picking grapes.

we stepped out of the van into the not-so-autumn feeling breeze.
the wind smelled like grapes.
it made us smile.

the sun glowed through the leaves of the tall tree and it made me wish for my camera in my hands.

i kicked myself for a good hour or so, with every sun flare my eyes caught; with every laugh and tease of gramma t and aunt joann; all the reaching those of us with no step ladders did.

this is the second day in a row i've done something

i've never done before. 

[first day: dilly beans.

second day: grape-vine-picking. hah.]

being open to helping older people in 

your life will do that to you, i guess.

and let me tell you: there were so many moments

that i just stood, watching the older ones laugh 

and tease each other 

and reach to pick vines

that i realized oh. my. word. they're siblings. 

this is freaking amazing.

a unique snapshot of how me and my five siblings 

could be someday, down the 

winding, twisting path of life.

i wouldn't have spent my morning any other way.
:)
later, after more than a few calls to uncle bob [aunt joann's husband] and uncle eugene [gramma t and aunt joann's younger brother], the men came with another step ladder and extra hands.

they pretty much took over, as we'd picked as many that were within our stretching reach.

aunt joann kept saying "my, my. i'm going to make some wine! i'd love to make some wine! grampa tennis made wine when he was alive; drank it every night! he lived to be 100....i'd love to make some wine with some of these!"
hah, she's so cute.
i told her i'd research that for her. ;)
i'm less than 30 pages from finishing the help.
next up: black, by ted dekker. it's been years since i've read his circle series, but when they were coming out [i was around 13] i reread them 3 times. they're good. mhmm.

notice there are no slide shows in this post.
this morning was so priceless, i don't care if i have to wait for the loading of picture after picture. :)

everyone has inside of him a piece of good news. 
the good news is that you don't know how great you can be! 
how much you can love! what you can accomplish! and what your potential is!
[Anne Frank]

it occurred to me earlier, that we also don't realize how much of an example we are to people.
in person, online, everything.
when we let gratitude for simple things take over, criticize, love, spill, write thoughtfully, write more polished, write randomly . . .
we show others that they can do that, too.
if we color in the lines and rehearse and don't show our true selves [which takes bravery], all raw, real and beautiful, tough and tender, then we aren't giving that freedom to others.

p.s. read this. it's awesome.
jesus vs. jesus with bag of extra crap.