Jewish people that passed this poor man by the Samaritan stopped. He put the man on his horse and took him to an inn. He paid for the man to be nursed back to health, to be in a nice room. He even left extra money in case the man needed more.
Now you may wonder, what does a red leaf amongst a HUGE pile of golden leaves have to do with the good Samaritan? The good Samaritan was the red leaf and the people that ignored the wounded man were the golden leaves. They were probably good people, and they had a good reason to ignore him, their own safety. Yet this Samaritan, (remember Jews and Samaritans did NOT like each other), risked his own life, and used his own means to save this man's life, and health.
Now I am NOT saying, "Ok, let's pick up hitchhikers, and bring the homeless into our own homes. I AM saying, let's find ways to lift up the wounded amongst us. The amazing part about that is that when we serve others, WE are the ones most blessed.
So.....let us all be red leaves today. Let us look for ways, even small ways to love each other, and help the wounded in our midst.
I can't end this post without thanking the myriad plethora of people who have made my life so much richer, and better. Even in medical situations there are always those other patients who reach out with love and caring. Thank you to all of you that I am grateful to call family, friend and neighbor.
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