Colossians 3:14 And above all
these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
On a recent visit to my daughter and
son-in-law’s in Massachusetts, we decided to travel down towards Cape Cod and
partake in the cranberry harvest festival, something that had been on my bucket
list for several years. As we set out on a Sunday morning when the grandkids
got home from Sunday school, my focus was on the many anticipated cranberry-related
events of the day—the actual harvest, the festival food booths, the multitude
of New England craft exhibits, the numerous road entertainers and musicians, and
the beautiful setting of the bogs.
That was, until we made our way through the
Boston burbs and got out on the highway. It was at this beginning of our
journey that I was struck with the true awesomeness of New England foliage in
mid-October, totally catching me by surprise. Yes, I knew that the travel
brochures were filled with opportunities to view the colorful landscapes of New
England in the fall; and yes, I have several friends who have come home to
report the beauty of such trips. However, I had been inadequately prepared for
the abundant splendor of a New England autumn!
It was at this juncture that my sole purpose
became capturing the most gorgeous of trees that lined the thoroughfare—those
with the many shades of reds, yellows, oranges, greens, golds, browns, burgundys
and everything in between. It was tricky looking ahead to select the most
gorgeous trees and then being ready with camera aimed to shoot them as we
passed. My photographic adventure was accompanied by my constant ooh’s and awe’s as I declared each new tree as the prettiest yet. The beauty
of God’s creation was both striking and inspirational!
Later in the day, as I was sitting out in the
crisp but glorious sunshine waiting for the grandkids to come down from the
cranberry harvest viewing podium, I could no longer postpone reviewing my many
photos from the drive that morning. I was so eager to see what I had captured
during my frantic photo shoot earlier in the day…(Would the most magnificent
tree be a crimson, a golden, a crisp burgundy? Would I even be able to choose a
favorite?)
As I scanned over fifty snapshots from the
trip, I was totally disappointed at my bounty. I KNEW I had selected only the
best-of-the-best trees to capture on my camera; yet when I scrolled through the
multitude of images, each and every tree was a disenchantment compared to the
blazing foliage my mind’s eye had witnessed at the same time. Their likenesses
were unrecognizable compared to the glorious trees I remembered and had just
seen a few hours earlier.
The cranberry harvest did NOT disappoint.
After saturating our day with the many sights and sounds of a New England
festival, we headed to the van, beginning our journey homeward. This time, I
wasn’t remotely interested in trying to capture the foliage. What I thought had
been beyond beautiful showed up as mediocre looking vegetation. (I made a
mental note to myself to have my vision checked when I got back to Kansas.)
Then, much to my surprise, I found myself
gazing out the van window, again in amazement. The flamboyant fall
foliage was more beautiful than I had even remembered or could have imagined.
It was on that trip back to Boston that I relaxed and let my mind wander while
looking out the window—it took the
totality of the hillsides full of beautiful and harmonious trees to make up the
splendid display of colors I had so enjoyed before, and a single tree by itself
could not create that glorious impression.
Much like we are at First Christian Church of
Girard, as individual members, we have our own value for sure, but it is when
we come together as a unified congregation that we can worship, serve and glorify
the Lord in an amazing way.
Join us some Sunday and see the harmonious beauty
that belonging to Christ’s family creates. None of us alone is as great as all
of us together.
Roaming
through New England……
Terry
