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

Standing in the need of prayer

We use them all the time. Those three words - "How are you?"

But rarely are we asking how are you really feeling? How is your soul today?

How often do we get asked "How are you?" in one day?
And how often do we give the generic "I'm good. And you?" response? Because, if people only knew what was going on behind our words, maybe they would stop asking "How are you?"

I want to be honest here. Because, I want those who read this blog not to see me as a person with it all together. Trust me, I do not have it all together. I have a lot to figure out. I am a person who is wounded and broken, and not willing to wait on God's will most of the time, and I put on the apathetic smile all the time, and I am impatient, and I get out of sorts when there is not order, I say words that cut and blame it on hormones when I have only myself to blame, I compare myself to others, and my sin-bio is desperately long. And, I need God like I need bread because His grace is sufficient to heal these ailments.

So, I've started to really listen to people when I ask them "How are you?" I listen not just for their voice, but for God's voice underneath their voice. Even if they respond with the generic "Good. And you?" I want to be a soul friend and know the condition of their heart. And, I want you to do the same for me. So, when I ask "How are you?" I am listening to you with an ear towards you and with the other ear towards Heaven. And, if you really are doing good, I will know. But, if you need prayer, the Spirit will intercede and tell me what it is that needs prayed for. And, I will do my best to pray for your brokenness too. And, if you do tell me your struggles and challenges, that's the Spirit telling you that I will listen, that I will not interrupt, and I will not judge. That's the Spirit telling you that your words are safe with me. You can open up.

I will
just
listen.

You see, God never asks us to be strong. Which I love - but this culture does not. In this culture you have to look strong and not show emotion.

Actually, God says the opposite often. He says it is better to be meek and mild and show weakness. For, He says His power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore we should boast our weaknesses and not our strengths (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. ~ Isaiah 40:28-31

When we feel like we don't have it together, when we are tired of waiting. When we feel downtrodden and broken, and know we are not perfect, God wants to see our real face, not our apathetic face. He would rather us not worship Him at all than be apathetic in our worship. He would rather us be angry with Him than put on a facade. And, I'm glad God understands when we are angry with Him, or whomever. I'm glad that anger and worship are not distinct and separate things. If you are pretending to enjoy God or even love Him, he knows. You can't fool Him, you can't even try. He is someone you can be real with. He knows your prayers before you say them, He knows your prayers even when you do not. I am thankful that He is someone you can be real with. So, I'm praying that God will use me to be a soul friend and show me what you stand in need of so that I may intercede in prayer for you. And, I'm asking God to make me fully present when you answer that question: "How are you?" And, I pray you'll do so too.

Questions for reflection:

Why is it sometimes difficult to be 'real' in each of our daily interactions? 

How will God meet you in some of the people you interact with? How might others meet God in their interactions with you?

As the old hymn says: "Not my brother or my sister, but it's me O Lord. Standing in the need of prayer." Reflect on what you stand in need of. How might you bring these needs up when asked "How are you?"?

The One Thousand Gifts Dare - What's been making me terribly happy lately:

23. Hot oatmeal to stick to your ribs and warm your core on a howling-wind morning.
24. Celebrating four incredible years as husband and wife.
25. Making baby food. Isaac is starting on solids. So far I've made and frozen some pureed sweet potato, butternut squash, acorn squash, pear, avocado, and chicken mixed with sweet potato. And, so far he's tried the squash and nibbled (gummed) on some al dente finger carrots and apple. Apparently he will eat whatever we put in front of him. It is too funny to watch him explore new tastes and textures.
26. Big belly laughs from Isaac when he hears me say "ha ha ha CHOO." or "peek peek peek HABOO."
27. Tiny fingers that have the strongest hold. I will never get tired of the automatic grip reflex that babies have. Can I somehow teach him not to let his clinging fingers fade away?
28. Women of faith and studying 12 Women of The Bible, plus partaking in coffee with these women. Each woman in our Bible study offers insights and perspectives that feed my mind and spirit. Plus there is always goodies to feed the body too.
29. PB and J. I shared a children's message at church recently about how you can't make the sandwich without the bread. Just like we can't live without Jesus in our lives. And Jesus called Himself the Bread of Life. Now, whenever I make a PB and J sandwich in this time of lent, it reminds me that Jesus is the bread of life. His love is enough.
30. This cute recipe for Chocolate Egg Nest Cookies.
31. My Heavenly Father and His Son, my Saviour. Praise His name forever!
32. Old camp tunes. Back in the good ole days when I worked at summer camp we sang songs like "Little is Much (When He Lives in Your Heart)" and "I Want to Walk Like Jesus." I've been looking for new songs to sing with Isaac as the grown up in me grows tired of some of the same old tunes all the time. And, I've been reacquainted with some great ones from my camp days.
33. Back rolls, knee rolls, elbow rolls. My little guy, Isaac, has rolls on his rolls. I love his baby chub.
34. This picture makes me smile every time.

Just a wee bit Irish! (His shirt says "Little Shamrocker" ~ How cute is that?)

Garden Blessings

Each new spring and summer I marvel at the mystery and generosity of my edible garden. When I plant the seeds I say a quick prayer. I imagine them being blessed and bearing good fruit. In turning over the soil with compost I picture rich, fertile earth that will provide each plant with the nutrients it needs to grow. When I see the first seeds sprout I rejoice and thank God and reflect on His good creation. And, when I pick the first fruits of my labour, if I`m really present, I practice resurrection gratitude.

Gardening brings us closer to creation and helps us come to know His presence in our daily bread. It helps us see this world as not merely planet earth, but as creation: a divine mystery.

Upon this garden
May your stars rain down their blessed dust.
May you send rain and sunshine upon our garden and us.
Grant us the humility to touch the humus,
That we might become more human,
That we might mend our rift from your Creation,
That we might then know the sacredness of the gift of life—
That we might truly experience life from the hand of the Mother.
For you planted humanity in a garden,
and began our resurrection in a garden.
Our blessed memory and hope lie in a garden

Excerpt from Blessing of the Land from the Book of Common Prayer.

Blessing our gardens through our love and our loving care blesses us in so many ways. Gardens have a special place in the human story. After all God first planted humanity in a garden, the garden of Eden. And, the most redemptive act in history began in a garden - in Gethsemane. And the story ends in Revelation with the image of the garden taking over the City of God, with the river of life flowing through the city center and the tree of life piercing the urban concrete.

A beautiful garden is a work of heart. Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Thanks be to GOD.

Springeth has sprugeth - corn sprouts are one of my favourite sights

Spinach is starting to reseed

Deep roots

Room 2 Grow

Finding shade among the potatoes

From garden to table

- ♥ - Sonya