Late one afternoon, as I was walking up our lane to get the mail, I noticed a spot where the ground was covered with ripe grapes which had fallen from the vines overhanging the lane.  There were so many grapes there that I marveled.  Then I looked up to see how many grapes were still on the vines.

    When I looked up, I got a surprise.  Something was up there besides grapes.  It was a young coon.  There was another one nearby.  And the mother coon was not far away, watching me and her babies.  The two young ones were comical.  One of them was all scrunched up in a ball, as if that would keep me from seeing him.  The other one looked like Rocky, the flying squirrel, wearing a mask.  He was spread out, peering down at me with shiny black eyes.

    I was so entranced by seeing them, that I laughed out loud, and went to get Pat so she could see them also.  She enjoyed them even more than I did because she loves animals of all sorts.  It was a very nice pause in an otherwise ordinary day.

    I have thought quite often of those coons in the grapevines.  And I have learned some things.

    I thought about the bountiful provision of God.  Every year He provides the grapes for the various animals that need them for food.  Even if they don’t take advantage of them, He still provides them.  And that encouraged me as I thought of how He has provided for our needs down through the years.  Not just barely, but abundantly.  And I was grateful.

    I thought about the uniqueness of God’s creation.  Those two coons from the same litter were very different.  Every thing and everyone God creates is unique.  There is infinite variety in God’s world.  How sad that we spend so much time and effort trying to get everyone to look and act alike.

    But the thing that I have thought about most is that I took the time to embrace the moment.  We have lived out here in the woods for thirteen years, and I have never seen a sight like that.  Maybe that is because I never stopped to marvel or looked up in wonder as I did that day.  I caught the moment just right, and I embraced it.  It has not been repeated, but I have the memory because I embraced the moment.

    I believe I have missed some truly wonderful opportunities to see God’s glory because I have been so busy with other things.  Now I am consciously looking for His moments to embrace.