FOR THOSE WHO LIVE in the South,
Scenes like this are typical in the Fall.
And folks like me never grow tired of staring at them.
Who would create such beauty
Knowing it will be erased all too soon by rain and wind
Like sidewalk chalk art?
We assume we will see it again next year
But life changes quickly on this planet.
Nothing ever looks exactly the same twice.
Beautiful as this scene is, it’s only a phase in a hardwood’s life.
If we don’t seize the moment when it is given
We are powerless to make it last or come back.
The creator of that tree is well able
To produce beautiful “scenery” through us as well
We can display something better; more complex and lasting;
Perhaps a living impression on another human who might need it.
Something charming.
I'll never forget the afternoon. . .
I entered a crowded Sprouts food market and was confronted by
So many frowny-faced people.
Like me, they were focused on feeding holiday friends and family.
No one looked another in the eye. And the store was too quiet
Considering the number of people milling about.
At the store front, all the checkout lines were long.
In the line I chose a young cashier worked quickly To keep customers moving out the door.
Her bright yellow hijab graced her face, but she wasn’t smiling.
The line emptied more quickly than I anticipated. And
I smiled, “Everyone seems in a big hurry today,”
I pointed to the carts and baskets left behind at the checkout point.
“I think you’re right!” She sighed, focused on her job.
“Well, I’m not in that kind of hurry,” I added, as she apologized for the clutter.
As she scanned my purchases,
I pushed two carts and relocated a few baskets to their proper places,
“There. That should help.”
She stared at me; like . . . what are you doing?
I stared, wondering what kind of persons would leave carts and baskets behind!
"That was pretty rude of them," I grimaced.
Then turned on my smile again.
I paid and wished for her a wonderful day.
She smiled broadly and thanked me.
Oddly, that same afternoon this basic scenario played out again,
Only with different people,
Two more times,
In two different stores,
Miles apart.
As the story unfolded, I pondered what all of this might mean.
When my shopping chores were finished I felt like I was in a dream.
After I buckled up to drive home, I sat in silence for a few minutes.
The image of the golden trees with the sun peeking through popped into my mind.
And I recalled a prayer I'd muttered to my Creator
While I stood photographing the trees only a day before;
I asked for myself on that occasion, intermingled with gratitude at the vista,
"I wish I could share your beauty and kindness with someone who needs it,
Just as this tree shared Your glory with me.”
"I wonder if . . ." I mused to myself.
I put my truck in motion as I made one last request:
"Lord. Do you think we could do this again sometime?"
I can't wait!
© Copyright 2018, Gary Landerfelt, MyPericope.com
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