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| PICKING APPLES By: Joseph J. Mazzella If you have never picked an apple fresh off a tree and eaten it before then you are missing something. There is nothing quite so sweet, so refreshing, and so delicious as a freshly picked apple. With the very first bite you can feel your eyes widen as the tantalising juices flow into your mouth. It is almost as if you have taken a taste of pure joy and vitality. I think at times that God must have put a little extra love into making this wondrous fruit. I have already picked and eaten a few apples this year. It is a shame to see so many falling to the ground un-picked . Even these aren't going to waste, though. More than once I have seen the local deer sneaking out of the woods for a delicious breakfast of freshly fallen apples. Deersare smart enough to know a good thing when they see it. You know there is another wonderful apple that we all can pick, eat, and enjoy any time of the year. It is an apple that feeds not only the body but the heart and mind as well. This apple is called love and it grows on that tree of goodness and joy known as the soul. Mother Teresa once said that, "Love is a fruit in season at all times, and within the reach of every hand." It is sad that so many people let it rot on the branches instead of picking it, feasting on it, and sharing it with the world. I hope that you don't let the apples of your love go to waste. I hope that you pick bushel after bushel and give them freely to everyone around you. I hope that you make apple pies, apple crisp, apple sauce, apple cider, apple juice, fried apples, Carmel apples, and apple jelly. I hope that you set the table and invite everyone to this glorious God given feast. I hope that you use the fruit of your glorious love to help feed this hungry world. |