A gleaner collects gradually
bit by bit.
I’m a sifter and a savorer.
It explains why I still have letters from a friend in high school.
Or why I walk around with days old coffee.
And why I am wearing a cardigan that was
once in the closet of my friend’s mom.
I’ve had it for 16 years.
It’s kind of like wearing a memory.
(I remember movies, sleepovers,
singing and dancing in the living room.)
Or why I try to capture a moment,
create a feeling with words –
to keep it, forever.
I try to frame it in a way that helps
me remember what that moment gave to me.
I pick up pieces, words, moments, decisions
and hold them.
Sometimes the right thing to do is let go
And sometimes the right thing is to keep holding on.
I am doing some gleaning.
Holding in my hands, letting go.
Holding in my hands, tucking in my pocket.
Trying to understand what is meant for me
and what is meant for someone else.
It’s part of who I am and who we all are really.
Through this process I am redefining
and reinforcing, over and over again
who I am,
giving myself permission to let go, hold on.
What about for you?
What do you need to glean this fall
from the harvest, from what you have learned,
from what you know?
What do you still need to know
but have not yet understood?
What are you carrying with you into
the next season of life
and what do you need to let go of?
It’s okay to change, to grow –
in fact I believe that’s what we are meant for
and what’s necessary in order to thrive.
Gleaning is part of thriving,
a sifting to know what is a priority.
Gleaning is a way of embracing who we are
and who we are becoming.
Excellent! I’ve never seen myself as a gleaner before, but that’s what I do, too. Memories are very important to me, and I get sentimental about anything that brings back those elusive memories. But sometimes I need to let go. “Gleaning is part of thriving.” Thank you!
Thanks for reading, Lila! Memories are important and often they feed what happens now. Sometimes I think I get stuck in sentimentality!
Quite a reflective and thoughtful post, Bethany. I am a combination of a creative wrapped around an analytical mind. I have to fight through paralysis from analysis. I love learning new things when I read God’s Word. Those are the insights I hold on to and keep with me throughout each day. I want to be the man that He desires, so everything I glean from Him is treasured.
Ah yes, paralysis from analysis. I am quite familiar with that too, unfortunately! God’s word is indeed a treasure!
*deep sigh* Yes. Totally relate to this, which is troubling as I’m working on minimalism. What to hold onto, and what to let go?
Yes, for me its definitely weighing what fulfills me and that which just adds to my to-do list. What emboldens me and what weighs me down. I am realizing how important it is to weigh what I am holding… Thanks for reading, Jennifer!