As Good As It Gets

From "Washington Times"
"Think globally, eat locally"
by Paul Greenberg
Wednesday, June 25, 2008

The idea that to everything there is a season seems to strike Modern Man as quaint. Pity those who never waited for that sun-dipped time of the year when all gathered on the back porch under the ceiling fan while, one after another, the perfectly prepared products of the family garden were set down with a solid plunk on the old wooden table: string beans and summer squash served with a generous dab of churned butter, black-eyed peas and inevitable okra, butter beans and a platter of chilled green onions just washed and still glistening, and yes, rich, red, juicy, real homegrown tomatoes. With fresh cornbread, of course. And cold buttermilk. For dessert, watermelon. Ah, life was good. It still can be.

Tis a typical supper at our house, this (except for the onions which are not so agreeable to our g.i. tracts in our senior years). Add to that fare collards, kale, hubbard squash, green beans, neeps and their greens, mustard greens as well as potatoes of both the white and the sweet variety. Let us not forget our fresh eggs from the hen house too.

Butter beans (called butter peas when picked early) are loaded with excellent proteins; indeed, all of this fair is now declared health food. Combined with a healthy gardening habit, the doctors have declared us unusually fit and trim for our years.

For weight lifting we heft 50 lb bags of animal feed; 80 lb bags of concrete mix; dig post holes (good for your delts); heft 40 lb honey supers on the hives; chop wood; and clear fields.

Aerobics? Have you ever spent an hour just chopping wood? Walking dogs? Traversing stairs 30+ times per day for various tasks while carrying items?

Indeed, I do not see the petrol crisis nor the tomato scare as an obstacle; tis an opportunity for all of us to re-center and re-order our priorities. To discover once again that man is made to move and to enjoy all that God provides in nature. For all that God provides is good. He knows us down to our last hair follicle.

That's me away then.

Cannot See for the Trees

We have been working the past few weeks to clear young trees from a portion of our farm. Once they are cut, we section then stack them for drying and use in the wood cook stove. When we walked back to our house we were astounded by the beautiful view of the mountains that was previously obscured by the trees.

Those young trees that had sprouted are akin to the many distractions we face daily and prevent us from seeing Jesus. If we stop and clear away the distractions periodically we do not lose sight of our Lord. We must keep ourselves cleared of distractions so our harvest and labor will be fruitful for Himself who saved us.

That's me away then.

Treading in My Master's Footsteps

Often in my desire to work for others I find my hands tied, something hinders my charitable designs, some hostile influence renders me powerless. My prayers seem to avail nothing, my kind acts are rejected, I seem to do wrong things when I am trying to do my best. In such cases I must not grieve. I am only treading in my Master's steps.

St. Katharine Drexel

This quote speaks to me when I am frustrated with situations and people. How often I bumble and stumble and it keeps me humble for "I am only treading in my Master's steps".

That's me away then.