Shade Tree Wisdom 8/25/11

          We did get some rain last night and this morning, but the forecast is for weather reaching 102 for several days in a row. The rain wasn’t heavy, just enough to keep me from walking. I told you I was beyond the time when I enjoyed walking in the rain.

          This morning I was thinking of anniversaries and birthdays and other causes for celebration. And one I remember was aunt Regina’s 40th birthday. The family had gathered, spent the evening visiting, playing board games, several uncles were in the far corner bending over a chess game. And time moved along. But when that time came when things came to sort of a pause, uncle Robert took out his violin and started to play. Some Straus waltzes, some German Lieder, then he started familiar hymns and people started singing.
Now you know when Lutherans sing they harmonize. It seems to be their nature. So the women started and then the men chimed in, and the house rang with the joy of it. (just as an aside, to this day I enjoy doing that when there is no one too near to hear).

          It brought to mind the Maennerchor the church I grew up in still had, just men’s voices to enhance the service. We had such a group at Living Word for several years.

          Then food was set out, sandwiches, cake, and coffee or orange soda, and that sort of brought an end to it . But when we left the house to go home, the air had a nip to it, and some frost lay on the grass, and people talked about needing to finish the fall plowing and shocking the last of the corn crop to be ready for the coming winter.

          It was such a pleasant evening, left us all with a feeling of being loved, wanted, and belonging. And it is a feeling that makes life a bit richer still.

          I hope you, each, do have such experiences to file in your memory bank.

GPD 8/25/11