24 Nov Catch a Falling leaf
“Catch a falling star an’ put it in your pocket,
Never let it fade away!”
Perry Como’s song hit the airwaves in 1957, and this week I found myself singing a variation of it as I walked along the leaf strewn paths of Brandywine Creek State Park. Fall is probably my favorite season, and looking up, I watched with wonder as the leaves fell steadily and silently to the forest floor below.
Have you ever tried to catch a leaf before it touches the ground? It isn’t as easy as it sounds. The harder you try, the more the leaf eludes your grasp. It turns out I was a better singer than leaf catcher, as each time I reached out for a falling leaf, it dodged my clumsy attempt at capture and sailed happily by. What was I doing wrong? The knack, I learned, is receive the falling leaf rather than to grab it; to open your hand and let it come to you.
It is like a natural parable on the receiving of God’s blessings. The more you grasp at them, the less likely you are to obtain them. You cannot guarantee to catch God’s blessings every time, but you can make yourself receptive to them. God’s blessings tend to fall on those who are humble and expecting nothing, rather than on those who are looking to take something for themselves. Those two qualities – humility and detachment – lend themselves to the experience of Advent, where we wait to receive the greatest of all God’s blessings.
So when blessings come, be thankful and offer praise to God. If not, then don’t worry. God’s blessings come in abundance, like leaves in the Fall. Look to heaven and watch as they come.
With every blessing
Father David
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