One Berry, Two Berry, Pick Me a Raspberry!

August 8, 2011 Monday
Nothing tops off a full, hot summer’s day like picking raspberries! I’m not sure why I enjoy picking raspberries so much. Maybe it’s because I like the quiet time alone just being one with nature. Or maybe it’s the fact that I always marvel at God’s creations as I pick the berries. Maybe it’s because I pick a few and eat a few. Whatever the reason, I am thankful that the Alberts texted me while they are away at the cabin. They gave us permission to go into their yard and pick their raspberries. Yes!

At first I thought it would be a family event and I imagined it in my head to be an incredible bonding moment. I couldn’t wait for the time when my kids and husband could revel in the joy that berry picking has become to me. But I only had one eager helper…little Kristen. So she and I grabbed our plastic bowl containers and headed through our subdivision and over to the Alberts. She rode her bike but I just took my time walking and enjoying the incredible view of the mountains. I was excited to see just how many berries were ripe for picking when we got there. Kristen and I eagerly started picking and of course she made up songs as she picked, “Oh we’re gonna pick some berries….oh yeah! Oh we’re gonna pick some berries….uh, huh! They’re gonna be yummy berries…Oh yeah!” Well, you get the idea.
Kris did a great job picking berries but soon her 5 year old attention span decided she needed to play on the swing set. So I got to pick the berries the rest of the time completely on my own, marveling at each berry and the miracle it is. I still had a few more branches to go when all of a sudden the automatic sprinkler system turned on. It scared me half to death and I quickly grabbed my berries and had to run through a couple sets of sprinklers to the swing set where Kristen was playing. My clothes were soaking wet but I was drenched with an inexplicable happiness that only berry picking can bring:)