Green Apples and Sour People

We have an apple tree right in front of our garage.

My youngest son planted the seed from an Orchard apple when we moved here.

We already had two apple trees in the backyard, but it was such a sweet, juicy treat that he wanted more!

I never imagined it would be such a great addition to our gardens.
It has been a wonderful producer of more apples than we can even use all at once, so our tradition was to use the biggest apples for desserts in the freezer, cut the imperfect ones for drying, and eat the rest all winter long! Stored in newspaper, they kept amazingly well.

Every summer we would watch and wait for the crop to grow large enough to use.

About August, though, some of the lower apples started disappearing.

Then I figured out, Nathanael was eating them green!!

I should have known. He always loved to eat sour things, and hot things, too.

Me? I do not like sour or hot. I think I am the only one in my family.
I couldn't understand how he and his brothers got such a kick out of anything sour.

This was the look I got whenever I asked him - "How can you stand that?"
Then he would laugh.

I learned something new today.

Going to counseling classes makes me more aware of new ways to see things.
I am learning to see more through God's eyes than I ever have before.  
I have always been a seeker of stories, but coming from a place of brokenness, keeps me blind to some truths that may be obvious to others.

I ate a green apple from the newest tree.
How did I do?
Not too bad considering!

Why the change of heart?
Because my counselor has been teaching me to expect the sour people in my life, to be who they really are, and not be disappointed that they made the same stupid  trouble for our family again.
When you expect them to make unnecessary remarks and be nothing but rude, you know ahead of time to just let them be. If you don't like the heat, get out of the fire.

So, eating the sour apple, I expected a sourness, and looked for the slight taste of goodness that isn't quite ready yet. I think that's how Nathanael could eat those sour things.

 I am becoming who I am. But, I won't be complete until we are forever perfect in heaven. I should expect the sourness, and look for the good that is found all around us, to give us a glimpse of the coming sweet goodness of eternity with Jesus and Nathanael, (Micheal, and Paula - our babies) and all our loved ones!

Always more stories from the journey of life
by: Sue Leerhoff
Brick by Brick