Morning At Last

Have you ever stopped to think about what kind of footprints you are leaving? I don’t mean the kind that form when you step into mud but the effect you have on the world around you. Are you making a difference? Sometimes what we do seems so minor that we forget it leaves a lasting impression.

I took a walk this morning. It was a beautiful sunny morning. The air was crisp and clear. The kind of air that we only get when northern winds invade central Florida. As I wandered over to a local pond, I couldn’t help noticing the evidence of past visits from other people. Yes, there was a bottle carelessly tossed here and a paper something there but more than that was the new tree carefully staked, ready for summer growth. I saw some wonderful camellias in full bloom and a rose holding out like the last soldier on a frosted battlefield. No one was in sight but their labor of love was evident in what they left behind.

It got me to thinking about the footprints we leave on our children’s hearts and how we affect the world around us. I may be moving soon but my children and I spent a busy Saturday clipping back the jasmine and cleaning out the hedge along the house. We have bags and bags of clippings for my grandson’s favorite recycle man to take away. It all looks pretty bleak just now but I know that as soon as the weather stays consistently warm, it will flush with growth. I may not see any of the fruit of this labor and the next occupant of this house won’t even think about it until the chore rolls around next Spring. Still, they are footprints we are leaving behind. Someone will know that we have loved the gardens surrounding this wonderful house that we are leaving.

The thought came to me that the measure of footprints a man leaves behind reflects the depth of his soul. I know that sounds philosophic but you can blame it on the crisp, clear Spring air or the peace of an early morning walk. Just don’t dismiss it too soon because all of us leave footprints. Some are muddy and hurtful and others beautiful and loving, but they are there just the same and we control what they tell the ones who follow in our path.

Notice:  I first posted this on my Qondio profile.