It was a huge bag of peaches that took two kids to carry. I thanked them for their thoughtfulness, reflecting to myself, Who brings fruit from their backyard to the previous owners of their house?
“It’s our pleasure, María! You and your family planted the seeds and watered them, and the bountiful harvest is here because of you,” said Mo. “Honestly, we thank you for allowing us to share in this beautiful experience.”
“I’ve been wondering,” I confessed out loud, “what is God saying to me with these peaches?”
Mo laughed: “I was asking God the same thing this morning! God showed me that this must be shared, just as we are called to share the good news of Christ.”
Moving On
A couple of years ago, when my husband and I discerned that it was time to move out of our home of 23 years and let go of the 23rd home that I had lived in, it became a spiritual and emotional struggle for me.
Like a keepsake box, “Casa Scap” tenderly held the memories and stories of our family of six, and of our life journey through the sacraments and family gatherings celebrated there—from first Communions and weddings, to baby showers for my grandkids.
Saying goodbye to our Norman, Oklahoma, home visualized for me the end of an important moment in life—my role as a mother had changed, my life as a grandmother now filled my heart, and the life ahead of us remained precious. Michael and I prayed daily for a buyer, a family who would appreciate the old house as much as we did.
It took me a beat to realize that the young family of five who eventually bought our house was in a very similar place to Michael and me when we moved in.
Saying Goodbye
The last time we walked through the old house, we offered prayers of thanksgiving for the walls and rooms that had been home and had allowed us to welcome and love countless young people besides our four.
And then I laughed out loud when I noticed that the fruit trees in the backyard that my family had given me for my birthday three years earlier were bursting with fruit—for the first time ever!
Little did I know that the biblical parable I was living then would continue to evolve.
“I had no hand in anything having to do with these fruit trees,” Mo declared, looking over all the peaches, “but I took part in the joy of the harvest. So is God’s great love for us! We don’t do anything to deserve it (nor could we!), but by God’s grace and mercy, we share in God’s harvest of love in his kingdom forevermore.”
2 thoughts on “We Pay It Forward”
Such a beautiful and touching story! Thank you!
I love this beautiful story. It helps when you must live and let go, to have others enjoy to your blessings. Praying and healing comes when you acknowledge what you where blessed with so you may give to others. It is such a joy to here what others do to give others blessings for years to come and pass to other generations.