SUNDAY SABBATH OCTOBER 25 2015  LEAVES…LEAVES…AND MORE LEAVES…

This morning as I sat here in front of my computer I heard a noise.  It was a loud noise.  I looked out back into my neighbor’s back yard, it wasn’t coming from there.  I looked into their side yard, it wasn’t coming from there.  But it was loud and close.  Oh well I thought, someone must be doing something in their yard.  After an hour or more I needed something from the kitchen so I walked to the front of the house.  What met my eye was amazing.   First of all, I located the noise and there was my neighbor with her heavy duty, gas powered back pack blower BLOWING OUR LEAVES OFF THE LAWN.  I know they told Dave that they wanted to do this for us but I wasn’t expecting it so soon.  But as you can see by the pictures below there were a lot of leaves.  The only problem is that they haven’t all fallen.  We have so many leaves yet to fall.  They informed us they would be doing it again in the future.  We were truly amazed and grateful.  I have no clue as to how to even begin to repay them.  They probably have twice that many leaves of their own still sitting in their own yard.  I find it amazing to have neighbors with such generosity of spirit.  And I thank them immensely.  Please take a look at the pictures I included below.

I have a little excerpt of an email I sent to my sister earlier today.  It is about what I was doing this morning and a memory it evoked.  I told her about it and decided I would copy it from her email and plug it into my blog tonight because it is something I would like my readers to experience through my writing.  Here is the excerpt from the email I sent her earlier today:

“I am sitting here in the sun room overlooking the back yard and the adjoining woods.  The sun is shining brightly on the trees.  Almost everything is gold and rust and red except one tree.  There is a large green mulberry tree at the end of the terrace (the pool yard area).  The leaves do not turn color.  The tree stays green with all its leaves until just the very right day.  What makes the very right day is a mystery to me.  On that day we will look outside in the morning and the entire tree is still intact.  Once the first leaf drops it just simply lets go of all of it’s leaves and they start fluttering down and every branch is emptied of its burden within a few short hours.  Last year Dave saw the tree was just beginning to part with its leaves and called it to my attention.  I quickly put a coat on over my housecoat and ran outside to stand under the falling leaves.  Oh what a surprise I had.  I motioned for Dave to come out.  It was cold and sunny, sort of like today, and Dave was not going to go stand under a tree in the back yard.  I kept hollering up for him to come.  I had a surprise to share with him.  Finally he came.  When he was standing beside me under the downpour of leaves I asked him to be very quiet and not make a sound.  I said, just listen.  It was so amazing.  There standing under the mulberry tree, being showered with little green leaves, it sounded like gentle rain as the leaves landed on top of the other leaves already on the ground.  It was a sound so delicate and exquisite.  Each leaf that dropped sounded like a little pearl dropping into a pool of water.  It created a quiet, simple, tinkling music. It also reminded me of a gentle rainfall.  I was just mesmerized!  Dave loved it too.  We stood out there for the longest time just listening to this private little gift of God’s creation sounding in our ears.  It was like what that young girl said to me in yesterday’s wisdom,  “Take every opportunity even if you do not think you will enjoy it.  You may surprise yourself”.  I think Dave really did surprise himself. He seemed to enjoy himself (although a shorter time than I did) once he came outside. I loved the above wisdom.  It is something that I have learned to do and so enjoy the discovery of what I find.  Standing under that tree was a once in a lifetime experience, one I doubt many will ever experience.  Who knows, if we are fortunate enough to be home this year and catch it happening, I can do it again.  But I don’t believe it will ever be as wonderful as it was the first time because I will be expecting, rather than being surprised. When the few hours of leaf falling is over there is a green carpet of leaves in a perfect circle directly beneath the branches of the tree.  I stayed outside that day for a very long time.  It makes me feel exhilarated to be in the midst of nature.  Experience has always been my best teacher. You’ve told me that many times.  I need to be in the midst of what is happening to truly feel what I know I must feel.  That is why I so enjoyed my trip this year.  I was in the midst of so much of God’s creation.  I never became tired of it.”

The friend who taught me how to administrate a blog invited me to an annual event he and his wife host called “ONE FOOT IN HEAVEN”.  It is a small group that meets to share stories of what living in the presence of God has meant to them this past year.  We share stories of miracles and prayers and answers and what we have learned through the past year in the spiritual sense.  This is my second event.  It is something that I enjoy and am so happy to be on Len’s invitation list.  I heard some interesting stories today and shared a few of my own from my trip.  I believe there are more that I have forgotten than what I remember.  I am glad that I wrote most things down daily.  I regret the three weeks that I did not have blog service and didn’t think to write the blogs in WORD and then later transfer them over when I had WiFi once again.  I have probably missed a lot that took place during those three weeks.

Dave was doing okay today, able to get up and down, and with his medication he is handling his pain a bit easier.  He has been cleared to drive but he doesn’t think he is ready for that yet.  We are sticking close to home for the next couple of weeks.  He’ll be home, I’ll be close.  I am planning on being out as little as possible.  So what should my poem be about?

HE’S A GOOD SPORT AND DOESN’T COMPLAIN

By Kathleen Martens

October 25, 2015

Ho…hum…I need something to write

Perhaps I shall tell you about Dave’s plight.

You know those men all chivalrous and strong?

And when they pick something up, something goes wrong.

Oops it was heavy, that old tobacco table

I truly believe it’s what made him disabled.

With some help he lifted it high

And it was later he said “Oh my”.

The lump showed up in its own time mode

And thought to be a swollen lymph node.

But alas, that was not to be.

It was a hernia that popped the bowels free.

Not a comforting thought when he went to see

That his doctor was definitely a she.

It’s got to be fixed before all pops out

We’ll put in a mesh to make it real stout.

And so they did with a cut and a sew,

And the sad part is, wouldn’t you know

That now he’s in pain like none other before

Sometimes a little, and sometimes more.

He must move easy, and get lots of rest

And sitting down he is at his best.

But he’s a good sport and doesn’t complain,

But he won’t pick up that table again.

When Dave helps me proofread I hope he’ll let me keep the poem. 

Tonight I am a lady of few words.  I have more interesting things to do.  I must take my husband’s bandage off tonight and make certain he scrubs down in the shower.  After two days he must come clean!

Good night and have a great tomorrow.  Be glad you didn’t just have surgery.  It really does hurt.