Every Fall for the last few years, my family has a mini family photography session. It is the best situation for three rambunctious boys – they only have to hold it together for 15 minutes. When my boys were two, two, and four, we headed out to a small pumpkin patch for our photos. I remember bringing them all to the back of the minivan when we arrived so we could dress them in their photo-worthy outfits. By the time we changed pull-ups and shoved shoes on feet, we were right on time to meet the photographer.
Immediately upon entering the little pumpkin patch, my three boys ran ahead of us and straight up to the pumpkins. They tried to lift them up. They started with the heaviest, biggest ones. It was so amusing watching these skinny little boys’ faces turn red as they grunted and tried to lift those heavy pumpkins up from the ground.
When we finally caught up to them, my husband and I directed them away from the heavy pumpkins and towards some small ones lying nearby. They pulled them up by their stems excitedly and tried to run away with them like they were afraid someone would stop their fun!
This whole experience was three years ago, but the memory of it still is firm in my mind everytime we come close to this Fall season. Particularly now, as I think about all of us trying to carry the weight of this year, flashes of three little boys attempting to lift up large pumpkins come back to my mind.
Like them, we can’t quite hold the weight. Like them, maybe, we can look for smaller pumpkins to grab and hold onto instead.
Let us hold the things we can hold and ask for help with the things we can not. May we offer as much help as we receive and may we above all remember we are not doing this alone. ⠀
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