Shade Tree Wisdom 9/23/09

Right on schedule, the air is bracing this morning, Fall rains come with the cooler weather, and they are both welcome. The Fall weather always reminds me of the Poem, “When the frost is on the pumpkin”. Here are some lines from Riley’s poem.

When the frost is on the punkin, and the fodders in the shock,
And you hear the hyouck and gobble of the struttin’ turkey- cock. . .
O, it’s then the time a feller is a-feelin’ at his best,
With the risin’ sun to greet him from a night of peaceful rest,
As he leaves the house, bareheaded, and goes out to feed the stock”

That fifth word in the second line is a special sound. I heard it once in my lifetime when a friend took me out to hunt squirrels. We were in the woods at sunrise, and that turkey came strutting out and made that sound and then gobbled. Well, that was the high point of that day. No, we did not get any squirrels either.

Then the news of the day greets us with unrest in the middle East, settlement talks in Palestine, argument over Afghanistan, do we leave, or send more troops, and then, much closer to home, the floods in Georgia, Alabama, parts of Tennessee and Carolina.

The deaths reported, and the misery caused by high waters that simply inundate and quietly destroy or damage beyond repair, a lifetime of possessions and property.

And I remember not too long ago this same area was stricken by drought. The lakes were becoming dry, and the Governor of Georgia stood on the capital steps and prayed for rain.

And my mind goes back to that early morning in those Missouri woods, setting on a fallen tree, enjoying a cup of hot coffee, just waiting, watching, and relaxing and enjoying the peace and quiet that will soon be shattered again the sounds of a busy day.

And I wish – but then, like David, one must turn to the psalms for a Word of wisdom, comfort, strength for the problems and troubles of life.

Psalm 73 is such a word. It struggle with life. Why do the rich seem to have everything going for them? “No struggles, their bodies are healthy and strong, free from the burdens common to man, not plagued by human ills. . .they say, “Does the Most High have knowledge?” vv.4-6,11. Questions that bother us all.

The solution? He goes to the House of the Lord and hears what God says, and that soothes his troubled mind and gives understanding to a seeking heart. For he hears again, and takes to heart, that the Lord is indeed God. Yes, “The heavens declare the glory of God”, and “there is no speech, or language, where their voice is not heard’. Ps. 19,1.3. Let that be a Word for today.

GPD 9/23/09