Blackberry Reflections

I cannot believe it was a year ago that I wrote my first blog about my
blackberry reflections. I was picking alone this time. Leo, the cat decided
not to accompany me and I wandered along, looking for the biggest shiniest
blackberries I could fine. I found a lot of smaller, shiny blackberries at the
end of a branch, but the bigger ones were eluding me. And then, I looked a
little deeper and realized that many of the biggest and best were hidden
under leaves. I wondered how they could be so wonderful when they had
had no exposure to the sun. I also found that when I walked in one
direction, I found some beautiful berries and thought I had found all that
were ripe. However, when I turned around and walked back the way I
came, I came across many more that I had missed.

And so it occurred to me, what a wonderful exercise this was again, both
physically and mentally. I pondered how some blackberries are hard to
reach, protected as they are by many thorns, and yet, with a little patience
you can access them. By probing deep into the bus, behind the leaves that
shelter them, you can reach them and find the most beautiful, delicious
blackberry there is. And so it is with some people. They protect themselves
with a thorny exterior. They hide their true feelings. But if one takes the
time and courage to get past the protection and look behind the shelter,
there may lie within them that perfect exquisite gem of their existence… a
tender heart, a caring soul, a gentle touch, a glimmer of light and laughter.

Yes, it may be hidden in the depth of their being, but by looking a little
deeper, by changing direction and getting a different perspective it may
come to lighten your life and theirs. It could be so worth the effort.