Compassion​’s Hope

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“Compassion, Mercy, Grace, what we want to see on our LORD’s face. As we go through each day He gives, may we rejoice that our Savior lives!

Challenges each and all much face. Some we choose, others we must embrace. leisure, and school, let us remember the gift of the Christ child’s tools.

Love, peace, hope, Light shines clearly in the dark. The world ablaze with insanities gaze, yet the Lamb of God, the perfect sacrifice came to live and die, and rise again to pay our sins price.

Redeemed we are by the Morning Star. King of kings and LORD of Lords, Wise counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting One, Redeemer, Friend, Coming King for the Eternal World that had no end.

New days await and challenges we face. May we be strong in the Holy Spirits strength. Forgive each trespass, our own and others too. Grant us strength to trust and follow You.

Though days seem dark and the signs unclear , help us to read Your Word for Your help is near. Help us trust You and not give into fear.

Bless our days and our nights. Guide our steps with Your pure light. Grant us courage as we win the fight. For it is not by power nor by might. But only by Your Spirit will we win the fight. “

I wrote this poem on December 7th, 2014. December 7th, the “Day of Infamy” when Pearl Harbor was bombed by the Japanese and everything changed in America. Gardens, called “Victory Gardens”  were encouraged then as all our country’s efforts turned toward defending us from a common enemy. Families, neighbors and communities banded together to do what needed to be done. People shared seeds and plants, traded, collected recycle materials, learned to sew, darn socks and patched jeans, canned and dried foods, kept chickens and gathered eggs, milked goats, raised a pig, and other skills to help each other and our country make it through that challenge that suddenly affected everyone. I think it is time to re-learn and re-share these skills. Most people can Facetime with friends and family. I think this is good time to call mature friends who lived during the Great Depression and WWII. Ask them for stories and how they did things.

I was thinking this morning about ways I could get seeds if by chance I can’t get to the store. Currently, I get a weekly box of organic produce from Klesick’s Farm https://klesicks.com/tag/a-box-of-good-food in Stanwood, Washington. Actually, I get two boxes because I believe that the first line of offense in being and staying healthy is to consume healthy food and make healthy lifestyle choices.

One of my boxes is celery, carrots, cucumbers, lemons and garlic that I use to make juices that I add buffered vitamin C powder, a packet of Plexus Slim from http://mysite.pleasusworldwide.com/fiddlefamilyfarm and some collegen powder. The second box is a surprise of salad and other vegetables that I can use to add good nutrition to my family’s food plan. It changes every week. It is almost like Christmas everyweek! Sometimes there may be root vegetables that go well in a soup or stew. We cut up the celery, carrots and cucumbers and put them in containers so we have quick snacks available. We make soups and stews out of beans we have soaked and pressure cooked and add whatever vegetables that go along with it. A short cut is to add some cooked ground beef into the mix of beans and vegetables with a box of tomato and red pepper soups. Another short cut is to add some chopped cooked chicken with some chicken broth with the vegetables and beans.

I have purchased seeds from Baker Seeds and had good yield with them. https://www.rareseeds.com They have a good understanding of what part of the country and the timing for planting. I also like flowers and enjoy ordering a “surprise mix” of Dahlias from Pearson’s Foothills Farms, in Sandy, Oregon.

While I do have seeds saved from other years of growing pumpkins, squash and other flowers, it occured to me today that I can save seeds from my cucumbers, peppers and squashes. It is too cold to plant outside right now but I can start them instide. The tops of the carrots and the roots of the green onions also can be planted. A principle I live by is “what can we do with what we have?” This is a good time to do an inventory of what you have. It is a good time to identify the strengths of each member of your family and your neighbors and community. Even children have good ideas and skills to add. Really all of us only have “one day at a time”. Enjoy some sunshine too!

What are you doing to prepare for your garden?