For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise

Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them;
let all the trees of the forest sing for joy. Psalm 96:12


Because of the frequent spring rains, it had been quite a struggle to get into the hayfield at all. So when a stretch of dry days looked promising, the hay field was cut. Two days later a hay crew was quickly assembled and hay was tedded and later, raked and baled. Saturday afternoon became a scramble to finish before the storm hit. The last of the hay-laden wagons was secured in the barn just as the winds began to swirl up dust in the barn lot. Thunderstorms and heavy rain kept us inside for the rest of the night.

Light rain dropped in again for a visit on Sunday morning. But by early afternoon, the skies cleared. A new starting line-up of the hay crew showed to stack the hay in the hay barn. However, a rocker on the back patio beckoned me to sit. As I rocked and looked out over the trees, the pond, the honeysuckle, a little breeze stirred the trees. The wet leaves began to shake off the morning rain onto each other. The sound made by the droplets of water hitting the leaves of the maple, hickory and beech was like that of applause in a huge stadium. At one point the breeze blew the applause from left to right like a wave. It was breath-taking. My thoughts drifted to the verse in Psalm 96 where the trees of the forest sing for joy. I, too, sang for joy: He is worthy of praise.