When you meet him you’ll notice a twinkle in his bright, light blue eyes and a happy-go-lucky smile that he wears for friends or strangers. My father-in-law is a wonderful man who is loved by many. He and his wife once lived in a house with two large sprawling trees in the front yard, with a smaller rectangular shaped backyard, fenced in on three sides. The neighboring property had a large apple tree right near the fence.
Every year around harvest my father-in-law would go pick the ripe fruit from the large boughs spilling over onto his property. Why allow them to fall to the ground? With a smile at Gods provision they prepared them for the cold months ahead.
One day the neighbor cut back all the boughs leaning over the fence. Nothing had been mentioned one way or the other and it was completely legal to pick fruit on ones’ own property. It was a questionable gesture, but it was his tree to cut down.
It wasn’t until the next summer that we heard about it. “Do you remember that apple tree that used to be in our neighbors backyard - - the one right beside the fence?” “It had good apples on it!” Then he reiterated how he would pick the fruit on his side and how the neighbor had cut it back last year. “I guess he cut it back a bit too much, because it died this year.”
These gracious in-laws of mine hadn’t even considered any foul play. Up until then, the neighbor had a lovely sweet bounty every year, but now he had nothing. His actions had got the best of him and in the end he tasted the fruit of it - - and I doubt it tasted like apples.
Regardless, I guess sometimes our actions get the best of all of us! It truly is better to be generous when we can be. It is more blessed to give than receive, after all.
Have a great day!
C~
Update: May 5, 2023
Happy 93rd bday young fella,❤️
