She walked briskly along the pathway, the dog ahead of her pulling on the leash. The sun shone brightly, illuminating the fall leaves on the trees and enveloping her in colour.
She hummed as she walked, and then began singing. The sun warm on her face and fresh air filling her lungs, she was overcome with feelings of well-being. And she thought to herself, ŇYou are here GodÓ.
Taking in the details of the trees around her, she began to admire the contrasting colours of the leaves more closely. She reached down to pick a yellow leaf from the ground, then another and another. There were so many pretty leaves to choose from and soon she had a bouquet in her gloved hand.
It was then that she noticed the shape of the yellow leaves -- heart shaped. And, at that very moment, God chose to speak into her heart;
ŇI love you. I love you. I am here and I love you.Ó
She stood still, looking at all the leaves. The heart-shaped leaves surrounded her, some hanging from the trees above, while others created a beautiful carpet under her feet. She smiled. It was simple and profound and personal, and she wanted to share it with her friends.
She collected more leaves and continued to walk as she considered the depth of GodŐs love for her. The leaves were from poplar trees... fast growing, weedy trees that were not highly valued. And God chose those particular trees to display his love to her. Not the mighty oak or the stately maple, but the humble, overlooked and often disposable poplar.
Invigorated by her walk and GodŐs message of love, she and her dog made their way along the pathway toward home.
May this story remind you of the One who loves you uniquely, personally, beyond comprehension.
Lesley-Anne
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Enjoyed your article which reminded me of a recent project involving some adults with learning difficulties; we laminated red, yellow, green and brown leaves, all found from one tree, and used them to make a tree in our activity room- beautiful. There is a problem with the punctuation/ quotation marks when I view it which you may care to check on. It happens to me sometimes as well.
