Gleaning

Last weekend was lovely.  

The air just so crisp and the sky so blue. 

We grabbed a few extra friends and drove to the orchard.

A memorable CD of "Whits End" in the player, 

Children listening intently to the captivating story.

Once there,

The work and the play mingled together. 

We were gleaning that day. 

Fallen apples as far as the eye could see.

Juice running down chins as we worked. 

We were thrilled to find a few unpicked trees.

Children laughing, 

feet running through the rows,

Names called out as someone finds the "good ones"

It reminded me that in the Old Testament, 

Gleaning was left for the poor and the alien, 

The lost and lonely who were still taken care of by the community.

Leviticus 23:22

‘When you reap the harvest of your land, moreover, you shall not reap to the very corners of your field nor gather the gleaning of your harvest; you are to leave them for the needy and the alien. I am the LORD your God.'

And... it makes me think long and hard, 

Are we poor?

By no means are we top dog, 

We budget and are careful to honor Him who gives all things, 

But surely this bliss, 

this togetherness- 

We are not the poor, 

we are SO rich in Spirit.

But we have a controversy raging on right now in our land. 

I think of the 99% 

I think of the 1%

And I think of the world.

No we are not poor, 

we are rich indeed... 

In more ways than one. 

Rich in family, and in health...

I can only fathom what it would be like NOT to give back.

It would be a gaping hole in my heart.

So we receive, 

Friends...

Love...

Food...

Health...

Juice running down chins...

bright fall days...

applesauce to be made...

And we thank him who is the giver of all,

and look for ways to give back, 

to honor Him.