Gifts Every Day – eagletimes.com

By Becky Nelson

Bramblings

Last week was a gift. Rather, it was a series of gifts. The warm, sunny late summer weather made being a farmer a wonderful gift. We spent a day collecting the remaining pumpkins in the pumpkin patch. We spent a few days picking the remaining apples in the orchard. We began the chores of fall in t-shirts, not sweaters and coats, and we enjoyed the abundance of foliage that still filled the picture frame of our world.

The foliage here is still stunning. We spent a day last week traveling to Maine to pick up cider jugs. We stole a night and watched the moon rise and then the sun rise over the Atlantic Ocean, a wonderful treat in the middle of a busy week. The foliage along the path was great in places, but none as beautiful as here in our backyard. We are still treated to the reds, oranges and yellows of oak trees, while most maples lose their leaves on stormy days. We seem to view the foliage season as just the maples’ brief window of stunning color and don’t give the oaks the reverence they deserve. They are a gift that keeps on giving and we must appreciate their beauty for the gift that they are. Although they may not be as bright as the maple leaves, they sparkle and dance with determined endurance against the bright blue sky of autumn… persevering through strong winds and heavy rain, and we should appreciate them for the gift that they are. The foliage of our blueberry plants is some of the most beautiful, with bright reds and yellows making the little patch a cheerful splash of color as it collects the last few rays of sunshine into the plants to keep them healthy and happy through the winter.

Two weeks ago we spent part of the day harvesting the last of several crops before the hard frost. Eggplants, peppers, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes… amazing that we were still picking them in mid-October. Another gift to this grateful farmer. I also picked the last of the raspberries. There were a lot more than I could choose from, but the U-pickers had given up on the patch and I just couldn’t get it all done. Still, the berries are always a sweet gift at the end of fall and I enjoyed every bite. I had the grandchildren with me and also grabbed a few pints for the tummy which added even more joy to the day.

I read an older Bramblings column not long ago in which I went for a foliage tour that same week of the year with my mother and my daughter, who had just announced that she was pregnant with one of these grandchildren, and the Autumn was something like that. I think that this summery late fall weather might be the new normal, although the loss of my mother and the growing up of the grandchildren remind me that not everything, like the leaves, will last forever and we take the moments that are given to us as gifts have to look at and treasures. The moonrise over the sea, the sunrise over the waves, the beautiful foliage that still hangs around as the daylight grows shorter and winter approaches…all gifts.

Gifts, every day. Everyday gifts. And I am very grateful to them. Family, weather, the beauty of the world around us. Gifts…free for enjoyment. We are very lucky to live where we do. Occasionally storms rage, crimes are committed, bad things happen to good people, finances suffer, health concerns arise, deaths occur, politics messes us up in every corner and in every family. But we still have occasional gifts, even when the shadows of life creep in. And I bet we can find one or two of these gifts even hidden in the dark moments. Just look up, around and beyond and try to find the gifts.