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A few days ago, Ward and I took off work early and went on a hike. Our destination was a nearby state park in a mountainous area. (If you really want to know where we were, Camp David is hidden somewhere in an adjacent park.) We walked among hardwood forests with lots of rock outcrops. Maybe it's the geologist in me or the 15 years when we lived along the Gulf Coast and didn't see any, but I'm always happy when I see rocks. Besides the rocks, one of the reasons we went was to see the changing leaves because we thought they might be at their peak in the mountains. They weren't quite there yet but they were still pretty all the same
Every year when the leaves are changing, it takes me back to the special time I had one Sunday morning with my friend Sarah. I have shared this post before, but I think it's time to share it again.
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The Present is the Present
I am lucky that I get to spend some Sunday mornings with my friend, Sarah, a special needs teenager. I buddy with her during Sunday School as we visit different programs that she enjoys. Two things you need to know about Sarah (other than how sweet she is) is that she loves nature and can be quite determined.
She was exhibiting these two traits one day last fall as we were walking from one building to another on the church campus to go to a singing activity. I was trying to hurry her along only half listening as she showed me a bug or a leaf that she found interesting along our path. When we were almost to our destination, she said she was not going any further and sat down under a maple tree. After a brief moment of frustration, I stopped and remembered that there was no agenda for the morning except for Sarah and me to enjoy ourselves. It was okay if we skipped singing this time.
Sarah then told me to come and that we were going to play a game to see if the falling leaves would touch us as they fell from the tree. We sat still and felt the warm air of the morning and watched the leaves float around us in a gentle breeze. Up until this point, I hadn't even noticed what a beautiful morning it was.
You have probably heard the saying, “The present is the present.” Never has this been more evident than it was that morning with Sarah.
(In case anyone is wondering who won the game—she did. Sarah had a total of three leaves fall on her and I had two.)
I love this story! I think we all get so wrapped up with what is next that we forget to enjoy what is present.
ReplyDeleteI had such a good time under that tree and was reminded of an important lesson. Sarah usually does that for me. I am lucky to know her.
DeleteThank you for sharing this story. Your friend Sarah is very wise. I'm glad you got to spend time with her, that morning.
ReplyDeleteThe hike in the state park sounds like fun, too, even if the leaves weren't at the peak of changing color. It just means you might have to go there, again, in a couple of weeks, if possible. :)
I hope we can get out there again, but my work schedule doesn't look too promising for that right now. But we will see. In the meantime, the road I travel every day is lined with beautiful trees. However, it is narrow and winding, so there's no way to take a picture.
DeleteDo you still keep up with Sarah?
ReplyDeleteWe've had a lot of rain over the past week, so I'm trying to make an extra effort to get outside and enjoy the fall colors when the sun pops out (or at least when it stops raining!). We are also blessed with state parks in our area. I'm glad you have that resource near you.
I haven't seen Sarah since the stay-at-home orders, so not for several months. Although, I'm wondering if we can get together somehow. She likes to hug a lot, so it could be difficult.
DeleteThe leaves certainly are beautiful when they turn.
ReplyDeleteThat's a maple tree in the picture with Sarah. Those trees are the among the first that turn every years as well as being one of the prettiest. We had a couple of them at our old house and our neighbor here has one that I see from my kitchen sink. Very enjoyable.
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