Monthly Archives: September 2021

The Best of the Harvest Season!

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Welcome back to another week of mittonmusings! It was a lovely fall day, today, and I reflected as I walked the puppy in the sunshine. I also bought a couple of pots of beautiful fall mums for my front porch. * Sigh* Tis the season of sweaters, pumpkins and corn husks! In Canada, the seasonal change of autumn marks another opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors… the leaves begin to change colours and the crisp air reminds us it’s time to prepare for winter.

It sparked a little debate recently – this idea of “the fall season” – and all it’s goodies. What would you say is the true fall taste or flavour? Are you a die hard pumpkin spice latte fan? Or is apple fritter and warm cider your go-to? A few years ago there was pumpkin spice everything!! Maybe apples are passé and only come around in September when it is back to school and all that.

What gets you excited about in autumn?? Photo by Alex Geerts on Unsplash

Either way, Covid has put a damper in all the farm visits and pick your own adventures. No fall fairs happening… at least not the traditional ones. I don’t know about you, but drive by visits simply can not be the same as getting down and dirty with some farm critters… am I right? No cider samples. No corn on a stick. No candy apples and fritters. Hmmmn. Smell all the smells. Taste all the tastes. Hug some chickens.

The Harvest Season has always been a time of rejoicing — even in Bible times. Jews celebrated the grain harvest and the Feast of the Tabernacles with abundant joy and thanksgiving for all God’s good gifts. He has provided, not only from the Earth, but through His teachings and blessings. It was a time to gather with friends, family and yes, even foreigners, to celebrate and share the blessings… both physical and spiritual. Covid restrictions aside. Here’s to hugs and good food!

Interestingly, the Spring Harvest was the Israelite’s more “important” time in terms of crop gathering. The major crops of the land in that day (and maybe even now?) were wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives and honey. Wheat and barley were the staple of the people in those days and constituted over fifty percent of the average person’s total caloric intake, followed by legumes (e.g. lentils), olive oil, and fruit, especially dried figs (Judaism: Practice and Belief, 63 BCE-66 CE, 1992, page 129). Grain harvest was in the spring, so technically, it was more vital to their survival than the fall Harvest. I think Canada only gets rain and worms in spring. Still, the fall festivals were the ones to enjoy! Be merry, the Bible tells us!

Photo by Maksim Chernishev on Unsplash

And yet, no matter when the crops are ready, the point of the celebration is the same. The Bible describes our heavenly father as the “Lord of the Harvest” (Matthew 9:38). You see, the blessings and provisions we enjoy don’t actually belong to us… they belong to the “Lord of the Harvest”. And His message is twofold: we are blessed, and we are blessed to bless others. Many of you will remember our “30 Days of Blessing” Challenge… we designed it to remind us of exactly that fact. It was a practical way to share a little kindness each day… not only to ourselves but to those around us.

And so, my friends, as you drive thru and savour your next pumpkin spice latte, or devour your next apple fritter, remember that God’s beauty is not only in the falling leaves, but in the choices we make each day. The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. It’s difficult for me to see the needs of others easily. Some of you are truly gifted in this way and are constantly doing good works. I need reminders. Maybe that’s why God made so many markers out there: fall colours, sweet smells, delicious tastes, cool breezes. Maybe that was His was of saying, Look! I am the Lord of the Harvest, and I’ve made all this for you!

Be blessed, friends! Happy Fall!

The Waiting Game

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Have you ever had to wait for something? Perhaps you’ve been waiting a little longer these past few years – wow – years of the global pandemic. Things have been at a standstill and we are “waiting” for things to grow, change, move forward… Everything seems to take longer. We voted today in Canada, and we were told the process would take longer as everyone kept their social distance, and polling stations were shuffled in order to control crowd sizes. Our little crew moved along quite quickly and we didn’t have too much trouble. But you get it, right? Line ups, cues, and the like, are a lesson in patience.

And then there is the unknown. Waiting for decisions to be made. Waiting for lab reports to run. Waiting for news to arrive. What will be the answer? How will that outcome change me? Will I be part of the change or simply part of the wait? Any expectant mama knows all about this waiting game. As the little one grows, we become totally attached… emotionally, physically and mentally. And then when the waiting is over… well that baby rocks your whole world. But first, you have to wait.

I’ve been waiting for something for a little while now. I know the timing is not right, but I’m still eagerly awaiting. I anticipate and plan and “prepare”… but I’m still stuck in the waiting stages. And to be honest, I hate it. I’m not one for quick decisions, but I do like to see progress once a decision is made. I like to see that there is some movement forward. I’d even take movement backward, as long as there is movement. I don’t like the “stuck” in the proverbial purgatory of neither here nor there. Perhaps I’m not a very patient person. I have some flaws… patience is a virtue. We’ve written about this before. It’s still a hang up of mine. If you care to find out the sweet truth about patience being a virtue, you can read about it here. Moving on…

Each one of us must be patient at some point. It’s just the way life is. We learn the coping skills at a very young age. Breathe, cry, scream, yell, throw things… fester and mumble and complain… leave guilt ridden hints about how slow other people are… I guess your reactions depend on the thing you are being patient about. I was going to say you “mature” in your waiting game… but realistically there are plenty of grown adults who behave a lot like impatient toddlers. Cue drama. Two years old, or twenty two… same drama. Or is it? I know some very patient people. Those even keeled, totally “zen” folks who rarely get their feathers ruffled by having to wait. Is it a skill? Is it the way we are wired? Lemme know if you have an answer to this one, because I struggle with the “wait”.

Our pastor touched on this waiting game on Sunday’s study of Acts 1. Jesus told the disciples to “wait” for the gift I am sending you (i.e. the Holy Spirit, see Acts 1:4). Perhaps many of the disciples were like me… and not so good at the waiting game. They had seen some radical things happen in the short period before these words, and I am sure they were “chomping at the bit” to see the early church’s movement gain momentum. But Jesus told them to wait. If they had chosen not to wait, then what power would they receive at the day of Pentecost? One definition of waiting I found was this:

noun: “the action of staying where one is or delaying action until a particular time or until something else happens”

I like it because it indicates steps. I like steps. Wait until this, or this…then this. This helps me get through my waiting. I can do this and this until this. Then wait. Until this….

The waiting game is not an easy game to master. It’s a learned skill. It takes some guts. It takes self control and patience. For many of us, waiting is a struggle. They say good things come to those who wait. This was certainly the case in Acts 1. I’m hoping it will be for me at the end of my waiting game… and I trust that God gives you the patience to wait as well. Until next week, my friends! I’ll be waiting!!

How I Find Blogging Inspiration

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Welcome back to another week. I’m both totally unprepared for this post and totally inspired at the same time. Usually, I have some initial thought or inspiration or “word” that comes to me before a blog post — and then I just sit down and write all about how the muse plays out. Lately, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to come up with inspiration… not that there isn’t stuff happening all the time in this crazy house, in this crazy world around me, or in my convoluted brain for that matter… it’s just… is it worth sharing?

Photo by Suzy Hazelwood on Pexels.com

The family and I had a few days off last week to spend together and just “chill”. No posting last time, so surely I should have something to write about this week! The whole crew was together and we went away with no great plans but eat, sleep and hang out. A “rest” before the start of another school year and life moving into some sort of predictable rhythm again. I thought maybe I’d write about that… rest, being still before God, drawing peace from His presence. And yet, it’s not the direction I feel He wants me to go this week.

So I went looking for some “inspiration”. Maybe a poem on peace; a hymn. I’ve filled up some posts with such things before… did you know the internet has plenty of poems for peace? Mainly to fill the back of funeral bulletins. Again, not exactly the direction I wanted this week to go… I did find an interesting poem written by a fellow blogger. Unfortunately, her thoughts about “spirituality” vary slightly (okay vastly) from mine so I am choosing not to post the actual poem here, for fear of confusion. The world wide web can be a dangerous place to randomly “search”. Superficially, all may look well – wise even – but a little digging often reveals hidden woes. Social media is the same. Don’t believe everything you read, people! Do your homework!

Anyway, despite the shortcomings of said blogger, her poem gave me some food for thought. It was written from Jesus’ perspective in the time just before His death as He prayed and spent time alone with God in the garden of Gethsemane. Do you think Jesus really contemplated His death? Or was His mission so ingrained in His psyche that although He questions “not my will but Yours…” the plan was already set? Too deep to think about? Not worth thinking about? All we need to know is that Jesus died and that He died for us, right? But — What would be the outcome if He didn’t choose to go with the plan?

Richard Drew, the photographer behind “The Falling Man” credit: CBS news

This past weekend marked the 20th anniversary of 9/11 and the twin tower collapse that rocked the USA. I watched a haunting video of images and stories of people who chose to jump from the heights of the buildings to their deaths. A photographer who had his blurred image of “a falling man” cut from the papers. Too graphic. No one would choose a sure death when a chance at survival was possible, would they? Or would you choose a “peaceful” alternative to being trapped in a burning building with no escape? I have no words for the choices those individuals had to make on that day. I have no words for a Saviour who chose to die for none of His own wrongdoings. Who chose to die for the sins of mankind even with the ability to back out and escape. What would the papers print about Jesus of Nazareth on the day of His death? Would the images be too graphic to even think about? Or bring a haunting “peace” to the hearts of mankind?

I often pose questions here on mittonmusings; questions without answers. Often my thoughts (and emotions) fill up a page without ever reaching a sound conclusion. So, if you are looking for answers, you’ve come to the wrong blog. But if you’re willing to open up your thoughts now and again and ride the adventure with us, then we welcome you to our little piece of the internet. Please “like and subscribe” as they say — and share. If I’ve made you think, then make others think too. I welcome your feedback and look forward to sharing the journey with you. Until next week, my friends.