December 3 – “Revenge of the Oleander”

We were hit by a surprise random act of radical kindness the other day.  At least it was a surprise to me.  Nathan and his fire fighter buddy John showed up at our front door primed and ready to hang up our outside Christmas lights.  Chris has been insisting that she could get it done, given just a minimal amount of assistance. Perhaps me handing her the strands from the confines of my walker.  I was dubious at best.  But they solved the light hanging problem … and more. 

Also on my list for some time has been the fact that we have sycamore tree branches hanging dangerously close to our roof.  Substantial tree branches.  I have been worried that they might be blowing against the house to the detriment of the shingles.  Then there is also the ever-present thought in the back of my mind (and anyone’s mind who lives on a tropical island in the Gulf of Mexico) … hurricanes.  Any errant branch is a potential hole in the ceiling and another insurance headache.  So when the guys finished up the lights, they started in on tree branches.  And trim they did.  any remote hesitation by Chris was taken as a “yes,” and they had the branches down and hauled away in short order.  They also trimmed back some of the dead palm branches on the other side of the yard.  And then … they turned to the oleander.

That oleander bush has quite the history, as I have mentioned before.  For many years it was the only one of its variety on the whole island.  More recently, it was a reminder of the amazing power of God as shown in his creation.  We thought Hurricane Ike had killed it, so we trimmed it down almost to the ground.  And then a tiny sprout fought its way to the surface.  And from that tiny sprout we now have a huge tree/bush again.  A huge tree/bush that needed trimming.  So Nathan went after it.  And to my surprise – and perhaps to Chris’ chagrin – he lopped off quite a bit.  Then, all of a sudden, the oleander fought back.  It was as if an internal monster had been awakened.  During what he thought would be a simple snip of the wrist, Nathan received the partial wrath of that oleander (I can’t say the full wrath, because as we all know, oleanders are poisonous.  Their full wrath is not something I want anyone I love to experience any time soon).  The cutting tool snapped right in half.  Broke right through the bolt, making that tool absolutely useless.  “Vengeance is mine,” saith the oleander. 

Psalms 118:28 says, “You are my God, and I will give you thanks; you are my God, and I will exalt you.”

Father, thank you for our surprise ministry visit.  It meant a lot.  Bless Nathan and John for their efforts.  Amen.