I am always in awe of how God provides for us. We have always had the concord grapes at the bottom of our property and we've always enjoyed them. We've picked them and made juice and jelly, even wine one year, but we've never taken full advantage of them the way we did this year. That's where social media comes in....
I can't explain it really. Perhaps I was overwhelmed with all that was on my plate, but navigating social media just felt like it was one more thing to deal with, so I just didn't. I knew it would literally keep me from managing my home and taking care of the kids, so I chose to never use it...until this past summer. Because I had the garden and produce to sell, including eggs and chicken, I finally bit the bullet one day and opened a Facebook account. Then I was exposed to the world of Facebook marketplace. It wasn't a huge success to be honest. I sold a few eggs and a few harvest boxes, but it wasn't a crazy success. That was fine, I didn't want to be too overwhelmed. I sold enough to make a few dollars and to get my feet wet. But then I thought I would list the grapes as a u-pick venture and oh my goodness, I was busy. For a few weekends it was party central over here. I was amazed. People came with their young families, their senior parents, their carloads of grape pickers and they went nuts picking and picking and paying and paying. I just couldn't believe it.
I think I would have been even more successful if we hadn't had a mysterious amount of grapes go missing. We actually think we were robbed from people as we've seen people take our grapes before when they don't think we're looking. That was super disappointing, but God knows. It made me wonder why I hadn't taken advantage of social media before in that way, but again, I just wasn't in that space. It goes to show you that there can be a positive aspect to it when you use it for good. I also wonder why our eyes weren't opened to this strange source of income before....all those years when I could have been selling grapes....seems like such a waste, but again, I can't live in regret.
I, once again, thank God for the Covid crisis as that got us down in the grapes pruning and making the trees. If I hadn't pruned the entire vineyard, I'm quite certain the grapes wouldn't have been as amazing as they were this year. It's amazing to see how God was in each step even during the lockdown.
It makes me wonder what other strange sources of income are right under our noses. It has me praying about that all the time.
This year for our anniversary to commemorate the 25 years of our marriage, I bought a print I have wanted for years, probably 11 or 12 years now. I have always wanted to buy it for RM for either his birthday, father's day or another anniversary, but I've never planned it far enough in advance. I've never had enough foresight to get my act together. This year I actually thought about it in time to find it and even to get it framed. It is the painting of all paintings, by George Agnew called "Family Prayer". It shows a family on their knees crying out to God. You have no idea why they are praying, but you can tell their pleading with God for something. The mother has her hand over her face in what appears to be desperation, holding on to her child lovingly by her side as they kneel with her. The grandfather is also leaning on his cane with his face covered in reverent prayer. Two more kids, perhaps not as engaged in prayer, kneel at a bench. The father is at the center of it, looking to God through the window as the light shines on his face. It seems to be a picture of hope as he looks to God for his strength. The mother is turned away from the window...is she perhaps less hopeful, more discouraged? It's hard to say. All I know is that it epitomized our family so well I had to have it. We picked it up after getting it framed that first week of September and then it sat on the table in the family room for weeks. It was framed with barn board from our farm. The framer had attached the barn board to another picture frame to make it more sturdy, but that also made it very heavy. I typically hang anything on our wall with simply a nail or even a push pin. This was going to require a heavy duty anchor that I wasn't sure how to do. I was so afraid it would fall and break the frame. But I asked RM to do this during a time that was the busiest farming time. So it sat and sat and sat some more. I really was a very patient wife! I knew it would get hung eventually......
Yesterday we had the young adults from church over for a campfire and worship time. It was a quieter day as the wine making is in a sit and wait season and there wasn't much to do around the farm, so I asked if it could be hung before everyone came over and to my great joy it got hung! So here it is....I'm so thrilled. It is in the hallway that everyone walks by every day a hundred times a day. It's right at the height that everyone can see and literally stand and observe it as if it were in a museum. I love it sooooo much. More than anything it reminds me that life is hard and that there are other families besides our's, even in past generations, that have gone through struggles. It reminds me that the only source of strength is God and that it is so important to cry out to Him as a family. It reminds me, too, to stay on my knees, but perhaps to turn to the window and not stay in the shadow.
It was actually a really beautiful night yesterday when the young adults came over. Everyone is seeking fellowship during this coronavirus time, but knows they have to keep outside and social distanced, so properties where everyone can be outside are ideal. Last night was warmer still, but windy, so everyone stayed out side by the fire as long as possible, but then they all moved inside to the barn where it was more protected by the wind. It was such an amazing picture to me to see everyone on a hay bale or a chair, playing guitar and singing. It smelled a little chickeny, but mostly like hay! It just made me so happy to see the barn used in that way. And again, thanks to corona virus, we have to choose to be a little more creative in order to connect with others, but it works!
And finally....the painting...now hanging in the hall:
No comments:
Post a Comment