Life

Snap, snap, plop….snap, snap, plop…..
 
Tonight, as I was snapping beans from our little tiny garden, my mind flew back to the many times I sat with my Gramma in the back yard on a hot summer day.  We sat side by side in the old black metal chairs.  The big, black kettle was over the fire waiting to seal the cans of the many harvested vegetables.  Sometimes, we would talk.  Mostly, we just snapped.  I remember the sounds and smells.  I remember the feelings….

                “When will we be done.”

                “It’s so hot out here.”
                “I hate these bugs.”

You see, I was, in my youth and immaturity, raring to go, to see new things, to experience the world, to make a better grade, to meet a new boy, to play a new song, to make my mark on the world….anything but sitting and snap, snap, snapping. 

Funny how life works…right now, at this very moment, I would give anything to go back and sit with my Gramma and snap beans.  I wonder why I was so self-absorbed then?  What was so important to me that I couldn’t just enjoy the moment, be thankful?  What flaw in my character made me miss what was truly important?  As I ponder these questions, I realize that maybe life is just like that.  We realize, sometimes too late, what is important.  That A+ in algebra really doesn’t matter now.  That next big adventure didn’t really keep me satisfied for long.  That mark I was going to leave on the world never really came to be. . . . and it’s okay.  Truly, it’s okay.  I’m guessing my Gramma had these feelings too.  I would love to teach my kids now not to be the way I was, but maybe that is the point….we all have to learn these things for ourselves. 

So, yes, I will have my kids pick beans and snap them.  I will also make them eat them! J  But, I will try to be patient when they say, “Can we be done?  We want to play.”  I will smile and realize that they will learn to appreciate the small things in good time.  It’s the way of life.

Grandpa, Gramma, me (in the stripes), cousin Stephanie (in red), baby sister Jennifer . . . and Gramma's yummy potato salad! :)