Tag: gardening

The Seeds You Plant Produce Beauty

Living on a farm means so much work in the spring. We have been prepping the ground, planting seeds and building new flower and herb beds. There are more eggs to gather and baby lambs are bouncing around. I have to keep reminding myself that the fruit of our labor will be beautiful and amazing. We will love having fresh food and flowers soon. The lambs are already double their birth weight.

When you are in the early stages of caregiving it may seem like you will never adjust to meet the new demands. In a way, you are prepping for the future. You are planting seeds of love and compassion. The season of laying the groundwork to be a successful caregiver may not be giving you images of beauty. You have to trust me they will come.

Others will watch you labor and be moved by the diligence and grace that they see in your life. God is transforming you during the process. He is giving you a greater capacity to love. He is giving you grace to make mistakes and learn from them.

God placed Adam and Eve in a gaarden where they did not have to pull weeds. We as humans now live in a fallen world. Diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Lewy Body are weeds that have invaded our garden. Some people can be like weeds with their opinions of you as a caregiver. The enemy planted them just like a parable from the bible.

Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.  But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.  When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.

 “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’

 ‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. Matthew 13

God did not send these diseases because of something we did wrong. You are not a bad caregiver. Others are not walking in your shoes so they have no true understanding of how difficult it is. We cannot just pluck any of these weeds from our life. We have to show mercy.

Keep praying. Keep showing compassion. Keep believing that God has equipped you to meet the challenges of caregiving. You will become a person of beauty that others notice. When they ask how you do what you do, share your true story. It may be what they need to hear to become a better person and caregiver.

Not everyone will respond well to your story. They may be angry and bitter as a caregiver. They may sting. Just be ready in case that happens.

I didn’t mention that we also keep bees on our farm. The honey is amazing. We wear protective gear and still get stung sometimes. When we remain calm, the bees calm down most of the time. Remain calm when an angry person stings.

Word for Today

James 1:2-4

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 

Song for Today

Prayer for Today

Dear God,

I truly want to be a beautiful caregiver that learns from mistakes, trust you for wisdom and allows you to trans form me into a peron that shines for your glory. Send people into my life that I can lean on when I need to.

Amen

You Are What You Eat

Has anyone noticed all the the information talking about how certain foods cause or protect you from dementia? I see new ones every day. My personal thoughts are that the chemicals used to grow or preserve our food is the real issue.

Of course I am curious as any person with a family member who had Alzheimer’s. I want to provide my body what it needs. In the past I was guilty of feeding my family processsed food due to the cost of fresh food. I did the best I could but growing your own food is not always easy. It is time consuming and you need good soil.

Just a few minutes ago I was in the pasture helping my husband move our sheep. Yesterday was my day to wash the pile of eggs in our basket. If you leave fresh eggs on the counter they remain fresh for quite a while. Once they are washed we refrigerate them. In the summer we barter or gift friends. When they are really plentiful we freeze dry for using them in the winter.

My pantry has fresh honey, jams, jellies, vegetable soup, pickled okra and relishes. The freezer has grass fed beef, locally sourced pork and vegetables. Our goal is to grow all we can. We use no chemicals or pesticides. Rabbit manure makes excellent fertilizer.

This year we used our beeswax to make lip balms, candles and hand cream. Avoiding chemicals and modified seeds and hybrid seeds is our ambition. We save seeds as well.

Yes, I ran down a rabbit trail with this post. It is very freeing to be able to eat healthier since moving to our farm. We bought this place from my husband’s parents and they built a smaller home next to us. This is not where I ever expected to be, but seeing they were aging and one was showing signs of cognitive decline is what brought us here.

It is a return to my roots. Memories of running my bare feet through fresh tilled soil, riding on the tractor with my grandfather, gathering eggs with my aunt and sitting under the shade tree while shelling peas flood my mind. I guess a t shirt with GRITS would sum it all up because I am a girl raised in the south. In this return, I am more conscious of how healthy living feels.

Nourishing our bodies with good food and watching chemicals in our lotions, shampoos, and other things applied to our skin may just keep our health as great as we can. I see this as a prevention program so my mind remains strong as long as possible.

While you may not be able to grow your own food, you can grow what you can and avoid processed foods when possible.

I urge you to grow your food!

  • patio
  • raised beds
  • community gardens

Seek good sources!

  • visit farms or farmers markets that are organic
  • join a co-op for farm shares
  • barter a service or skill with a local farmer
  • See if friends at your church have eggs or vegetables

I know it is not easy to plant, harvest, cook from scratch and then clean! Look at it as an investment for your body. I am truly blessed to be at a place in my life where farming is our lifestyle. Moving here to be a caregiver has become a huge blessing now that my caregiving season has ended. All of the hard work saves on gym fees!

It is difficult to find the time to grow your food. Consider the benefits of making this a time to get outdoors with the one you take care of. Invite friends to join you. Isolation may fade away when neighbors drop by to see what you are doing.

God placed Adam and Eve in a garden to begin with.

Word for Today

 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.  Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Luke 12:23-34

Song for Today

Prayer for Today

Dear Heavenly Father,

I think I understand how wonderful Adam and Eve’s lives could have been. We all struggle to pull weeds in our garden and in our lives. We have allowed both weeds to choke out your amazing goodness that awaits us. Give us the courage to pull the weeds that choke our hearts with fear, anxiety and hopelessness. Give us more faith to trust you and your plan for our lives.

Amen