Raking the Leaves

 

“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord and on his law he meditates day and night.” *

           After enjoying the beautiful fall colors of the leaves on the massive trees around our neighborhood, we are now faced with the task of leaf removal! Prior to the weekly collection of yard waste by the city, people are outside raking, bagging, blowing and mowing their leaves.

Our youngest grandsons are at the age where 1) earning money is a nice incentive to helping with chores and 2) they are able to handle physical jobs like raking the leaves. Both boys came over one Saturday afternoon, equipped with rakes and leather gloves.

 Nate, the older of the two, assisted Al by sweeping the leaves off the roof of the garage and then clearing the clogged rain gutters. This was a perfect task for an energetic and agile boy. Elliot, almost ten, wasn’t nearly as enthusiastic about raking. However, he did like using the sledge hammer to crush the leaves after they were put in tall leaf bags and carrying them to the curb in the wheelbarrow.

After a while he climbed into the wheelbarrow, his legs dangling over the edge and arms folded behind his head. While I raked, Elliot laid in his not so comfy bed, jumping out when it was time to compact the leaves and cart them away.

 At one point in the afternoon Nate’s head appeared over the edge of the roof, startling the two of us. “Hi! I’m the king of the world,” he exclaimed.

 “Good,” I said, “just make sure you don’t fall off the roof!” After he finished scooping out the rain gutter on our side of the house, he disappeared.

“Elliot, if you were the king of the world, what would you do?”

He had a quick response: “Well I’d make sure that people would follow the same rules we have here in our country. And everyone would have to come to my birthday party. If they didn’t come, they would have to mow my lawn. And if they didn’t do that, they would go to jail!”

Birthdays are important to Elliot…yardwork not so much! Eventually he disappeared too, leaving behind the wheelbarrow, sledge hammer and his grandma.

 When Nate was finished helping Al, he came over to see if there was anything he could do.  “Where’s Elliot?” I asked. He pointed to one of the remaining piles.

Al and I pretended to look around, asking each other in loud voices, “Where could Elliot be?” Finally, Nate plunged into the pile, rousing him out of his hiding place.

“I’ve been in there for a half an hour,” he said, shaking off the leaves.

At that, Al and I decided that we had all done enough for one afternoon. Good progress had been made, shown by all of the leaf bags and yard waste containers lining the curb. After dropping the boys off, we picked up dinner from a nearby restaurant that has a reputation for juicy hamburgers!

Since there was still more to do, Al arranged for the boys to come back the following Saturday. Elliot decided to stay home; but Nate showed up that day, helping to sweep leaves off the garage roof and rake them up in the backyard.

Even though I regularly clean up this area which is the dogs’ domain, Nate and I both stepped in some “surprises” camouflaged under the leaves.  We had to use the hose to clean off our shoes, while I reminded myself to be more careful next time.

Al and I appreciated the help and also enjoyed the opportunity to spend time together, gaining interesting insights into their lives and thoughts…like being the “king of the world.”

Thankfully God is in control of the world!  Because He is holy, God requires us to walk according to His will, loving Him whole-heartedly and our neighbors as ourselves. Yes, we sin and fall short in many ways. But Jesus has come to cleanse us of our sins, change our hearts and transform us. Praise the Lord!

Help us, Lord, to walk in the counsel of those who are righteous, to stand in the way of the wise and to sit in the seat of the humble. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

*Psalm 1: 1-2 NIV