hands off! It's MINE!

I found myself faced with an interesting dilemma recently. Sitting on my backporch early one morning, I saw someone walking past my fence on the side near the street.They were walking slowly, peaking through the slats, bending down and walking again. It did not take me long to figure out that they were taking the pecans from my tree that had fallen on outside of my fence. No WONDER I never found any over there when I went to gather them!

When my sweetheart went over to meet the new neighbor, he found the culprit. Without shame, the man said "I've been taking and eating the pecans that fall in your yard by the sidewalk. I'll take any more pecans you have that you don't want!"

When he told me of the conversation, I was outraged. Is it not enough that all the neighborhood kids strip our apple tree of her unripe apples and use them as weapons throwing them up and down the street, sometimes taking a bite or two before they waste them? Now we have full-grown men who should know better taking things that don't belong to them without asking? I commenced into a full-blown diatribe about how poorly people behave these days and how it's no wonder that we have so many problems in the world with an entire generation of badly raised children. I was full of righteous indignation.

My sweetheart the agnostic looked at me, then said quietly,"Baby, that's not very nice. Set a good example. Stop acting so "American Christian": Indians believe that the world belongs to none of us and we should all share her gifts."

I seethed for a moment more before I felt the sting of his words set in.That beautiful pecan tree, selflessly giving me the fruit of his branches, the apple tree with her quiet pink showers of pink petals and plump apples. I didn't make those trees. I don't own them, and someone will come after me who also doesn't own them. How can I stake a claim on "my" part of the earth?

I remembered the Bible verse in Luke: "Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back." and in Matthew, "If a man takes your coat, give him your shirt also."

This earth is simply borrowed from our children. And I have an opportunity to be the change I want to see (Ghandi). Tomorrow, when I make pecan pies for our Thanksgiving celebration, I will share one with my neighbor and I will say a prayer of thanks for the trees who gave me shelter and nourishment.