A Yearning

The Spectator

founded 2004 by ron cruger

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As leaves begin to turn many hues in the mountains, mornings begin to be a little more dewy, and sap begins to run down to roots of trees for winter cover in the ground, a country boy begins to yearn for the mountains far away.

Why does sap run to the ground during the winter? If it stayed up in the branches of the tree, the winter snows and ice would freeze it and kill the tree. This is why sometimes an early freeze will kill trees before the sap has fallen. Nature is designed to protect all of creation. This holds true of each of us as we begin to see the effects of getting older. All nature runs in continuity.

No matter where a country boy may roam, he is still a part of the soil from which he fled. He is still part of the landscape where he used to toil to help things grow. A field of corn will be taken over by weeds if it is not cultivated properly. Any crop requires weeding, watering and fertilization in order to grow properly and yield the crop it is intended for.

Oftentimes, due to circumstances beyond his control, the country boy cannot return to the mountains. Obligations he has committed to prevents him from following the dictates of his heart. This seems to be true of many people as one looks around at the long faces of immigrants from other lands. Elderly people from many countries have been brought to our shores by their well-meaning children thinking they can make a better home for their parents. The look of agony on their faces tells us that they would rather be in their familiar surroundings, even if there are a few more conveniences here.

The autumn of our lives causes us to strive for a perfect place to roam. Some of us would rather be fishing or hunting. Some would rather be close to the ocean where we can walk on the beach listening to the gulls, pelicans, and other sea birds. Sometimes an older person would rather just sit around talking to others who are in the same boat, reminiscing about the past. Where is that perfect place for roaming?

It looks as though we will have to be patient, waiting for the perfect place, where we no longer have to yearn for something great. When the Creator of all things smiles on us and welcomes us to His home, then is when we will realize that it was worth all the pain and heartache of living in an imperfect world. This was only loaned to each of us to see what we would do with what we were given.