Pecan Gifts
Who would have ever imagined that contentment could be found in pecans?
Since contentment has been in a short supply for me the past year and a
half, this is really quite a revelation.
The pecans have fallen from our back yard tree and there are plenty of them!
I am sure the summer rains helped the tree to outdo itself, so on a day that
begs to be enjoyed, I have been out picking up pecans in the back yard.
As I bend over and gather up the first few pecans I recall that when I was
little and had no pockets, I would use my shirt like mom used her apron and
hold it up a little to serve as a giant "pocket" of sorts. Before long my
shirt is full of pecans and I transfer them to a grocery bag and keep
gathering. The sun is shining like a jewel and the cool breeze is enough to
lull me into a trance or at least take me back to simpler times; times when
I was little and enjoying the uncluttered, happy life that was such a
precious gift to me from my parents.
I am not the only one that has discovered the joy of pecans. I remember a
friend who used to live in Batesville, which was not far from my home town
and when I went to visit, her dad would often sit on their front porch and
crack pecans. As he cracked those pecans he would sometimes eat a few or
hand a few of them to the ever hopeful crowd of dogs sitting around him. My
friend's Dad knew about pecans and he knew about contentment.
Contentment comes from the smallest things, contentment comes from quiet
rituals and enjoying nature. It can be pecan picking or not but it almost
always comes from slowing down and enjoying life, relationships and nature.
I am glad to be re-discovering small rituals and it doesn't hurt either that
the pecans I picked today are "papershells"!
For more information on
pecan gifts