Blossom and Nut

Not that I ever considered myself a farm girl but I made that abundantly clear this week as I

blossom AND nut

shared about the great time I was having walking through the almond orchards around my house.  The blossoms are so beautiful! The orchards feel so magical and wondrous to me–in the early morning fog, in the late afternoon sunlight.  As I talked about the almond blossoms, I then said “And I had my first almond of the season! I picked it off and cracked it open with a hammer!” (I don’t have a nutcracker).  The committee members looked at me strangely.  “You ate an almond? They are poisonous when they are this young!”

“Not this one” I said, “it was fully formed! Maybe an early variety or something?”

After confirming that what I ate was a fully formed, tasty almond, the committee determined that I must have found some husks leftover from last season. Blossoms in the morning, a fully formed nut by the afternoon!  Boy, did I feel silly.

Like these almond trees, we humans are not all fully developed and formed–some parts of us are more mature, other parts green and budding.  Some parts of us are in hibernation.  A healthy tree can hold onto the nut and the blossom. And so may we!

I look forward to worshipping with you this Sunday– we will be welcoming and hearing from our newest members –honoring what membership in our UU congregation means to us all.

Benny enjoying the blossoms