Cheap Stuff

My dad worked the third shift at an automotive plant for years, so one of the few times we got to see him was when we waited for the bus in the morning. He usually pulled into the driveway a few minutes before the bus arrived. Most days we just stood around and talked to him about what was going on at school, news about our friends, or the fishing trips he'd planned for Saturday.

One morning in early fall, when the weather was perfect, dad made it home a few minutes earlier than normal. The air was crisp, and the sun shined through the amber leaves on the trees outside the den door. A breeze started to blow and tons of leaves were released from the trees overhead. I'm not sure who started it first, probably dad, but we all started chasing the leaves as they fell to the ground.  Each time we caught one we'd yell out, "I got one!" All of us were laughing and running around in a lighthearted competition to see who could catch the most.

It only lasted a few minutes because the bus came, and we went off to school. As simple as it is, that morning remains one of my sweetest memories. I can't help but think about it every fall when the leaves change. If I had the chance to go back and re-live twenty minutes of my past, I might choose those minutes I spent with my siblings and my dad.

Today I was thinking about that memory made years ago in the fall. We've started a new school year, and I'm looking forward to cool days, the scent of wood smoke, and reading my students' writing.

Times are tough. You don't need me to tell you that, but today as I was thinking about the things I've loved the most about this life I realized that most of them don't cost a single dime.

I came up the sidewalk to my front door this afternoon, and butterflies waltzed around my head. The stand of zinnias I started a few years ago attracts them. This year I didn't buy a single seed. The flowers out there now are descended from seeds I bought a few years ago for about a dollar. What a great investment! I've spent so many hours this summer watching the butterflies and hummingbirds buzzing just on the other side of my glass door. Other people have enjoyed them too -- my husband,  my friends, and even the pizza delivery guy.

So next time you're feeling down, think about all the good things out there. Don't forget nature's beauty and all the small things you enjoy every day.

 
Psalm 19  
The heavens declare the glory of God;
And the firmament shows His handiwork.
2 Day unto day utters speech,
And night unto night reveals knowledge.
3 There is no speech nor language
Where their voice is not heard.
4 Their line has gone out through all the earth,
And their words to the end of the world.
In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun,
5 Which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
And rejoices like a strong man to run its race.
6 Its rising is from one end of heaven,
And its circuit to the other end;
And there is nothing hidden from its heat.
 

Image credit: http://wordglow.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/leaves.jpg
Scripture from the NKJV  www.biblegateway.com

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