Glean. An old word. It means to gather something slowly and carefully. We walked through the walnut orchard, through a crispy winter afternoon. The sun's heat was more like a candle than a fire, and sharp cold nipped through our clothes. The leaves crunched under our feet. It was peaceful, dusky and still. Timeless. Our two year old went running around, gleaning walnuts with the excitement and shrieks. We were all looking at the ground, intently searching through the camouflage of leaves for a nut to collect. Now it's Christmas time. We are really trying to practice the "slowly and carefully" part of gleaning in our life. We are tempted to run after the first cute toy we see, or the Christmas decoration that would make our house look like a magazine spread. We spend a lot of time being busy. Not enough time walking, slowly and carefully, looking for the good things that are hidden from our view when we run. When we slow down, we find the treasures of the season. The real stuff. "Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given" Isaiah 9:6. What an amazing gift! Remembering that God has come to us, in the form of a man, to save us.
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