A Visit to Gobbler’s Knob

It had been too long since I had taken the trip up 64 to 81 over Afton to visit with Mom and Dad.  Both had been sick with summer colds that had sapped  their strength and their good spirits. 

Casey and I piled in the car and made a couple of stops for snacks for us and groceries for my parents.  Casey had the idea of giving them a concert to lift their spirits so we practiced a few hymns as I drove us up the road. 

Yesterday was unusually clear and the humidity had disappeared overnight leaving a temperature that begged you to come out of doors!  When we arrived at Mom’s we climbed up on her front porch and rocked and caught up on the news–how many rabbits are around, the arrival of a snowball white stray cat who is feeding on scraps out back, the racoon who has broken branches in the crepe myrtle tree as he seeks to get access to the bird feeder and who has passed on to glory from the congregation of people at Calvary Brethren church. 

We relished each other’s company and before we knew it we had a visitor — my Aunt Daisy drove up on her lawn mower from her home down the hill.  She had been in the berry patch gathering blackberries but was weary from her labor and wary of the snakes that might be hiding out and gave up to come visit with us. 

It was then that Casey and I broke into song–her sweet soprano led out on “Holy, Holy, Holy”, “My Faith has found a Resting Place”, “Give Me Jesus’,  the African version of “What a Friend we Have in Jesus” and by special request “How great Thou Art”. 

It thrills my soul to wrap an alto line around her melody thread and that she sings willing without being begged to these days!  Later, Casey and I went off to gather a few berries of our own.  Dad directed us where to pick and before we knew it he was right there beside us picking as well!  Dad made a comment that reminded me of the “Walking By Faith” study as we were picking. 

He said, “Casey, these berries are pretty sour this year due to lack of rain but that sour taste makes it all the sweeter when you happen on a good ripe one!”  The difficult gifts of life taste initially sour but that taste makes the sweet gifts all the sweeter!  That day with Mom and Dad was a sweet gift made all the sweeter by the sour circumstance of their aging.