Sunday was one of those days that I never want to
forget. However, due to the fact
that I don’t have a photo to commemorate it, I am afraid I will. So I am going to have to paint a word
picture to help this memory from getting lost in the shuffle. I don’t have a
photo of the event because I was too busy living the moments and soaking up the
experience to stop and run inside to find a camera (for as sure as I did that
the moments would cease).
It was a Sunday afternoon in November that felt more like a September
afternoon. The sun was warm
shining down on us. The sky was that gorgeous Carolina blue without a cloud in
sight. And the leaves from my
parents’ oak trees were blowing in the cool breeze. The five of us (plus Jake) had all gradually made our way
outside to my parents’ backyard.
We started on the brick steps but the green grass tempted us all to
sit/lay down (and the fact that brick steps and a 20 month old are a
heart-stopping combination).
As we all sat/lay spread out in the grass, Anderson ran from
adult to adult. Sometimes he
stopped only long enough to give a big hug other times he would linger on a
lap. He petted Jake (He is very
comfortable around Jake now). He
even sat on Jake’s back and petted his head. Jake was also enjoying the nice
green grass, and he is becoming very tolerant of Anderson.
There was one moment with Anderson that I want to burn into
my brain. He and I were lying on
our backs looking up at the sky and the breeze started to blowing sending a
shower of leaves our way. He held
both of his arms up outstretched to the sky and said, “Whoooaaa!” with the biggest smile on his face.
When I was little my mom told my sister and I that if you
catch a falling leaf you will have good luck. As a kid I used to run around franticly trying to catch this
or that falling leaf. I have even
tried to catch the occasional leaf as an adult. It is much harder than it sounds (or at least I thought so).
But on this Sunday, I think God was reminding me that I am the luckiest girl in
the world. I have great parents
who are wonderful role models for my son and me. They adore Anderson, and he adores them. I have an amazing husband who is my
best friend. He is the best father
that Anderson could have asked for.
And I have a son who is loving, smart, funny, and my heart’s joy. I am clearly blessed. But how was God reminding me on this on
Sunday afternoon? Well, instead of
running around chasing falling leaves they chose to come to me. While lying in the grass, four falling
leaves landed in my hands. Like
God’s blessings, some times we just need to hold out our hands and receive
them.
