Yesterday was an amazing day of commerce around here. We are about to start on another summer of hay, but it's hard to load the barn with hay if you still have hay from the year before that you haven't sold. My husband called our Florida connection and within minutes he said he'd be sending out a truck to our farm to pick up a load. This company takes hay to Florida for horses down there and then bring back tropical plants. Cool idea and we get to be one of the suppliers to the fancy horses down south. Normally that's no big deal, except when you don't have help! My oldest sons would all be there, but they'd be loading hay after a long day at work and school and they didn't know at the time they'd be up till 11 doing it! My younger sons both had near misses this week and nearly broke their wrists doing what boys do, bike tricks and monkey bars. I've thanked God so many times for protecting them. I joke with them all the time, "I won't drive you to the hospital if you break your wrist. I'll be too mad!" Yet, despite the sore wrist, the 8 year old threw down 300 bales on his own. We sent him in half way through so he wouldn't over do it, though it's hard to imagine him ever over doing it. That's what he lives for! He is so strong I can hardly believe it. Only one of my daughters was going to be around.....so, to my shock, I ended up being involved. I hadn't loaded a trailer before. It's quite something when a HUGE semi-trailer pulls up on your property. But I put on my big girl pants and decided I would do it. All I have to say is, I appreciate all the times I HAVEN'T done hay before. My body woke me up so many times last time because of the aching I had from lifting over 500 bales of hay. I'm impressed how my kids have done it all these years.....
Earlier on in the week we'd given my son the chance to make some money on the side. If he listed and sold our old dryer online, he could have the money. He ran and took pictures and listed it within minutes. It didn't sell right away, but yesterday, just before they hay load left, someone came and picked it up. $60 for him! He was pretty pleased!
Meanwhile the kitten was still listed as well. While we were loading the hay, someone came and picked up the kitten, too - more cash in hand for the kids! When I asked my 12 year old if he'd had a good day, he said, "Yes! We sold the dryer, the kitten and the hay, all in one day! It was a great day!" I loved how so many things came together on the same day.
Last night I was struck by the awesome view behind our barn. Back in the day when they first built houses and barns, it was all done in a way to make the most of the space and the ease of the farmer, I guess. Keep the barn close to the house? Not sure. I don't think they ever thought of the view. When I looked out over the pond from the back of the truck, I realized our house should be where the barn is and the barn should be where our house is! Our view is great now, but it would be spectacular if I could somehow switch spots. However, that is not the case, but I was still able to enjoy the view. And while I stood there, it helped put things into perspective again. My mind is often, sadly, consumed by what isn't finished in our home, what is broken, what needs fixing....Perhaps that is because it is around me all day long...the unfinished flooring, the peeling paint, the smelly basement.....but last night as I stood there with the kids all around me, cheering me on (old lady helping with hay....they loved that), and then I saw the view, and then I watched all the commerce going on around me, from the selling of hay, to dryers, to kittens, I was immediately reminded of all the blessings I have. It was amazing. I have my health, so do they. We have the land to produce the hay, the animals to produce the kittens (3 more pregnant ones coming up!), the new dryer in the house allowing us to sell the old one, an amazing family economy and the relationships that come with that, a husband who knows how to somehow coordinate all that we are doing.....I am so ashamed that I get so caught up in the things of this world when I really stop and think about how those things don't matter. Before we loaded the trailer, we went around discussing the verse, "Where your treasure lies, your heart will be also" and we discussed what we all thought our "treasure" was. I admitted it was my house. It's not that all my money goes there. No, I wish! It's that I wish all our money could go there! You know what your treasure is based on not just how much you spend on things, but on how much you think about things. If I had a "thought bank statement", it would be embarrassing to admit how many thoughts go towards my house and not because I walk around in pride, though I do love my house, no, it's more of a pathetic sadness (read: discontentment), wishing I had this done, wishing I had that done......yeah, my treasure is obvious. It was a good wake up call to be reminded of my true treasure - things with skin on, my husband, my kids, our relationships, the intangible blessings of hard work and also the tangible ones such as the money made yesterday. Wow - what a great day when I think about that.
I thank God for the hard work He's given us through the farm. It is teaching all of us so much. On Father's Day when we went around and prayed for RM, one of the kids prayed thanking God for RM and how he had a vision to get us here and how much they love living here. I am so grateful, too. I'm also so thankful for how God is allowing us to use the farm to not just teach us valuable lessons in diligence, etc., but in how He's allowing us to use the farm to literally provide for us. From the smallest cuddly kitten, to the grapes and hay, it is a real working farm and I can hardly believe it. I often think back ten years ago to what I was doing in June - uh, nothing? Ok, I was going on walks to the park and the library and visiting friends and going on playdates and cleaning my house and grocery shopping, but that was pretty much it. My younger kids are going to be having a very different experience than the older set. I am having a very different experience the second time around with these kids! I am a completely different person. I don't even know what has happened to the other mom I was. It's book worthy, I'm telling you. This morning my old house is exactly the same, but I hope I am not. I hope I can remember that view I saw last night and the feeling I had as I stood beside my kids taking in the eternal moment. It is very quiet in this house this morning. I don't think I'll see anyone for awhile. I'm grateful for that, too. They're sleeping because of the hard work they put in late into the night. Talk about being troopers. Shockingly, I'm not in too much pain this morning. Perhaps the pruning prepped me for the hay. Who needs a gym........
Wednesday, 19 June 2019
Tuesday, 18 June 2019
A Weekend in the Life......
Somehow over the weekend we managed to finish pruning the entire vineyard. What a task. I was so amazed at how the entire family stepped up. From the youngest to the oldest, we were all in there. As we all pruned alongside one another, I would say as often as I could, "Thank you so much for being out here!" One child said, "You know, I actually don't mind! It gives me purpose for living!" Hmmmmm....I loved that.
As I pictured what all their peers were probably doing all weekend, I felt so grateful knowing mine were alongside me. I tried to soak it all in. I will say, I have very funny kids. Most of the time they have me laughing my head off. That helped pass the time. We also managed to have really significant conversations as well with the older ones as we had many hours to pass. I managed to sneak in a few great lectures without them knowing.
But honestly, it was only accomplished because so many hands were on deck. The youngest, already 7 now, was helping in his own way, looking for toads and bugs, but he was beside me, so that made me happy. The next little guy, 8, I tried to keep interested as well with pulling weeds and cutting tape, but he knew that was "busy work" and got bored right away. So I thought, why not train him how to prune? So I did and to my amazement he got it right away and became quite good at it. That was when I was reminded that kids need meaningful work, not busy work, in order to feel like they are actually contributing to the family economy. Great lesson for me. Did he stick with it all weekend? No. I did catch him wandering off a lot, but again, at least he was outside.
At the same time I had my 10 year still running the house inside. She did such a great job. We managed to eat, keep the kitchen, and prune, all because of what she was doing. In all the farm chaos, RM's dad had knee replacement surgery and shortly after had a major stroke. Amazingly, he seems ok, though we all know anything can change at any moment. No one can ever plan for these things or ever say, "Now would be a good time to have a family emergency." So we had to just deal with it, fitting in visits, making arrangements for his mom. It was a challenge. Somehow we also had a Daddy birthday, Father's Day and even installed a new washing machine and dryer....all this weekend. Busy just doesn't seem to describe us right now. But it is very satisfying as we know there is a greater purpose and that keeps us going.
Church was great, too. The sermon was on the last chapter of 2 Timothy, finishing off a series. Though it seems like such an insignificant chapter as it is Paul saying hi and bye to all the people he worked with it turns out it is a very meaningful chapter. It was a great reminder that God brings people into our life that stick by us like glue and then there are others that hurt us very badly that, as in Paul's case, we warn others about. I was able to reflect on that as that has certainly been the case in my life. So many great people, in my life, in my kids' lives and then others that have been hurtful. Yet the pastor's message was EACH person is there for a reason. There have been people that have come into our lives that have caused hurt. I know God uses everything, but it still hurts. Seeing how Paul handled hurt was an amazing reminder on how to handle these hard situations. He says, in 4:14, "Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. Beware of him yourself for he strongly opposed our message. At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion's mouth."
The pattern is clear - Paul admits the harm against him, but let's God deal with that situation. He doesn't hold on to any bitterness or any sense of vengeance. It's God's deal. Then, though he was left alone and even felt deserted, he doesn't allow himself any bitterness there either as he says, "may it not be charged against them". I would have made charges! Wow! He doesn't let the faults of others stop him in his work. He looks to the Lord and to the Lord only for his strength, instead of depending on frail humans who undoubtedly will let us down. Then, despite the harm, the message of the gospel still got out and Paul, though attacked in some way, was "rescued". I went out in the vines later that day to finish up a row and as I was on my own reflecting on the sermon, multiple situations came into my mind and I found myself thanking God for what he has rescued us from and that I don't need to hold on to any feelings of bitterness. It was a great reminder to thank the Lord for standing by me, for strengthening me, for rescuing me and for allowing the gospel to go forward in spite of any hard times in my life or my family's life. God's Word is so great. The pastor couldn't have known when he planned his sermon that day that was exactly what I needed to hear. By preaching verse by verse and being faithful to his plan, he was covering all the themes we all needed to hear, me specifically.
One final great story....as my oldest boy is off to Angola this Fall, he's on a mission to make money, save money and raise money. To me it's an unusually high amount - perhaps because of the flights? I don't know, but he's a little overwhelmed at the moment. Earlier on in the week I had told the younger kids they could keep the "kitten" money for themselves this time (remember our kitten dynasty? Still going strong....). But then, we started reading a biography of the man who started the mission my son is going with SIM (originally Sudan Interior Mission). This man was 20 years old, one of 8 kids and felt compelled to go to the Sudan in the 1800s. He had no money and was very concerned about how he was going to raise it as well to go overseas. But things just started to come together for him as people started to give. I closed the book and I talked about how the similarities between my son and this man, Rowland Bingham, were incredible! Both were 20, from 8 kids, going overseas to Africa and needed money! Fast! My 12 year said, "Let's give the kitten money to him." My jaw dropped. My eyes filled up. "Great idea," I said. "Would you really be willing to do that?!" Yup, they were. When my son came home that night, my kids handed him his first $50 towards Africa. And another $50 the next day. They're planning on doing lemonade stands and selling things online, whatever it takes to help him. I love that power of Christian literature that moves people, like my kids, as the story is read. I think my older son was also very moved and now has hope that God is going to answer his prayers.
I have a "week off" now because my husband is spraying the vines so I can't really go near them. What am I going to do with myself??????
As I pictured what all their peers were probably doing all weekend, I felt so grateful knowing mine were alongside me. I tried to soak it all in. I will say, I have very funny kids. Most of the time they have me laughing my head off. That helped pass the time. We also managed to have really significant conversations as well with the older ones as we had many hours to pass. I managed to sneak in a few great lectures without them knowing.
But honestly, it was only accomplished because so many hands were on deck. The youngest, already 7 now, was helping in his own way, looking for toads and bugs, but he was beside me, so that made me happy. The next little guy, 8, I tried to keep interested as well with pulling weeds and cutting tape, but he knew that was "busy work" and got bored right away. So I thought, why not train him how to prune? So I did and to my amazement he got it right away and became quite good at it. That was when I was reminded that kids need meaningful work, not busy work, in order to feel like they are actually contributing to the family economy. Great lesson for me. Did he stick with it all weekend? No. I did catch him wandering off a lot, but again, at least he was outside.
At the same time I had my 10 year still running the house inside. She did such a great job. We managed to eat, keep the kitchen, and prune, all because of what she was doing. In all the farm chaos, RM's dad had knee replacement surgery and shortly after had a major stroke. Amazingly, he seems ok, though we all know anything can change at any moment. No one can ever plan for these things or ever say, "Now would be a good time to have a family emergency." So we had to just deal with it, fitting in visits, making arrangements for his mom. It was a challenge. Somehow we also had a Daddy birthday, Father's Day and even installed a new washing machine and dryer....all this weekend. Busy just doesn't seem to describe us right now. But it is very satisfying as we know there is a greater purpose and that keeps us going.
Church was great, too. The sermon was on the last chapter of 2 Timothy, finishing off a series. Though it seems like such an insignificant chapter as it is Paul saying hi and bye to all the people he worked with it turns out it is a very meaningful chapter. It was a great reminder that God brings people into our life that stick by us like glue and then there are others that hurt us very badly that, as in Paul's case, we warn others about. I was able to reflect on that as that has certainly been the case in my life. So many great people, in my life, in my kids' lives and then others that have been hurtful. Yet the pastor's message was EACH person is there for a reason. There have been people that have come into our lives that have caused hurt. I know God uses everything, but it still hurts. Seeing how Paul handled hurt was an amazing reminder on how to handle these hard situations. He says, in 4:14, "Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. Beware of him yourself for he strongly opposed our message. At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion's mouth."
The pattern is clear - Paul admits the harm against him, but let's God deal with that situation. He doesn't hold on to any bitterness or any sense of vengeance. It's God's deal. Then, though he was left alone and even felt deserted, he doesn't allow himself any bitterness there either as he says, "may it not be charged against them". I would have made charges! Wow! He doesn't let the faults of others stop him in his work. He looks to the Lord and to the Lord only for his strength, instead of depending on frail humans who undoubtedly will let us down. Then, despite the harm, the message of the gospel still got out and Paul, though attacked in some way, was "rescued". I went out in the vines later that day to finish up a row and as I was on my own reflecting on the sermon, multiple situations came into my mind and I found myself thanking God for what he has rescued us from and that I don't need to hold on to any feelings of bitterness. It was a great reminder to thank the Lord for standing by me, for strengthening me, for rescuing me and for allowing the gospel to go forward in spite of any hard times in my life or my family's life. God's Word is so great. The pastor couldn't have known when he planned his sermon that day that was exactly what I needed to hear. By preaching verse by verse and being faithful to his plan, he was covering all the themes we all needed to hear, me specifically.
One final great story....as my oldest boy is off to Angola this Fall, he's on a mission to make money, save money and raise money. To me it's an unusually high amount - perhaps because of the flights? I don't know, but he's a little overwhelmed at the moment. Earlier on in the week I had told the younger kids they could keep the "kitten" money for themselves this time (remember our kitten dynasty? Still going strong....). But then, we started reading a biography of the man who started the mission my son is going with SIM (originally Sudan Interior Mission). This man was 20 years old, one of 8 kids and felt compelled to go to the Sudan in the 1800s. He had no money and was very concerned about how he was going to raise it as well to go overseas. But things just started to come together for him as people started to give. I closed the book and I talked about how the similarities between my son and this man, Rowland Bingham, were incredible! Both were 20, from 8 kids, going overseas to Africa and needed money! Fast! My 12 year said, "Let's give the kitten money to him." My jaw dropped. My eyes filled up. "Great idea," I said. "Would you really be willing to do that?!" Yup, they were. When my son came home that night, my kids handed him his first $50 towards Africa. And another $50 the next day. They're planning on doing lemonade stands and selling things online, whatever it takes to help him. I love that power of Christian literature that moves people, like my kids, as the story is read. I think my older son was also very moved and now has hope that God is going to answer his prayers.
I have a "week off" now because my husband is spraying the vines so I can't really go near them. What am I going to do with myself??????
Tuesday, 11 June 2019
Officially Drowning in Vines....in a good way!
If we were ever wondering if we were drowning before, we're for sure drowning now. In vines. Lots of them. And weeds. Lots of them, too. And pressure to get it all done...."in a timely manner"....as our vine neighbour suggested to us last week. Yeah, we know. It's easy to say "get them done" when it's your full-time job, but when it's not your full-time job and you have 8 kids and you have 100 other things to do....it is no small task to "get them done in a timely manner".....I felt like suggesting to her that she come over and help us "get them done in a timely manner"!!!!
I told my mom this past weekend, we never, ever wake up and wonder what we should do. The question is what SHOULD we do and what will we NOT get done. Today I have a 100 loads of laundry that weren't done on the weekend as we had all of us out in the vines on the weekend. So that is probably where I will start...after I finish my coffee of course.
We are certainly packing things in these days. In my short-sightedness back in the winter, I booked our kids for a track meet on the weekend. What was I thinking? We had no time for that! But at the same time I knew the kids would love it, so I did it anyway. Most of the kids are fairly athletic. I have one that is Olympic-level in everything, so I pretty much booked it for him. No surprise. He won first in every single race by a long shot. It was the funniest thing to watch as he ran like Ussein Bolt. I'm sure he broke records that day. We will now have to work on keeping him humble.
Trying to keep things balanced during this very busy time is hard. Going to that track meet was a sacrifice. But the kids loved it, so it was worth it. We always figure God will keep the weeds back a day if He has to in order for us to go to those things. I met one other lady whose husband was a farmer. He wasn't at the track meet because he was bringing in hay. I immediately understood her unlike any other woman that day. She was on her own because she wanted her kids at the track meet. She knew her husband couldnt' be there because they are farmers. Farmers do not have regular lives. I am still just getting my head around the fact we are farmers. I am? When did that happen? I'm a farmer, too? Married to a farmer? What?! That is insane! I didn't know that! I do not remember signing up for this! But, the truth is, I love it. We all do. It's just different for us. And I'm still trying to live and plan and book things as if I'm not a farmer because for some reason I missed the memo on that one! I am a farmer! Who knew?! That is why I automatically signed us up for the track meet. All the other farmer's wives don't do that. They know they are too busy this time of year. I'm still figuring that out. So next year, I will be smarter and not book all the field trips for spring and summer and oh yeah, fall. Ha! The only time we can go on field trips is in the winter?! Guess so!
Yesterday it rained! Yay! We didn't have to go out and prune! Oh no. The weeds are growing. Rain is a mixed blessing. It means we get a small break, but it also means 10x the work later. So I think I'm making myself clear - this is a crazy time. How do we keep from being overwhelmed? One day at a time. One plant at a time. One weed at a time.
If you drove by our place you would only see weeds. It doesn't look like we're getting anything done. I don't like that perception, but I can't help it if we get misunderstood. I know we're out there working on it. I know it's getting done, albeit slowly. I wish I could put a sign at the end of our driveway that says, "We're working on it!" But I can't. So I take all thoughts of wrong perceptions and neighbourhood pressure and press on. I take each dirty sock and put them in the basket and then wash them when I can. I take each dish that seems to endlessly pile up and wash it one at a time. I am trying to live in the moment and not look ahead beyond today. The verse that is in my head is definitely, "Do not worry about tomorrow, for today has enough trouble of its own." I'll say! I have enough to deal with today! I cannot dare think about tomorrow!
Meanwhile my husband now has another job within a job. He was given a temporary assignment for a few months on top of his other work. This is a good thing as they are compensating him for it, but it adds to the other work he already has! Man. We have a lot going on. If I try to get into his head space it makes my head spin. But again, what keeps us going and sane is constantly talking. We are good at that. We talk all the time. I think that is what is the key to any success we experience and the key to both of us staying sane. By communicating constantly throughout the day, over coffee each morning, and then again at night....we keep each other calm by listening to each other's fears, concerns, feelings, worries about the kids, the vines, his job, the workloads we're both under, etc., etc., etc......that is why we aren't nuts! If I had to handle things all on my own or he had to handle things all on his own, we'd both lose our minds and that would be the end of it all. We are somehow managing the insanity simply because we talk. We both recognize how important this is and make it our number one priority.
The other major benefit of this new venture we've taken on is how it has really pushed everyone to make things run smoothly. Last summer I wasn't on top of things as I had no idea what I was doing, so when I went into the vines to weed last year I didn't assign anyone to take over the house. I was somehow trying to manage both outdoors and indoors. Our house was AWFUL last summer. Dishes and laundry everywhere. This summer I said to my kids, "If I'm in the vines, you're on kitchen and laundry". Deal. So this past weekend, my little ten year old took over. I was so impressed with how she handled things! At first she wasn't so happy about her new assignment, but now she's not only keeping things clean, but she's pumping out all sorts of things out of the kitchen for snacks! She keeps baking up a storm and having a ton of fun doing it! The older kids that weren't outside did the laundry and that kept me from feeling those insanely overwhelmed feelings. There's always more to do, so that's my deal now. Then we had quite a few of the kids outside with us in the vines. We're all learning so much about growing vines. It is an amazing experience all around even if we are all somewhat overwhelmed.
Today it is sunny....we've already been out in the vines.....Slowly but surely we're pruning one row at a time The rest of the day will be busy with all the regular stuff and then tonight, back at it. Yesterday as I was in the vines, I found myself praying. I found myself thinking of the image before my eyes. I was praying against all the weeds that can come into my own life, my kids' lives. I'll pray that God will continue to prune all of us through this experience that we will stay close to the main source of strength and that He will keep us connected to Him. I have so many things to pray for it helps pass the time easily. I thank God very much for this experience. I think being overwhelmed can be a good thing as we'll only survive because of God. We'll never be able to say, "It's because of us!" No. If we see success in any way, it'll be 100% because of God.
I told my mom this past weekend, we never, ever wake up and wonder what we should do. The question is what SHOULD we do and what will we NOT get done. Today I have a 100 loads of laundry that weren't done on the weekend as we had all of us out in the vines on the weekend. So that is probably where I will start...after I finish my coffee of course.
We are certainly packing things in these days. In my short-sightedness back in the winter, I booked our kids for a track meet on the weekend. What was I thinking? We had no time for that! But at the same time I knew the kids would love it, so I did it anyway. Most of the kids are fairly athletic. I have one that is Olympic-level in everything, so I pretty much booked it for him. No surprise. He won first in every single race by a long shot. It was the funniest thing to watch as he ran like Ussein Bolt. I'm sure he broke records that day. We will now have to work on keeping him humble.
Trying to keep things balanced during this very busy time is hard. Going to that track meet was a sacrifice. But the kids loved it, so it was worth it. We always figure God will keep the weeds back a day if He has to in order for us to go to those things. I met one other lady whose husband was a farmer. He wasn't at the track meet because he was bringing in hay. I immediately understood her unlike any other woman that day. She was on her own because she wanted her kids at the track meet. She knew her husband couldnt' be there because they are farmers. Farmers do not have regular lives. I am still just getting my head around the fact we are farmers. I am? When did that happen? I'm a farmer, too? Married to a farmer? What?! That is insane! I didn't know that! I do not remember signing up for this! But, the truth is, I love it. We all do. It's just different for us. And I'm still trying to live and plan and book things as if I'm not a farmer because for some reason I missed the memo on that one! I am a farmer! Who knew?! That is why I automatically signed us up for the track meet. All the other farmer's wives don't do that. They know they are too busy this time of year. I'm still figuring that out. So next year, I will be smarter and not book all the field trips for spring and summer and oh yeah, fall. Ha! The only time we can go on field trips is in the winter?! Guess so!
Yesterday it rained! Yay! We didn't have to go out and prune! Oh no. The weeds are growing. Rain is a mixed blessing. It means we get a small break, but it also means 10x the work later. So I think I'm making myself clear - this is a crazy time. How do we keep from being overwhelmed? One day at a time. One plant at a time. One weed at a time.
If you drove by our place you would only see weeds. It doesn't look like we're getting anything done. I don't like that perception, but I can't help it if we get misunderstood. I know we're out there working on it. I know it's getting done, albeit slowly. I wish I could put a sign at the end of our driveway that says, "We're working on it!" But I can't. So I take all thoughts of wrong perceptions and neighbourhood pressure and press on. I take each dirty sock and put them in the basket and then wash them when I can. I take each dish that seems to endlessly pile up and wash it one at a time. I am trying to live in the moment and not look ahead beyond today. The verse that is in my head is definitely, "Do not worry about tomorrow, for today has enough trouble of its own." I'll say! I have enough to deal with today! I cannot dare think about tomorrow!
Meanwhile my husband now has another job within a job. He was given a temporary assignment for a few months on top of his other work. This is a good thing as they are compensating him for it, but it adds to the other work he already has! Man. We have a lot going on. If I try to get into his head space it makes my head spin. But again, what keeps us going and sane is constantly talking. We are good at that. We talk all the time. I think that is what is the key to any success we experience and the key to both of us staying sane. By communicating constantly throughout the day, over coffee each morning, and then again at night....we keep each other calm by listening to each other's fears, concerns, feelings, worries about the kids, the vines, his job, the workloads we're both under, etc., etc., etc......that is why we aren't nuts! If I had to handle things all on my own or he had to handle things all on his own, we'd both lose our minds and that would be the end of it all. We are somehow managing the insanity simply because we talk. We both recognize how important this is and make it our number one priority.
The other major benefit of this new venture we've taken on is how it has really pushed everyone to make things run smoothly. Last summer I wasn't on top of things as I had no idea what I was doing, so when I went into the vines to weed last year I didn't assign anyone to take over the house. I was somehow trying to manage both outdoors and indoors. Our house was AWFUL last summer. Dishes and laundry everywhere. This summer I said to my kids, "If I'm in the vines, you're on kitchen and laundry". Deal. So this past weekend, my little ten year old took over. I was so impressed with how she handled things! At first she wasn't so happy about her new assignment, but now she's not only keeping things clean, but she's pumping out all sorts of things out of the kitchen for snacks! She keeps baking up a storm and having a ton of fun doing it! The older kids that weren't outside did the laundry and that kept me from feeling those insanely overwhelmed feelings. There's always more to do, so that's my deal now. Then we had quite a few of the kids outside with us in the vines. We're all learning so much about growing vines. It is an amazing experience all around even if we are all somewhat overwhelmed.
Today it is sunny....we've already been out in the vines.....Slowly but surely we're pruning one row at a time The rest of the day will be busy with all the regular stuff and then tonight, back at it. Yesterday as I was in the vines, I found myself praying. I found myself thinking of the image before my eyes. I was praying against all the weeds that can come into my own life, my kids' lives. I'll pray that God will continue to prune all of us through this experience that we will stay close to the main source of strength and that He will keep us connected to Him. I have so many things to pray for it helps pass the time easily. I thank God very much for this experience. I think being overwhelmed can be a good thing as we'll only survive because of God. We'll never be able to say, "It's because of us!" No. If we see success in any way, it'll be 100% because of God.
Monday, 3 June 2019
Back in the Vines.....Year 2
Felt a little bit like deja vu this morning......out in the vines, early in the morning, before work, with RM.....the pruning has started. What a task we have before us.
The past 5 days have seen the trellising go in. We ordered it by faith as we didn't see a lot of growth in the plants, but as each day passes, more buds show up on the plants, so we are hopeful we haven't lost as many plants as first thought to the cold winter and wet spring. It's actually quite exciting because now when we look out the window there is a real vineyard! It's so beautiful to look at and to think that it is our's is amazing! But, then, as soon as I get excited I get overwhelmed as there is so much to do and only a few of us to do it. However, just like last year, it will get done one plant at a time. This week the pruning, and then the weeding begins. Every minute counts, so the two of us went out this morning and tonight we'll train a few of the older kids so that more of us can go out this week.
These vines are sure keeping us on our knees as it was a risk financially, but so far so good. You can't help but draw on all the metaphors in the Bible about pruning as we prune the vines ourselves. The logic is to stress the plant so that is puts all it's energy into one or two buds, instead of all the extraneous ones. We take off all the unnecessary, but sometimes beautiful-looking leaves, in an attempt to have a stronger plant. We prune it back almost right down to the base of the plant which just seems so extreme, but then we see amazing growth almost right away. I'm supposed to be like that pruned plant. I know this, but I sure don't like it. I'm trying to see God's hand sooner and sooner. I'm trying to see God even in the emergencies of life. All the extra things in my life that I think I need that get taken away from me are all for my good and it is hopefully going to create great fruit in me perhaps not right away, but in the future.
Yesterday's sermon was about preaching the Word "with complete patience". What I liked most about that phrase was the idea that not just "patience" is required, but "complete patience" when it comes to sharing with others. I took the idea one step further and would suggest we need complete patience in all things where regular patience is all we want to try to exercise. We need complete patience in the outcome of the vines. We won't see any income for at least another year, maybe two. I need complete patience with my kids, definitely not regular patience! I need complete patience when it comes to trusting God for my future, my kids' future......Complete Patience is going to be my "go-to" expression this week, I can already tell.
It is now the first week of June and it feels so cold this morning, but I'm trusting it is eventually going to warm up. It won't be long before everyone is complaining about the heat!
The past 5 days have seen the trellising go in. We ordered it by faith as we didn't see a lot of growth in the plants, but as each day passes, more buds show up on the plants, so we are hopeful we haven't lost as many plants as first thought to the cold winter and wet spring. It's actually quite exciting because now when we look out the window there is a real vineyard! It's so beautiful to look at and to think that it is our's is amazing! But, then, as soon as I get excited I get overwhelmed as there is so much to do and only a few of us to do it. However, just like last year, it will get done one plant at a time. This week the pruning, and then the weeding begins. Every minute counts, so the two of us went out this morning and tonight we'll train a few of the older kids so that more of us can go out this week.
These vines are sure keeping us on our knees as it was a risk financially, but so far so good. You can't help but draw on all the metaphors in the Bible about pruning as we prune the vines ourselves. The logic is to stress the plant so that is puts all it's energy into one or two buds, instead of all the extraneous ones. We take off all the unnecessary, but sometimes beautiful-looking leaves, in an attempt to have a stronger plant. We prune it back almost right down to the base of the plant which just seems so extreme, but then we see amazing growth almost right away. I'm supposed to be like that pruned plant. I know this, but I sure don't like it. I'm trying to see God's hand sooner and sooner. I'm trying to see God even in the emergencies of life. All the extra things in my life that I think I need that get taken away from me are all for my good and it is hopefully going to create great fruit in me perhaps not right away, but in the future.
Yesterday's sermon was about preaching the Word "with complete patience". What I liked most about that phrase was the idea that not just "patience" is required, but "complete patience" when it comes to sharing with others. I took the idea one step further and would suggest we need complete patience in all things where regular patience is all we want to try to exercise. We need complete patience in the outcome of the vines. We won't see any income for at least another year, maybe two. I need complete patience with my kids, definitely not regular patience! I need complete patience when it comes to trusting God for my future, my kids' future......Complete Patience is going to be my "go-to" expression this week, I can already tell.
It is now the first week of June and it feels so cold this morning, but I'm trusting it is eventually going to warm up. It won't be long before everyone is complaining about the heat!
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