God' Abundance

"you ………shall rejoice in all the good things the Lord your God has given to you and your household.” Deuteronomy 26:11

The apple, freshly picked from the tree was tart-sweet, juicy and better than I ever remember an apple tasting. The apple trees at the “pick-your-own apple orchard” were trained to trellises so that they were just our height and the perfect apple was well within reach. But what struck me most were all the apples that had fallen to the ground. Some fully ripe and perfectly good, some slightly damaged and some damaged and rotting. Those were the ones the yellow jacket hornets were enjoying when they weren’t scaring the children who were there. My son thought it strange that I wanted a photo of the abundance lying on the ground but to me it represented the great overflowing abundance I have been fortunate to have my whole life. The great overflowing abundance of God’s Love.

The next glorious autumn day it was the pumpkin patch. Again, there were piles and piles full of hundreds of orange gifts of the earth. Adults and children seemingly without momentary worries other than to find the perfect pumpkin to be the face of Halloween or deck their porches. The air was sweet with the perfume of pots of chrysanthemums and freshly fried doughnuts. Then Halloween. Dozens of costumed, excited little kids racing from house to house. And the resulting huge pile of sweets, enough to last a year. “It’s my candy”, not much thought of sharing, leaving parents wondering how to teach the critical lesson that sharing can be a joyful thing as I believe God’s joy in sharing of God’s abundance brings.

My heart though is heavy this night too because a young boy is hospitalized with an unknown diagnosis and a young mother in need of a kidney and pancreas transplant, sits in a chair in front of her home handing our candy but not able to roam through the neighborhood on this gentle night with her son. Grateful however that she has lived long enough to be a wife and mother.

I am so grateful that God, in God’s great heart sees all, loves all, is joyful with us and weeps with us in this wonderful Samhain season of abundance.