Remember, O LORD, thy tender mercies and thy loving-kindnesses; for they have been ever of old. Psalm 25:6
It was the day after Christmas that I went out to the pond, having a Senior Moment. I could not remember why I had gone! The weather was Spring-like, warm, a smooth breeze coming from the Gulf of Mexico.
I looked at the hammock that I had bought on the border several years ago. I decided this was a perfect time to lie in it and relax. Maybe I would remember my errand. I drifted off into reverie, back to my childhood home in Houston. My mother is bathing me in the kitchen sink. There is a window right in front of it; the sky is blue but not that deep blue of New Mexico! She is singing:
"On top of old Smokey,
All covered with snow,
I lost my true lover from courtin' too slow.
From courtin' too slow, dear,
From courtin' too slow."
Down South, we call these moments: "Tender Mercies," blessed memories during difficult times...
...I am looking out the window. In the backyard is a brick and mortar barbecue pit made by my Grandfather, who had lived in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, my Mother's birthplace. By the barbecue pit are two trees that would always blow as if a hurricane came through, whenever a jet aircraft from Ellington Air Force Base would fly--almost over the tops of them! Afterward, you would hear a sonic BOOM!
I was awakened from my reverie by my wife: "Honey, did you get those oranges off the tree?" I was thinking: "Those oranges!" "Now I know what the errand was!" I had planted them seven years ago. We had been dreaming of sweet, sweet oranges every morning for breakfast, but finally, after years of waiting, they turned out to be bitter Seville oranges! My wife's knack for culinary chemistry had saved the day by making marmalade. Now she shakes me out of my orange meditation and says: "Quit your dreaming and start picking!"
Tender mercies memories are never forgotten. They are loving blessings from LIFE itself.
From the Little Shack: Take time to relax and enjoy the gift.
Artwork by S. Correu