A chestnut burr is a round prickly husk from Hell with a delicious nut inside. If you've ever picked one up barehanded or accidentally sat on one, you understand the "Hell" part! The sharp points can break off in your hand leaving a tiny embedded splinter that can hurt for a long while. Ahh, but that nut inside... Ever heard the phrase, "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire"? Possibly being sung around Christmas time, yes, that song! I can be a lot like that sometimes, sharp and difficult to handle, but a treat (I hope) once you get to know me.
Older (yea, I know, I'm only a little over 50) people's opinions are a lot like the old chestnut tree, gone and almost forgotten. There is, however, a lot of wisdom to be had, for just a little bit of trouble. That trouble only being "stopping by for a chat" or just to see an opposing opinion at times. I don't mean to sound like I know it all, because I don't! God has blessed me with certain opinions that I don't mind sharing and not only that, it will only cost you a little time.
I came across a large chestnut tree the other day and thought "don't see these very often". I spent the better part of my lunch hour picking up all the burrs I could find and took them home. I spread them out on the garage floor and carefully removed the seed from each one. They are in the fridge right now, pretending to survive their first winter. Next spring, my wife and I are going to find a nice hiking trail and plant those seeds. Maybe a hundred years from now, someone who hasn't seen such a tree, will come along and marvel at a little bit of God's creation.
You may not know that a blight virtually wiped out the tree in the early 1900's. Before the blight destroyed this beautiful tree, it is estimated that one in four hardwoods was a chestnut. Naturally the forrest would have looked a lot different back then.
To me, that is a little like "wisdom" in America. It seems, at times, to be almost gone. We've borrowed and borrowed till we can't pay it back! We fight wars for no good reason. People are murdered for virtually any reason and no reason. We shoved prayer and God out of people's lives and we go berserk when traffic backs up from a wreck with injuries.
Slow down and look around! What are you missing out on? Or "who" are you missing out on? There is somebody that needs your help, attention, or just a smile. You might have to watch out for their prickly outside personality, but it'll be worth it! My Grandfather had the opinion that everyone had something to tell and that it was probably worth hearing.
I'll probably touch on everything from religion to politics. Till next time-- Thanks for stopping by!
