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.