Today the world will celebrate Halloween, but 501 years ago, on Oct. 31, a huge victory was won against the kingdom of darkness and no one seems to know about it or even talk about it in Christian circles. Martin Luther wrote and nailed the theses against the corrupt church on the very same day that the world celebrates Halloween. I find it an amazing coincidence.
A few moms and I were together yesterday and we were talking about how we would "celebrate" today. It was amazing to hear the different ways each family would spend the evening. One was going to go on an outreach with her family and hand out tracts to people in the neighbourhood. That is not typical! Another mom was going to do a Reformation Day Party! How fun! They were going to play the cutest games, "Pin the 95 Theses on the Door"! They were going to use fake gold for "indulgences" and then watch a cute video on Martin Luther. I ended up looking for the video myself and found all sorts of amazing videos that people have made to explain the Reformation to children. By the end of the short videos, my children were all able to explain who Martin Luther was, what the 95 theses were, where he nailed them, why he did it, the Diet of Worms (the trial location), what a Protestant is, what a Catholic is.....I was amazed and so impressed with their quick retention!
We live too far away to get trick or treaters anyway and in the past we've hosted a soup night with our friends, but this year my husband is working so we'll just be home on our own I think. The kids don't seem to know what everyone else is doing in town. Just as well, we have enough cavities!
When I looked up the roots of Halloween, it was pretty dark. People dressed up as dark spirits in order to disguise themselves from the the lord of death. When kids dress up today as princesses and knights, they don't know why they are doing it, and probably the parents are unaware as well. But some are very aware as you see so many houses decorated in the macabre - black bats, zombies, skeletons, bloody cemetery scenes. That's what ultimately made us change our minds years ago. We had been doing the whole Halloween thing for years and I had no problem with it. But for every cute princess that came along, there were half a dozen creepy costumes and houses that we didn't dare take our kids to or open our doors. We took a look at the whole process and as much as our kids loved the candy, we just couldn't get our heads around the darkness of the event. I wish I'd been bolder at the time and started witnessing to my neighbours about Christ at every door and every opportunity, but instead we just chose not to participate and instead we turned it into a chance to connect with fellow believers. I think now as our kids are getting older we could consider the outreach aspect. I love that our church pursues that as an alternative.
There's my history lesson for the day!
Wednesday 31 October 2018
Wednesday 24 October 2018
Mayor of my Home
This week I was reminded how different my life is compared to some and how different it could have been had I made different choices.
There were mayoral elections all over Ontario this week including my little town and also in the big city of Toronto. I was watching very closely to the Toronto elections as I had gone to university with the female candidate, JM. She and I knew one another and I would see her almost on a weekly basis at the Christian meeting on campus so many years ago. She was quite the shaker and the mover then. It is no surprise to me that she took on the top job for Toronto.
But I found myself comparing myself to her throughout the campaign. There were times I would just walk through what a day must be like for her and then I would compare what my day is like. I would almost laugh out loud. She rides a bike to work. I walk downstairs. She has two kids that go off to school. I have 8 that seem to be surrounding me all day long! Her husband works from home and does all the cooking and child care management. My husband is currently rarely home and I am certainly the main child care person! She works in a nice clean office. I have dirt under my nails from all the work I did in the vines still, not to mention the multiple injuries I've sustained recently from being on a farm. That is another story.
I could go on and on. It is potentially a slippery slope and even a dangerous and unhealthy one. I could start to hear the lies. "You're just a homeschooling mom. Look how successful she is. You aren't as important." I had to really stop the thought process in its tracks. It is true. I am certainly not well-known compared to her, that is for sure. But with fame and being so well-known comes a high degree of stress. I don't think I would handle that very well. My life is pretty full of it as it is! Her life requires her being home very rarely to see her kids and have dinner with them. I, on the other hand, as much as it is sometimes, am able to be around my kids all day, every day, every meal, every snack. I may not be known much to the outside world, or even to those down my street, but I'm known by my kids, super well. They imitate me all the time and laugh at my weird "mom idiosyncrasies" because I have a lot of them! I don't have a tidy office that, no doubt, has a janitorial staff, but I do have a great farm house, full of dirty floors and laundry, on a wonderful property. No views of a city scape, but amazing views of rolling hills and now vines. Hard to compare the two. I may not be as quick on my feet and articulate in front of cameras, but this year I'll have several opportunities to speak to other homeschooling parents at conferences and homeschool support meetings where I will get to share some things I've learned on the journey. I'm way more comfortable in a group like that anyway.
So, though the attack did try to start, I was pretty quickly able to shut down the thoughts as I worked through my lame insecurities. I am exactly where I need and want to be. She must be, too. I'm fairly certain she has a faith, at least she did at one point. I am doing exactly what God has created me to do. There is such utter indescribable satisfaction in my life's work, raising this crew of children. If I were offered to change places with her for a day, I would turn it down in a heartbeat. I would be so lost anyway. Would I like a janitorial staff? Yes, yes, I would, but I did get a new vacuum cleaner this week and I can't tell you how many times I've vacuumed with such incredible joy that it feels like I have a new janitorial staff working for me full time, that's how badly I needed a new vacuum cleaner. Did I mention we only use shop vacs as that is the only type of vacuum cleaner our house can handle!? We're hard core dirty. I should be an ad for their company. Would I like a new wardrobe of the latest clothes? Sort of, but I would just get those dirty, too. Here's a great example. I was out in the field trying to get a rogue horse back in the fence and as we brought him over, his leg lifted up the fencing wire tripping me and making me go flying! Not only did I have a major bruise from the fall for days, but I had some pretty sweet grass stains that may never come out. I'm sure she could never relate to that kind of a day! Would I like someone else to take over all the childcare, cooking, cleaning and grocery shopping? Some days, ok, quite often, but then I'd miss all the hugs, smiles, thank yous, laughs, all for what? To be with some stuffy grownups? No thank you. Would I like the big salary that comes from being very important? Money is great, but being frugal is kind of fun. Yesterday I took the kids to the local thrift shop. I was praying for a coat for one of my kids. There it was, his size, only one. It wasn't in the brand-new, best-shape department, but, to my great appreciation, he said, "It's perfect!" $3 later I had a "new" coat and he is so happy. I'm so happy that he doesn't even know to ask for a "real" new one, that going to the thrift store is normal. I find true joy in that.
Stay-at-home moms will probably always have this battle, wondering how important we are. Fortunately I have a very supportive husband and appreciative kids who are pretty great on giving me positive reinforcement when I need it. And, here's a funny thought - I really am mayor, of my home! I run a pretty interesting town, Crazy Town. Population 10 (not including animals - in that case the population went up by 5 kittens the other night). I oversee budgets, building plans and renovations, future developments and industry, food management, janitorial crews. I sit on the education board. I run a pretty tight ship, though, on some days, I would fire myself and I would let another mayor step in. But all in all, being mayor is a pretty fun job. I'll keep it.
Really, the comparison game is never good. I was told once at a retreat, way back when I was at university, by the main speaker, "If you never remember anything else I say, remember these 3 things: You are unique. Refuse to compare. You have nothing to prove.'" Amazingly I have remembered them! Ultimately, my greatest feedback is from the Lord Himself who reminds me daily that He is with me, He has created me, He loves me. That's better than any fame or feedback that the world can offer.
There were mayoral elections all over Ontario this week including my little town and also in the big city of Toronto. I was watching very closely to the Toronto elections as I had gone to university with the female candidate, JM. She and I knew one another and I would see her almost on a weekly basis at the Christian meeting on campus so many years ago. She was quite the shaker and the mover then. It is no surprise to me that she took on the top job for Toronto.
But I found myself comparing myself to her throughout the campaign. There were times I would just walk through what a day must be like for her and then I would compare what my day is like. I would almost laugh out loud. She rides a bike to work. I walk downstairs. She has two kids that go off to school. I have 8 that seem to be surrounding me all day long! Her husband works from home and does all the cooking and child care management. My husband is currently rarely home and I am certainly the main child care person! She works in a nice clean office. I have dirt under my nails from all the work I did in the vines still, not to mention the multiple injuries I've sustained recently from being on a farm. That is another story.
I could go on and on. It is potentially a slippery slope and even a dangerous and unhealthy one. I could start to hear the lies. "You're just a homeschooling mom. Look how successful she is. You aren't as important." I had to really stop the thought process in its tracks. It is true. I am certainly not well-known compared to her, that is for sure. But with fame and being so well-known comes a high degree of stress. I don't think I would handle that very well. My life is pretty full of it as it is! Her life requires her being home very rarely to see her kids and have dinner with them. I, on the other hand, as much as it is sometimes, am able to be around my kids all day, every day, every meal, every snack. I may not be known much to the outside world, or even to those down my street, but I'm known by my kids, super well. They imitate me all the time and laugh at my weird "mom idiosyncrasies" because I have a lot of them! I don't have a tidy office that, no doubt, has a janitorial staff, but I do have a great farm house, full of dirty floors and laundry, on a wonderful property. No views of a city scape, but amazing views of rolling hills and now vines. Hard to compare the two. I may not be as quick on my feet and articulate in front of cameras, but this year I'll have several opportunities to speak to other homeschooling parents at conferences and homeschool support meetings where I will get to share some things I've learned on the journey. I'm way more comfortable in a group like that anyway.
So, though the attack did try to start, I was pretty quickly able to shut down the thoughts as I worked through my lame insecurities. I am exactly where I need and want to be. She must be, too. I'm fairly certain she has a faith, at least she did at one point. I am doing exactly what God has created me to do. There is such utter indescribable satisfaction in my life's work, raising this crew of children. If I were offered to change places with her for a day, I would turn it down in a heartbeat. I would be so lost anyway. Would I like a janitorial staff? Yes, yes, I would, but I did get a new vacuum cleaner this week and I can't tell you how many times I've vacuumed with such incredible joy that it feels like I have a new janitorial staff working for me full time, that's how badly I needed a new vacuum cleaner. Did I mention we only use shop vacs as that is the only type of vacuum cleaner our house can handle!? We're hard core dirty. I should be an ad for their company. Would I like a new wardrobe of the latest clothes? Sort of, but I would just get those dirty, too. Here's a great example. I was out in the field trying to get a rogue horse back in the fence and as we brought him over, his leg lifted up the fencing wire tripping me and making me go flying! Not only did I have a major bruise from the fall for days, but I had some pretty sweet grass stains that may never come out. I'm sure she could never relate to that kind of a day! Would I like someone else to take over all the childcare, cooking, cleaning and grocery shopping? Some days, ok, quite often, but then I'd miss all the hugs, smiles, thank yous, laughs, all for what? To be with some stuffy grownups? No thank you. Would I like the big salary that comes from being very important? Money is great, but being frugal is kind of fun. Yesterday I took the kids to the local thrift shop. I was praying for a coat for one of my kids. There it was, his size, only one. It wasn't in the brand-new, best-shape department, but, to my great appreciation, he said, "It's perfect!" $3 later I had a "new" coat and he is so happy. I'm so happy that he doesn't even know to ask for a "real" new one, that going to the thrift store is normal. I find true joy in that.
Stay-at-home moms will probably always have this battle, wondering how important we are. Fortunately I have a very supportive husband and appreciative kids who are pretty great on giving me positive reinforcement when I need it. And, here's a funny thought - I really am mayor, of my home! I run a pretty interesting town, Crazy Town. Population 10 (not including animals - in that case the population went up by 5 kittens the other night). I oversee budgets, building plans and renovations, future developments and industry, food management, janitorial crews. I sit on the education board. I run a pretty tight ship, though, on some days, I would fire myself and I would let another mayor step in. But all in all, being mayor is a pretty fun job. I'll keep it.
Really, the comparison game is never good. I was told once at a retreat, way back when I was at university, by the main speaker, "If you never remember anything else I say, remember these 3 things: You are unique. Refuse to compare. You have nothing to prove.'" Amazingly I have remembered them! Ultimately, my greatest feedback is from the Lord Himself who reminds me daily that He is with me, He has created me, He loves me. That's better than any fame or feedback that the world can offer.
Thursday 11 October 2018
Lessons from the Vines
Two days ago we finished all the staking and taping of the vines. That was no small feat. Not that anyone cares, but I am sure I have the most muscular back now. We should be cultivating between the rows, but it is so wet out there from days of rain earlier that we our tractor got stuck and has made some unsightly new trenches where no trenches are supposed to be. So the weeds between the rows will grow some more I guess.
Now that the vineyard looks more like a vineyard we will often hear from our kids, "Oh! So that's what it's supposed to look like!" Our kids are learning faith through this vineyard. Not just faith in God, but faith in their parents. They have truly had to trust us all along that we aren't crazy, though we may appear that way sometimes.
Even I have had to have a certain amount of faith, not just in God, but in my husband. I'm sure, to the world around us we may have looked a little crazy as we started out this latest venture. I found out when I delivered grapes to every neighbour on the street that they've all been watching. Every single neighbour commented on what they'd seen us start on. We are 100% being watched.
I have had to trust that my husband knows what he's doing and believe in him and his unique vision for our family and our future. I read a letter from a woman in a homeschooling magazine recently who sounded like she is married to a husband similar to mine. She wasn't complaining, but she was wondering how to support a husband who has lots of dreams, ideas, and plans and wasn't sure what to do when they didn't always work out like she had hoped. The letter she received in response was just great because it was written by a man who was also like my husband and her's. He said, "Have faith in your husband. Think of him as an inventor, failing 999 times in preparation for the great success he will eventually achieve." He then went on about all the crazy things he has done in his own life. He wrote, "I have tried many endeavors which proved to be great only in my imagination. We have been poor to the bone and down to our last potato many times because I was devoting our money and all my energies and time to a new idea that was 'wonderful'." But then he adds, "I had fun every step of the way. Failure didn't discourage me. Like Thomas Edison, I knew I had just discovered one more way that did not work. I had grown."
Fortunately he adds, "Eventually I had great successes..." There's hope! He said, "My wife had to endure criticism from family and well-meaning friends, but it just brought us closer together....We became a team, experiencing life together, having more fun than a whole playground full of kids!"
He quoted a verse from Eccesliastes 11:1 that says, "Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days." It seems to be speaking about what we do now will have a reward later...if we stick with it. This can be a spiritual principle as well as even a financial one, I think. This can apply to our work in training our children now as well as the work we're doing in the vineyard. And, of course, back to believing in my husband's vision - what seems a little nuts now, will eventually pay off.....if I stick with it and stick with him. The thing about his vision is that it wasn't a flippant decision. He had done years of research on vines and growing grapes. I had listened to him all those years never really thinking it would happen! But then it did! Here we are with 5 acres of grapes, planted, staked and taped, ready for the next step of trellising.
The irony is of all the weeks to be reading John 15, it was this week - when I had just finished the taping the last vine to the stake. "I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart form me you can do nothing."
Couldn't believe it. Verses like this now jump off the page as I regularly hold vines in my hand all the time. I can't look at them the same way anymore. We regularly take off branches and even some grapes to prep the vines for more fruit later. We actually make life harder on the vines to get the roots to grow deeper into the ground. How it parallels my life is incredible. Truly, apart from Christ I can do nothing. I long to bear much fruit, but cannot do it on my own.
But again, back to being a supportive wife - there is a chance we could lose this crop to some disease or bad weather or something unforeseen (hopefully not!). Will that mean it was all a waste? No, it has actually been the most amazing thing for my husband and me. We have been in the vineyard so much together, always working together, talking together, weeding together, staking or taping together....in addition to being alongside our kids, it has been the most amazing, dare I say, fun, thing we've done lately. Was it more fun than a whole playground full of kids? I'm not sure about that, but it was certainly so rewarding as we always compared our blisters on our hands, or we argued about who had sorer muscles or more dirt under their nails. It has been an adventure that we've shared together. I think our kids have noticed and observed and will one day reflect on how they saw us work as a team on this latest crazy thing we've done. I can agree with the letter the author wrote back when he said of his wife, "Now my wife shares my hair-brained ideas and we are a finely tuned team..." That would be me! I'm starting to share his "hair-brained ideas", too! I think I'm becoming as crazy as him! Ha!
In the end, of course I am hoping for the best. I truly hope my husband gets rewarded somehow for all that he has done and that by God's grace he will get back "his bread" that he "cast on the waters". It was a lot of emotional, physical and financial effort he has put into this vineyard. But, even in the event things go south and we end up "potato broke" as the author put it, it has been fun!
Now that the vineyard looks more like a vineyard we will often hear from our kids, "Oh! So that's what it's supposed to look like!" Our kids are learning faith through this vineyard. Not just faith in God, but faith in their parents. They have truly had to trust us all along that we aren't crazy, though we may appear that way sometimes.
Even I have had to have a certain amount of faith, not just in God, but in my husband. I'm sure, to the world around us we may have looked a little crazy as we started out this latest venture. I found out when I delivered grapes to every neighbour on the street that they've all been watching. Every single neighbour commented on what they'd seen us start on. We are 100% being watched.
I have had to trust that my husband knows what he's doing and believe in him and his unique vision for our family and our future. I read a letter from a woman in a homeschooling magazine recently who sounded like she is married to a husband similar to mine. She wasn't complaining, but she was wondering how to support a husband who has lots of dreams, ideas, and plans and wasn't sure what to do when they didn't always work out like she had hoped. The letter she received in response was just great because it was written by a man who was also like my husband and her's. He said, "Have faith in your husband. Think of him as an inventor, failing 999 times in preparation for the great success he will eventually achieve." He then went on about all the crazy things he has done in his own life. He wrote, "I have tried many endeavors which proved to be great only in my imagination. We have been poor to the bone and down to our last potato many times because I was devoting our money and all my energies and time to a new idea that was 'wonderful'." But then he adds, "I had fun every step of the way. Failure didn't discourage me. Like Thomas Edison, I knew I had just discovered one more way that did not work. I had grown."
Fortunately he adds, "Eventually I had great successes..." There's hope! He said, "My wife had to endure criticism from family and well-meaning friends, but it just brought us closer together....We became a team, experiencing life together, having more fun than a whole playground full of kids!"
He quoted a verse from Eccesliastes 11:1 that says, "Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days." It seems to be speaking about what we do now will have a reward later...if we stick with it. This can be a spiritual principle as well as even a financial one, I think. This can apply to our work in training our children now as well as the work we're doing in the vineyard. And, of course, back to believing in my husband's vision - what seems a little nuts now, will eventually pay off.....if I stick with it and stick with him. The thing about his vision is that it wasn't a flippant decision. He had done years of research on vines and growing grapes. I had listened to him all those years never really thinking it would happen! But then it did! Here we are with 5 acres of grapes, planted, staked and taped, ready for the next step of trellising.
The irony is of all the weeks to be reading John 15, it was this week - when I had just finished the taping the last vine to the stake. "I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart form me you can do nothing."
Couldn't believe it. Verses like this now jump off the page as I regularly hold vines in my hand all the time. I can't look at them the same way anymore. We regularly take off branches and even some grapes to prep the vines for more fruit later. We actually make life harder on the vines to get the roots to grow deeper into the ground. How it parallels my life is incredible. Truly, apart from Christ I can do nothing. I long to bear much fruit, but cannot do it on my own.
But again, back to being a supportive wife - there is a chance we could lose this crop to some disease or bad weather or something unforeseen (hopefully not!). Will that mean it was all a waste? No, it has actually been the most amazing thing for my husband and me. We have been in the vineyard so much together, always working together, talking together, weeding together, staking or taping together....in addition to being alongside our kids, it has been the most amazing, dare I say, fun, thing we've done lately. Was it more fun than a whole playground full of kids? I'm not sure about that, but it was certainly so rewarding as we always compared our blisters on our hands, or we argued about who had sorer muscles or more dirt under their nails. It has been an adventure that we've shared together. I think our kids have noticed and observed and will one day reflect on how they saw us work as a team on this latest crazy thing we've done. I can agree with the letter the author wrote back when he said of his wife, "Now my wife shares my hair-brained ideas and we are a finely tuned team..." That would be me! I'm starting to share his "hair-brained ideas", too! I think I'm becoming as crazy as him! Ha!
In the end, of course I am hoping for the best. I truly hope my husband gets rewarded somehow for all that he has done and that by God's grace he will get back "his bread" that he "cast on the waters". It was a lot of emotional, physical and financial effort he has put into this vineyard. But, even in the event things go south and we end up "potato broke" as the author put it, it has been fun!
Monday 1 October 2018
"The Best Week Ever!" says me.
I was just reminded of how important reflection is. The Israelites constantly looked back and reflected on all that God did for them. Ann Voskamp puts it this way, "Remembering is an act of thanksgiving, a way of thanksgiving, this turn of the heart over time's shoulder to see all the long way His arms have carried....If I can thank God for the good of the past, I can trust Him for the good of the future, no matter what lies down that road. I can walk the planks - from known to unknown - and know He holds."
So I am reflecting on an awesome week. RM took the week off last week. We had so much we had to get done and really lofty goals. Here's just a few:
-weed, stake, tape, cultivate the entire vineyard (almost done)
-buy, set up, new bunk bed for boys (they've been bedless for a few months, sleeping on couches like homeless people) (done)
-pick concord grapes from the other vineyard and make juice (done and still doing)
-sell concord grapes on the side of the road (made good money from total strangers!)
-bring in all the hay from the last field (done in record time!)
-have all the homeschoolers over from our church (check, and so fun!)
-deliver grapes to all the neighbours (check!)
-have friends over to pick grapes for themselves (at least 7 different families!)
-host quiz practice (fit it in somehow!)
-ride horses with niece (she came and only one kid fell off!)
To my shock and awe, we were able to accomplish almost all of those goals - not your average vacation again. I don't even know how it all got done, but the weather cooperated, for the most part, and we didn't sit down for more than a few minutes at a time. My husband and I should be unable to walk for all the hours we were bent over. The vineyard didn't get entirely done, but we got a lot done. We hope to finish the rest by the end of next weekend. It is actually starting to look like a real vineyard! My kids admitted to us this week that they really didn't know what was going on or why we were doing it or if whatever we were doing would ever work, but now that the plants are quite high, staked and weeded, it looks amazing and they are starting to catch on to the crazy vision!
RM said to me, "This must have been your best week ever." It was. The reason he said that was because we had so many people over and I was constantly socializing. The side benefit of having people come pick grapes was always having people to talk to! I loved that!
The funny part about the selling grapes was that in all the advertising we did, no one came. The people who ended up coming were people out of the blue just driving around. The first time they came they told me that they were going to send others. They did send others and they also returned themselves. We sold them so many bushels of grapes that it paid for the juicer we had just invested in! I was so happy! They were such nice people and we got along so well that by the time they left we were hugging each other saying, "See you next year!" I laughed! Who hugs people that sell you grapes?! Who hugs people that buy your grapes!? I wondered if we were entertaining angels. I seriously started to wonder about that when my son took a gator ride with one of the grape pickers. She for some reason asked him what he wanted to do in his future. He mentioned aviation to her (we are praying about this all the time, for direction, for wisdom, for what school to apply to, etc.). She immediately said that she was a nurse who worked in the north and told him he needed to be a pilot of up there, which we've heard before. But it was a neat confirmation to him that he wasn't expecting. An angelic encounter? We wondered.
Not only did we make goals for the week, but additional bonuses happened along the way, such as hosting both sets of grandparents, picking grapes in the vines with both of them, showing them around the vineyard, spending time catching up. We picked so many grapes with my parents yesterday that we are now rather overrun with grapes. After they left last night, RM and I went back and pounded a few more stakes in or taped a few more vines. The whole time I was thinking to myself, "There's no way he'll want to make juice when we get inside. He'll be too tired. But if we don't then we'll be letting the grapes go bad and the fruit flies will be out of control....." iIt was the last thing on my list of "to dos" for the week. So I just resolved to let it go as I knew he was going to be in a lot of pain. But, to my surprise, he walked in just as it was getting dark and looked at the grapes and said, "Well, we've got a lot of work to do yet!" We were up until 11 pm making grape juice together. Such a fun activity to do as a couple! My son saw us and said, "I love it when you guys are so industrious!" That made me happy. You never really know what your kids are seeing or observing. But, I'm telling you, we felt industrious. We have over 5 gallons or 20 L, of juice made and we're not even half way through what we picked. And, there are lot of grapes left to pick.
I felt like God planned each day and packed each day with so many blessings, we truly lost count. If I had somehow tried to micromanage the week and coordinate each visit, or each hour, I don't think the best scheduler could have done it. Allowing God to work each day out and let Him be the head of my week made all the difference. I tried to have low expectations. I tried to not feel disappointed if we didn't get everything done. When the week was over and we not only got nearly everything done, but a few bonuses on the side, I was amazed. I remember reading a verse when I first was reawakened spiritually that spoke about the "abundant life" that Christ offered. "I came that they might have life, life to the full." I was told it wouldn't mean a perfect life, but an abundant one. Our week wasn't perfect, or stress-free. There was conflict with the kids here and there, bad attitudes from one day to the next (no one loves work), but it was abundant. It was truly life "to the full". Even the conflict makes it life to the full as you run around chasing kids, trying to get them to work outside or inside....it all makes life feel abundant. All the work, all the challenges, all the successes, all the not-so-successful moments, all the visits, all the conversations, all the grape stains....made for truly "the best week ever!"
Now, I'm overrun not just with grapes, fruit flies, stains (remember, white kitchen? not so white anymore), but laundry that piled up over the weekend. I had to let something go in order to be outside. But, it is raining today, so I have a chance to catch up. Oh, and that school thing. Have to do that, too, somehow.
Reflecting on this past week will help me with my future weeks. I can't believe it is October 1. Time is flying. The known is now behind me. The unknown is ahead. I can be like Ann and say, I "thank God for the good of the past. I can trust Him for the good of the future."
So I am reflecting on an awesome week. RM took the week off last week. We had so much we had to get done and really lofty goals. Here's just a few:
-weed, stake, tape, cultivate the entire vineyard (almost done)
-buy, set up, new bunk bed for boys (they've been bedless for a few months, sleeping on couches like homeless people) (done)
-pick concord grapes from the other vineyard and make juice (done and still doing)
-sell concord grapes on the side of the road (made good money from total strangers!)
-bring in all the hay from the last field (done in record time!)
-have all the homeschoolers over from our church (check, and so fun!)
-deliver grapes to all the neighbours (check!)
-have friends over to pick grapes for themselves (at least 7 different families!)
-host quiz practice (fit it in somehow!)
-ride horses with niece (she came and only one kid fell off!)
To my shock and awe, we were able to accomplish almost all of those goals - not your average vacation again. I don't even know how it all got done, but the weather cooperated, for the most part, and we didn't sit down for more than a few minutes at a time. My husband and I should be unable to walk for all the hours we were bent over. The vineyard didn't get entirely done, but we got a lot done. We hope to finish the rest by the end of next weekend. It is actually starting to look like a real vineyard! My kids admitted to us this week that they really didn't know what was going on or why we were doing it or if whatever we were doing would ever work, but now that the plants are quite high, staked and weeded, it looks amazing and they are starting to catch on to the crazy vision!
RM said to me, "This must have been your best week ever." It was. The reason he said that was because we had so many people over and I was constantly socializing. The side benefit of having people come pick grapes was always having people to talk to! I loved that!
The funny part about the selling grapes was that in all the advertising we did, no one came. The people who ended up coming were people out of the blue just driving around. The first time they came they told me that they were going to send others. They did send others and they also returned themselves. We sold them so many bushels of grapes that it paid for the juicer we had just invested in! I was so happy! They were such nice people and we got along so well that by the time they left we were hugging each other saying, "See you next year!" I laughed! Who hugs people that sell you grapes?! Who hugs people that buy your grapes!? I wondered if we were entertaining angels. I seriously started to wonder about that when my son took a gator ride with one of the grape pickers. She for some reason asked him what he wanted to do in his future. He mentioned aviation to her (we are praying about this all the time, for direction, for wisdom, for what school to apply to, etc.). She immediately said that she was a nurse who worked in the north and told him he needed to be a pilot of up there, which we've heard before. But it was a neat confirmation to him that he wasn't expecting. An angelic encounter? We wondered.
Not only did we make goals for the week, but additional bonuses happened along the way, such as hosting both sets of grandparents, picking grapes in the vines with both of them, showing them around the vineyard, spending time catching up. We picked so many grapes with my parents yesterday that we are now rather overrun with grapes. After they left last night, RM and I went back and pounded a few more stakes in or taped a few more vines. The whole time I was thinking to myself, "There's no way he'll want to make juice when we get inside. He'll be too tired. But if we don't then we'll be letting the grapes go bad and the fruit flies will be out of control....." iIt was the last thing on my list of "to dos" for the week. So I just resolved to let it go as I knew he was going to be in a lot of pain. But, to my surprise, he walked in just as it was getting dark and looked at the grapes and said, "Well, we've got a lot of work to do yet!" We were up until 11 pm making grape juice together. Such a fun activity to do as a couple! My son saw us and said, "I love it when you guys are so industrious!" That made me happy. You never really know what your kids are seeing or observing. But, I'm telling you, we felt industrious. We have over 5 gallons or 20 L, of juice made and we're not even half way through what we picked. And, there are lot of grapes left to pick.
I felt like God planned each day and packed each day with so many blessings, we truly lost count. If I had somehow tried to micromanage the week and coordinate each visit, or each hour, I don't think the best scheduler could have done it. Allowing God to work each day out and let Him be the head of my week made all the difference. I tried to have low expectations. I tried to not feel disappointed if we didn't get everything done. When the week was over and we not only got nearly everything done, but a few bonuses on the side, I was amazed. I remember reading a verse when I first was reawakened spiritually that spoke about the "abundant life" that Christ offered. "I came that they might have life, life to the full." I was told it wouldn't mean a perfect life, but an abundant one. Our week wasn't perfect, or stress-free. There was conflict with the kids here and there, bad attitudes from one day to the next (no one loves work), but it was abundant. It was truly life "to the full". Even the conflict makes it life to the full as you run around chasing kids, trying to get them to work outside or inside....it all makes life feel abundant. All the work, all the challenges, all the successes, all the not-so-successful moments, all the visits, all the conversations, all the grape stains....made for truly "the best week ever!"
Now, I'm overrun not just with grapes, fruit flies, stains (remember, white kitchen? not so white anymore), but laundry that piled up over the weekend. I had to let something go in order to be outside. But, it is raining today, so I have a chance to catch up. Oh, and that school thing. Have to do that, too, somehow.
Reflecting on this past week will help me with my future weeks. I can't believe it is October 1. Time is flying. The known is now behind me. The unknown is ahead. I can be like Ann and say, I "thank God for the good of the past. I can trust Him for the good of the future."
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