Grateful for Weekends, Winter, and Work

All weekend long, I heard my older daughter saying, "I'm so happy!  I'm so happy!"  Why was she so happy?  Because the weather had turned warm, she was out by the fire pit roasting hot dogs, wearing no coat, feeling the warm breezes and just hanging with the fam.  She was having an eternal moment all day.  I cannot believe how weather can impact mood.  You don't even realize how winter can really take its toll on you.  We are also in the second week of having finished the towers and we're still so happy they are gone!

We were finally able to get started on all the things that have been neglected for so long - the huge wood pile that needs to be moved, all the junk that has been accumulating around the farm needed to be taken care of....so much stuff.  The boys love to collect scrap metal.  Over the winter they collected $200 worth of scrap that they put towards their summer camp early registration fees.  I love that. Junk pays!

What really struck us, though, was how grateful God gave us the towers in the winter time.  Now that it is spring, we are outside working all the time.  We've had tower orders in the summer before and that is awful - working in the hot, hot workshop is a form of torture.  Had we received the tower order in the warm weather season, it would have certainly impacted all that we would have longed to get done on the farm.  I guess what I'm seeing is that God answers our prayers when we ask Him to help us be productive.  He allowed every day in the cold season to be used.  Normally we would sit in our warm, cozy house (well, I use the term "warm" loosely!) and not want to do anything, but with the deadline of March 31, we found ourselves working the whole winter.  I love how God orders our days!  Now, there is a certain freedom to get our work done outside without feeling like we're not allowed.  No, we feel free to work.  Does that sound strange?

Then, yesterday, with my second charge of children, the younger 3 - we went off to the Niagara Symphony!  They performed a concert about dinosaurs to orchestral music!  My kids were fascinated. It brought back all sorts of memories when I used to do things like that with the older kids.  The price was really good as they were trying to get young kids to see the symphony, but still it wasn't free. When I first asked RM, he didn't even hesitate - "Go," he said.  It's an investment that is well worth it to expose them to such beautiful music.  It's very inspiring and showed them a different type of art and skill that you don't see very often.

On a completely different note, it looks like we are making a huge shift in farming.  Retirement is drawing near for my husband.  He isn't ever going to truly retire, I'm sure, but as every year passes and his income earning years come to a close he realizes he needs to make sure there is a retirement plan.  What has God given us?  Land.  Where do we live?  In the fertile area of Niagara.  What do people love to grow here?  Grapes.  So it looks like we are going to attempt a new crop.  Nothing has gone in yet.  There is a lot of work to do ahead of time before anything even gets planted, but things are now in the works to do so.  My favourite verse as we've thought and prayed about this decision has been, "Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense." (Prov. 12:11)  That is our prayer, that we will not follow worthless pursuits, that we will use the land God has given us for His glory, and in doing so, that He will continue to provide our "bread".

Well, I'm off to fold a mountain of laundry.......!