Blackberries

I skipped church tonight to pick blackberries. I dropped my children off in their respective classrooms, and went to the gym to see if anyone showed up for youth group(where I am a "youth coach"). It was all guys and they were playing dodgeball, the majority of the group is in NY for a mission trip. I wandered up to see if my sister needed help, but she had it under control, so I found some cups and set off on a blackberry hunt.

Blackberries are my favorite. They have a really short growing season, so that makes them that much more special. A few weeks ago we were early for church so the children and I went on a nature walk around the parking lot. To my utter delight, the back parking lot was surrounded by blackberry blossoms. I have been patiently waiting for the fruit to ripen.

So tonight I set forth on a nature walk of my own. It was cool, the air was misty and it was nearing twilight. It was raining in a rather desultory way, reminding me of many summer church camps, walking to and from the cafeteria delighting in the cool splash of rain on a hot summer day. I caught a faint whiff of honeysuckle as I carefully picked the few ripened berries I found. A few feet further I saw that there was indeed some late blooming honeysuckle hidden in the corner. I drank deeply of the scent and allowed the nostalgia of past springtimes to wash over me briefly. I continued my search for ripe berries. I was quite taken with the beauty of the blackberry vines. The mix of red, green, and black. There was a completeness to its beauty.

I realized as I was standing in the rain that I felt utterly peaceful. I was completely alone. I had a thought that maybe I should be thinking deep thoughts about God or praying or doing something generally useful with my brain. But I felt a quiet nudge in my heart that it was okay to not think, but to enjoy standing in the rain pondering the beauty of blackberry vines.