Unexpected Blessing

I am slowly reentering the land of those who do more than sit on a recliner and blow their noses. After over a week of living in the land of those who recline and blow noses, using multiple boxes of tissues in a very short time, I had to get my sea legs back. I ventured out for a walk.

While feeling much better, I am still a little wobbly. Right away, I noticed that the flowers I had planted in my angel birdbath had expanded and blossomed! So much growth going on while I was reclining and blowing my nose! I went on with my slow walk. I passed an old man in a neighbor's yard. He doesn't live there. He appeared to be gathering acorns. Meanwhile, the squirrels, who one might expect to be gathering acorns, were instead gamboling about, chasing each other and chittering. Strange developments in the world while I was reclining and blowing my nose!

I walked on, noticing that trees were just beginning to change color for their Autumn extravaganza. How pretty and vibrant everything seemed compared to my recliner and trash basket overflowing with used kleenex! As I strolled, I pondered why the old man was gathering acorns. Does his family roast them? I suppose they are edible since squirrels eat them. I have noticed this man gathering wood on yard waste/garbage day from others' curbs. He goes about the neighborhood with a wheelbarrow and gathers the wood. It has often impressed me that he is someone who makes good use of what others do not want, an industrious and noble thing to be doing. He doesn't speak English very well, so I just wave and smile when I pass him collecting things. But yesterday, he didn't notice me walk by, so intent was he on gathering the acorns. I wondered if the acorns tasted good.

Never one to wonder long when I can find out, I did a google search. Not only are acorns edible, but they are apparently delicious and one of the best foods on earth for controlling blood sugar. (Diabetics take note!) They have a sweetish flavor, and were a favored food of the Native Americans. Now the rub is that some acorns do taste bitter. You have to know your acorn. The best acorns come from the white Oaks. However, all acorns can be eaten with an understanding of the proper processing to filter out the bitter tannin. It is a somewhat lengthy process, but easy enough. If you want the details, read about it here: http://askville.amazon.com/acorns-edible/AnswerViewer.do?requestId=17756711 .

So the old man was on to something. He understood that sometimes everything we need is falling from the sky and lying right at our feet for the taking. God is still sending "manna" from heaven, in a sense. His provision carried the Israelites through forty years in the desert, and He sustains us today. We don't always notice that His blessings rain down upon us like acorns in the autumn. But they do.

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God rained manna upon them for food; grain from heaven he gave them. Man ate the bread of the angels; food he sent in abundance. (Psalms 78:24, 25 NABRE)


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