Barefoot in the Park
Spring in Texas is a wonderful thing. First the days get warmer and longer. Then the Bradford pear trees bloom. Then all of the other fruit trees and redbuds and dogwoods blossom and paint the landscape with splashes of color. And the butterflies show up more often. And the birds sing more. And the yard is filled with red clover and dandelions for little boys to pick and bring inside for their mothers. It is a beautiful season.
And as all the trees and plants blossom and bud there is a thick green pollen dust that settles on everything. It is as if you are wearing lime green lenses in your sunglasses. It covers your driveway and sidewalk and back deck and car and brick and windows and sticks to the bottom of your shoes and causes sneezing and sniffling and watery eyes. And the termites swarm. And overnight the fire ants create castles in the back yard. It is a difficult season.
And then the thunderstorms start rolling in... Some people don't like the thunderstorms - they fear the high winds, the lightning, the torrential flooding rains, the possible tornados and hail and the damage those things cause. And some people love the excitement and anticipation of such great outbursts of nature and think the damage that follows is not so bad compared to the show of the storms. It is an adventurous season.
And all of the growth and reproduction and storms mean we spend our evenings and weekends outside enjoying the days and the temperatures and pulling weeds and trimming bushes and planting gardens and flowers and cleaning off the green and taking care of the unwanted houseguests (termites and ants - not relatives...) and filing insurance claims when the storms blow through and picking up the debris left behind. It is a busy season.
But yesterday I experienced spring as a joyful season. I had made the mistake of wearing linen pants yesterday and so when I was coming back to my office from a lunch meeting, they got wet in the rain and went from perfectly pressed to completely crumpled from the knees down. And they got so wet because I was wearing the cutest pair of slip-on sandals ever - but when they got wet in the rain my feet were slipping around in them and they were slipping on the smooth stone sidewalk so I had to walk slowly through the rain to keep from falling down. When I left the office last night and headed into the park between my office building and my parking garage, I took off my shoes.
I walked barefoot in the rain through the park. It was so freeing and brought back so many memories of childhood. My pants were already a mess from the earlier walk through the park so it didn't matter if they got wetter. And the walkway was safer without my feet and sandals slipping around on the wet stone. And it was cool and wet and splashing between my toes and I smiled all the way. It really was delightful. I even crossed the street to the garage with no shoes on - daring fate to put something sharp in my path.
As I walked I thanked Father for the rain and how it was blessing me. I thanked Him for the way it was washing away the green dust. And I thanked Him for the way I knew it would bring out the green of all of the trees and plants and make the flowers bloom even brighter. I thanked Him for the way it would make things grow at an almost visible rate. I thanked Him that it was filling the reservoirs so that when summer's heat and dry days hit we may not have to ration our use of water. And I thanked Him for the delightful freedom found in being His child and walking with Him, barefoot in the park.
When I got inside the parking garage door and was waiting for the elevator, I put my sandals back on. Then two other women came in and one said, "You were brave to take your shoes off!" My response was, "Yes, but it was fun and my feet weren't slipping around. Besides, my mother wasn't here to tell me not to!" They both laughed and agreed. And I was thinking, "My mother probably would have walked barefoot with me..." Another delightful thought for sure!
Today, look at the season of spring all around you and find delight in it. And find delight in being God's child. And thank Him. He's waiting to walk barefoot in the park with you, too.
Amy
Psalm 65:9-13 (The Message)
Oh, visit the earth,
ask her to join the dance!
Deck her out in spring showers,
fill the God-River with living water.
Paint the wheat fields golden.
Creation was made for this!
Drench the plowed fields,
soak the dirt clods
With rainfall as harrow and rake
bring her to blossom and fruit.
Snow-crown the peaks with splendor,
scatter rose petals down your paths,
All through the wild meadows, rose petals.
Set the hills to dancing,
Dress the canyon walls with live sheep,
a drape of flax across the valleys.
Let them shout, and shout, and shout!
Oh, oh, let them sing!
And as all the trees and plants blossom and bud there is a thick green pollen dust that settles on everything. It is as if you are wearing lime green lenses in your sunglasses. It covers your driveway and sidewalk and back deck and car and brick and windows and sticks to the bottom of your shoes and causes sneezing and sniffling and watery eyes. And the termites swarm. And overnight the fire ants create castles in the back yard. It is a difficult season.
And then the thunderstorms start rolling in... Some people don't like the thunderstorms - they fear the high winds, the lightning, the torrential flooding rains, the possible tornados and hail and the damage those things cause. And some people love the excitement and anticipation of such great outbursts of nature and think the damage that follows is not so bad compared to the show of the storms. It is an adventurous season.
And all of the growth and reproduction and storms mean we spend our evenings and weekends outside enjoying the days and the temperatures and pulling weeds and trimming bushes and planting gardens and flowers and cleaning off the green and taking care of the unwanted houseguests (termites and ants - not relatives...) and filing insurance claims when the storms blow through and picking up the debris left behind. It is a busy season.
But yesterday I experienced spring as a joyful season. I had made the mistake of wearing linen pants yesterday and so when I was coming back to my office from a lunch meeting, they got wet in the rain and went from perfectly pressed to completely crumpled from the knees down. And they got so wet because I was wearing the cutest pair of slip-on sandals ever - but when they got wet in the rain my feet were slipping around in them and they were slipping on the smooth stone sidewalk so I had to walk slowly through the rain to keep from falling down. When I left the office last night and headed into the park between my office building and my parking garage, I took off my shoes.
I walked barefoot in the rain through the park. It was so freeing and brought back so many memories of childhood. My pants were already a mess from the earlier walk through the park so it didn't matter if they got wetter. And the walkway was safer without my feet and sandals slipping around on the wet stone. And it was cool and wet and splashing between my toes and I smiled all the way. It really was delightful. I even crossed the street to the garage with no shoes on - daring fate to put something sharp in my path.
As I walked I thanked Father for the rain and how it was blessing me. I thanked Him for the way it was washing away the green dust. And I thanked Him for the way I knew it would bring out the green of all of the trees and plants and make the flowers bloom even brighter. I thanked Him for the way it would make things grow at an almost visible rate. I thanked Him that it was filling the reservoirs so that when summer's heat and dry days hit we may not have to ration our use of water. And I thanked Him for the delightful freedom found in being His child and walking with Him, barefoot in the park.
When I got inside the parking garage door and was waiting for the elevator, I put my sandals back on. Then two other women came in and one said, "You were brave to take your shoes off!" My response was, "Yes, but it was fun and my feet weren't slipping around. Besides, my mother wasn't here to tell me not to!" They both laughed and agreed. And I was thinking, "My mother probably would have walked barefoot with me..." Another delightful thought for sure!
Today, look at the season of spring all around you and find delight in it. And find delight in being God's child. And thank Him. He's waiting to walk barefoot in the park with you, too.
Amy
Psalm 65:9-13 (The Message)
Oh, visit the earth,
ask her to join the dance!
Deck her out in spring showers,
fill the God-River with living water.
Paint the wheat fields golden.
Creation was made for this!
Drench the plowed fields,
soak the dirt clods
With rainfall as harrow and rake
bring her to blossom and fruit.
Snow-crown the peaks with splendor,
scatter rose petals down your paths,
All through the wild meadows, rose petals.
Set the hills to dancing,
Dress the canyon walls with live sheep,
a drape of flax across the valleys.
Let them shout, and shout, and shout!
Oh, oh, let them sing!
I have not responded to other writings on your blog, but this one called out telling me that I should...Yesterday when I went to put mail in the box, it was raining and I, too, walked barefoot. Sometimes getting off in the grass cause it felt good, like childhood, spring, just good! Mom
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I knew I must have learned it from you. Thanks. I love you lots!
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