It was the day after Thanksgiving and I was trying to work off ten
pounds of turkey, potatoes, and pumpkin pie by raking up the
leaves around my daughter's house. She had a matronly maple tree
in her front yard and her back yard was surrounded by stately oak trees,
so when I walked through them the leaves were ankle deep. I got
the old wooden rake out of her shed and got to work. I could tell
that I had waited too long to start because under the dry upper layer was moldy, slimy leaves that had already started to decompose.
I raked steadily on in the cold air. It was only in the 30's and I
could feel the chill on my cheeks as I slowly raked the leaves
into little piles. Next I raked those leaves into bigger piles and moved them towards the edge of the hill that dropped off behind the
storage shed. By the time I was done I had two, huge, chest high
piles of leaves on either side of the shed. I saw that a few
branches from the oaks had broken off and were blocking my path so I
pushed them until they slid down the hill and into a ravine.
Then I turned to the leaves. The piles looked massive and
immoveable and I was already tired from raking for almost an hour.
Suddenly, however, the ten year old that still lives inside of
me came out. With the rake held like a sword I charged.
"YEE
HAW!", I yelled as I plowed into the leaves pushing them over the hill
with me sliding down behind them. I laughed as I climbed up the
hill and then attacked the second pile with equal enthusiasm. I
felt like a boy again jumping into a pile of leaves and it was so much
fun after all that work. I walked happily back home with a big
smile on my face.
This life is full of adult responsibilities but
it is also full of childlike joys. We shouldn't give up the
second just because we have to do the first. Remember, we are all God's
Children. We should do our best then to live our lives with a
child's wonder, happiness, and love.
By: Joseph J. Mazzella
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
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problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
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The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.