"To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams." ... 1 Samuel 15:22
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One summer out at the farm, I grew seven varieties of tomatoes, making something like 25 plants intermingled in my huge garden.
I'm not even sure how that happened. Well, except that lots of tomato seedlings popped up from the previous year, not surprising because of how wild it got out there, what with the toppled-over, tomato-jungle-like place I'd let it become.
Harvest time was crazy-maddening that 7-variety year, but fun. Naomi, being more graceful than I, could step amongst all those plants, squishing far fewer tomatoes than I, so I'd send her out often with a big bowl.
Well.
This Spring, I didn't plant any tomato seeds and I've positively procrastinated driving over to Home Depot for a couple tomato plants (it's July for goodness' sake. They're probably long gone.). Yet, one lone tomato seedling came up on its own where I planted tomatoes last year so I carried it over to my 'farm garden bed' (as I call it, only a microscopic shadowed-size of the one out at the farm). It's grown a lot, but--for July--it's still Charlie-Brown-Christmas-tree puny.
What if only a couple tomatoes grow on it? That's fine with me, for hey--there's no law which says I must grow bowls full of tomatoes every single year. Some folks (bossy gardening zealots) believe there's a law, but nope, there is not.
What there is, is listening to Grace. What is she telling me this year? To grow tomatoes? Or to, instead, believe for the money to buy them at the store? To make my own salsa? Or to continue buying it (the kinds we love) so cheaply with sales + coupons?
Oh, to follow Grace! And to let other people follow her, also, rather than insisting, "What works for me, will work for everyone." For uh, no. What works for everyone is that they obey what God specifically asks them to do. And what will do us good is to remember that God's ways of provision are far more varied, creative and limitless than we could ever comprehend.
His ways! They're not ours, but oh, they could be. If only we'd listen.
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"But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men." ... Acts 5:29
And as with nearly all my posts--I'm not just talking about what it appears I'm talking about. You know, in this case, tomatoes. No, I always aim for something more, something to parallel what you are doing or thinking about. :)
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... still playing with the new kitchen window! I'm aiming to paint it on Wednesday. We'll see if that actually happens. :)
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Free Kindle books:
Seeing the Unseen
Love Has a Face
Couponing My Way to the Bank
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Naomi arrived home in Nashville safely--yay!
7 comments:
GOOD news that Naomi arrived home again!! Always a sigh of relief these days.
Well, tomatoes that are homegrown are very nice...but farmer's markets have some just as good too. I just have a few herbs and some scraggly garlic I rescued out in our teeny little area. Have eaten some of the basil in a one dish meal I make sometimes, and we enjoyed that. I hope to bring them inside over the winter...we shall see how that goes. I am not sure I have a green thumb...but one can try! It is good not to worry or stew over small things!!
Well, with Tom gone for awhile...that makes less food you need to have canned, or prepared too...as we age we need less too...so all of that changes what we need to do.
Blessings on your day,
Elizabeth in WA
You must be so happy! :-) Now you and Naomi can have a slumber party and relax and do girlie girlie things together. And catch up on your hugs!
Too many tomato plants equal a lot of thinking and doing to use them up! :-) I used to grow a ton. Canned so many. Now there are less at home and how many do we need! :) Just enough to eat, a few to cook up in things to eat later or can a little and some to give away. Enough is enough. One tomato or 3..enough is enough. With the volunteer tomato ..if you get even one..it was free! And brought a smile to your face when you found it! Free is free no matter 1 or 15. :) Sarah
Elizabeth--yes! Probably God is doing me a favor by simplifying things for me. I've got lots of other plants growing, tons of herbs, some lettuce and my strawberries will bear again in August. Really, it's all enough. :)
Sarah--oh! Yes, it would be fun to do those things with Naomi. You are sweet to think of them. But alas! She lives in Nashville now. (I'll add that to the bottom of my post. I know how hard it is to keep up with all my friends's grown kids!) :) And yes--enough is enough and free is wonderful!
Thanks Ladies... Debra
So glad Naomi made it home, safely. Love the shells on the windowsill. Joyce in TX.
Thank-you Joyce! I really like how they looked in that photo, too. But uh-oh! No matter what I put on that window sill, it always feels like overkill and tips the whole kitchen into clutter mode. sigh. So I moved the lady head vase back to the sill above the kitchen sink and placed the shells in the Fiestaware cups. For now, I'm happy with it. Thanks again! Blessings, Debra
Ooops! I know where Naomi lives... :-) I just took the returned home to be your home safe thought...even though I know it is NOT her home anymore! Senior moment? Maybe I need new glass? It says Nashville right there too !!! Well I am glad she returned home to HER home then! LOL LOL ..Next time she visits she can have the fun with you!! :-) LOL Sarah :)
Oh Sarah! You make me smile. And in your defense, I hadn't added 'to Nashville' when you first read my post. I added it only after I read your comment--I always want to make my posts as clear as possible and you helped me do that! Thanks again... Debra
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