Semptember Morning Blessings

It was a warm but wet day and the grass was coated with heavy wet silver rain. Since the grass hadn’t been mowed after the weather turned cooler, at the end of summer, it made my pantlegs heavy as I walked through it. The water was seeping through my leather shoes now and my socks went squish, squish, as I made my way through the overgrown part of the the garden. I was planning to pick the best apples off the tree below the garden, to put in the church baskets for distribution to the needy tomorrow. Even after giving away a basket full, there would be a bountiful amount for our family to use. Most of the baskets would be going to elderly friends and neighbors who were no longer well enough to leave their homes regularly. I spent the morning making harvest muffins with oatmeal, apple chips, dates, raisins, brown sugar, and other good things. They also go into the baskets along with many good things others will bring, such as zucchini cakes, gingerbread, other breads, loaves of wheat bread, lots and lots of cookies, and other fruits.
Squish, squish, my feet were soaked. However, it was so warm and pleasant outside, and the birds were singing anyway, even in the misty rain, that I felt completely easy and happy. I picked a few apples, some had worm holes or bird pecks in them. Those I put in a big basket to use at home. The “twick” noise the apples made as I picked them off the tree even seemed cheerful today. I looked out toward the garden fence and noticed the raspberries were bearing heavy this week again; I looked over the draw and saw the stand of trees Dad was thinning for firewood. Those trees would be cut down, sawn into chunks and put in a pile to heat the house later. Even now the purr of the woodsplitter was industrious and familiar, adding a comforting security to how my day was shaping up. I knew Dad was busy taking care of us while I was busy doing my own jobs.
Up in the yard I could hear, more than see, my kids playing happily on the tire swing. “Its my turn! My turn!” “Wait! It hasn’t stopped swinging yet!” “Watch me do THIS!” I smiled to myself thinking of my kid showing off some kind of new trick. I smiled again thinking back to when I was a kid, showing off tricks with my siblings, here in the same place, different time.
I glanced around one more time, thinking about how the world had been made for us to take care of and enjoy. I have decided that if this world is made for us to enjoy, I am going to look for God’s natural blessings within every day. My eyes took in with great pleasure my surroundings for another second before I picked more apples. I heard a rustle in the grass behind me. I thought it would be my puppy following me around. When I turned around, my daughter was there.
“Mom, the world is pretty today.”
I had to smile. “I know, honey, it sure is. God must be pretty wonderful to make a world like this.”
“Yeah.”
I handed her an apple. We shared a smile and finished picking the basket full.
footnote: The apple harvest is so plentiful this year, we didn’t even count how many bushels we harvested. Praise God!