Pulling Weeds

Every year I plant a vegetable garden and every year I am amazed at the abundance. I have always found joy in tending to my garden. Growing up, my parents always planted a large garden and we all took part in tending to it. In my family now, we plant a vegetable garden to eat where we live and in order to eat well. It is important for us to find and enjoy local and sustainable food and to know what is going to the table and into our bodies. The taste of fresh garden food is simple and profound. One bite of a garden grown strawberry can bring you back to the sun-drenched summers of your childhood.

"The tragedy of the grocery store is the amnesia that robs us of our gratitude" 

says Hank Lentfer, an avid Alaskan forager.

"When you go out and gather something, the food is received as a gift." 

We are blessed by the fruits of our labour and by the process of growing food. But perhaps because I am a mother now, I have not put the time into it that is needed. I have a friend who says you either have a well manicured garden or you have kids. This year I found it difficult to stay on top of the weeds. It became quite overgrown and in return the vegetables did not produce as much. The times that I did get out to pull weeds, some weeds themselves were bigger than the plants. Though, I do not enjoy pulling weeds, it can be a contemplative process. In weeding my garden I receive revelation that the weeds are as sin in the life of a believer. They must be pulled out by the root as part of the path to sanctification. Any smaller weeds or roots left behind will grow stronger and take over just as sin can take over in our lives.

"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us..." Hebrews 12:1 

I have a sin biography that is long. I profess that I envy others. I'm weary from my own disappointment. I blame and say hurtful words, I do not find time to spend with God every day, I'm impatient, I am often running late for things. I am ignorant of the way God made me and I submit to moodiness. There are many festering sins in my life and it is painful to reflect on them all. So, with my fingers stuck in God's dirt, I surrender to Him and pray:

Abba Father. Help me to walk in your light. I praise you for never allowing those weeds to stay in my heart. You want to pull out the sin in my life by it's root. Lord, I give you my heart and ask that you remove any root of sin. Thank you Lord, that I am rooted in Your love. In Jesus Name, Amen

And with that prayer I can go on to receive the true blessings of Grace and the abundance of the produce in my garden.

Gratitude List:

48. O, the versatile mason jar! Glorious in it's simplicity. Mason jars should be used for canning, but I love to use them as drinking glasses, vases, storing dried goods, pencil holders, piggy bank... Yeah, I'm a jarhead.

49. Homemade pesto Here's the recipe:

2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup pine nuts (can used hazelnuts or walnuts)
3 garlic cloves finely minced
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1/4 cup EV Olive Oil

Using a food processor combine all ingredients. Do the pine nuts first to get them finely chopped. Will keep a week in fridge or freeze for up to 3 months.

50. Homemade Peach Salsa. Tastes great with salmon or nacho chips. Here's the easy peasy recipe:

2 cups diced peaches (can leave skin on)
1/4 cup red pepper, finely diced
1/4 cup shallot or red onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoon lemon juice
Pinch of salt
Fresh cilantro or parsley
1 teaspoon sugar or 1-2 tsp of honey if peaches are not sweet enough

51.I love Autumn. The colours are changing, the farmers are harvesting, the air is a little brisker.

52. And, with the arrival of the Fall season, I have pulled out one of my favourite accessories.. The scarf. I love cozying up an outfit with a scarf.

53. Those cheeks.

54. I love curling up in a cozy "blankie" and snuggling with my little man on rainy days. Rainy days are the perfect excuse to warm up with a cup of comfort soup and a book. Sidenote: Isaac's favourite food right now is my Meatball Soup. Love it!

55. The imagination of a child. We recently had a playdate with our nephew, Alexi, and we loved playing along with his imagination. And, he has quite the imagination.

56. Homemade play-dough to entertain said imagination.

57. {Hugs}

58. Paper bag puppets. So, nostalgic. So fun.

59. Thrift store finds. I am ever so pleased with the latest find: A solid oak rocking horse in beautiful shape. For $15 I could not resist. I do not want to spoil my son with toys when it is not a birthday or Christmas. But, this was a moment of instant gratification that I have no regrets about.


Blessings abound. Experience more joy, in re-living your thankfulness by recording your gratitude list too!

God Bless,
Sonya