What If

We continue to praise God for the rain, the warm weather, health, strength, and everything else that goes into raising a good crop. We have hopes for a bountiful harvest, or whatever type of year the Lord wills it to be. We trust that no matter how this growing season plays out, He has our lives in the palm of His mighty hand.

This year in our garden, we are growing corn, sweet potatoes, carrots, cucumbers, watermelon, strawberries, 5 varieties of peppers, beans, 4 varieties of tomatoes, and squash in the small area we have left that hasn't been overtaken by our raspberries. Side note: if you wish to plant raspberries, DO NOT plant them in your garden! Plant them in an area of your yard where you can mow around them.

Anyway. Raspberries. My favorite fruit. They are plentiful...well, let's be honest...they're overwhelming me right now. I can spend an hour picking raspberries, then go out later to work in the rest of the garden and see another ripe raspberry out of the corner of my eye. No, I cannot leave the one ripe berry. I feel guilty if I waste it. So I go to pick it, and I find another...and another. Happened to me again today. There were so many, I went over to my neighbor's house and told her to help herself to picking some of my raspberries.

And then I was thinking. What if I was like that with people? What if I had eyes to see every person around me...and I did not want to leave one of them behind? What if I had compassion enough for the lost that I was so overwhelmed and had to recruit my neighbor to help with the harvest?

Matthew 9:36-38
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to the disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."

Proverbs 10:4-5
Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth. He who gathers in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.

Women and Food

Ryley is out working hard again today, hauling our bales of hay to storage.

On a day when many people are getting together with family and friends in the Midwest, likely at the lake enjoying the 90 degree weather, I find myself indoors and thinking about food. I don't know if it's just me, but a lot of the women I know tend to enjoy cooking or baking, and I think the gratification is to make others happy.

So far, my morning has consisted of breastfeeding the baby in between making batches of baby food. He, of course, is not old enough to appreciate anything I do for him, but somehow it still so fulfilling to make him content through food. So far, I have sweet potato, squash, and blueberry-based combinations in the freezer. Next up is green beans, prunes, carrots, and peaches.

Breastfeeding has probably been the most giving thing I've ever done for another human being. I plan to write about breastfeeding in another post, but if I think about it, it is a very common way to feed an infant that millions of women have experienced. I figure that breastfeeding has consumed between 4-6 hours daily of my life for the past 8 months. And if I'm at work, away from Sawyer, my schedule is planned around pumping milk for him. Women who breastfeed make such a loving sacrifice, but in my experience, it has been a time of bonding, joy, and fulfillment.

A lot of my life revolves around making food for others. A lot of other women around me would tell a similar story. I suppose the easy answer is that it's part of our nurturing nature. I just find it fascinating for some reason, to think about what women do for their families, and how God placed that desire to serve others in the hearts of His daughters.