A monster pickup passed me on the freeway. It had extra tires on the rear axle and extra running lights on the roof and enough chrome to require sunglasses even at night. It was a serious truck.
It turned out that with a large fuel tank in the bed of the truck, this vehicle was a mobile gas station used for servicing gas-powered machinery in the field or on construction sites. A very serious truck.
A sign on the tailgate warned everyone that the cargo was flammable and that no one could smoke within fifty feet of the vehicle. Good thing I don’t smoke, I thought to myself, since I was clearly within the forbidden zone, but at that very moment, I saw the driver stick his arm out the window … to flick the ash off his cigarette.
Heaven knows we have our problems and challenges, not to mention our considerable human foibles, but the ability to laugh is a sign of our humanity and a grace for which we are ever thankful.
With Labor Day now behind us and the kids back in school, the seasonal transition from summer to fall is unavoidable. We see it in the strawberry stand, now closed until next spring, and football and soccer taking over the space where just yesterday America’s pastime reigned in the lazy afternoon sun. Every week all year long, a host of outdoor Farmers Markets graces our communities on California’s Central Coast, but I never cease to marvel at the abundance of its offerings, especially these weeks with another sign of the seasonal transition, the reminder that among the many gifts for which we are ever thankful is the anticipated harvest and the Thanksgiving festival that quickly follows.
So much for which to be so thankful, indeed. A sampling:
- Our bodies for putting up with the way we live.
- The Significant Others in our life without whom life is diminished.
- The multitude of faith communities for still being on duty.
- Thomas Jefferson and Company for getting so much of it right.
- The many others still working on the rest.
- The Creator for working the gift of Love into the fabric of creation.
- Ditto for another harvest.
- Ditto for building laughter into the fabric of human being.
May the blessing abound throughout the year.