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a lesson from the green bean plants....


well, this morning i was pretty excited to get out in our garden and start picking my green beans! i love green beans and pick mine young so i can freeze them for the year. they always taste so yummy. last year we had this crazy crop of beans. i mean seriously, i'd never seen so many beans on one plant!

so this morning, the kids chore was to pick beans and we all headed out early. son started on the peas (he loves to shell them too and has just spent the last hour doing just that without one complaint!) and princess and i started in with our bags on the 4 rows of green beans. i was sure our crop would be more "normal" this summer, but oh no....again, this bizarre bumper crop!

so here are my lessons:

...just put your hiney in the dirt and scoot your way through the plants.

...leave the shoes on the side of the garden

...enjoy the dirt that covers you head to toe when you decide sitting in the dirt is easier on your neck and back than the forever squat position

...you are never too old to sing bingo 3 times

...no matter how many times you sing it, the cheese always stands alone

...if my kids screamed like that baby hawk i'd avoid calling back to them too

...we all look like floating heads hiding in the rows

...we all share the bond of dirt and beans

but i will say while i was out there convincing my daughter to stay diligent to the task and keep on picking, for 2 hours, i chuckled as i would have given anything to have been done too. God gently brought to mind a verse i memorized years ago when heading to spend my summer camping through europe:

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. phil. 4:12

you see, often we think about this verse as learning to be content when he have need but do we get what it means to be be content when we have plenty? for me, it meant enjoying each and every bean i picked and thanking God for an abundant crop to provide for my family all year long. while i stuff the 4 bags of beans in my fridge and anticipate the hours of cleaning and sorting and snapping and blanching and bagging and clean up - i can thank God and be content. hmm...so the whole content thing must mean no grumbling about the back i'm currently icing, the dizzyness overtaking my body, or dreading the time spent preparing! and i can honestly say, i am content and thankful for my plenty this morning!!!

269. sweet chatter with my kids

270. an abundant crop

271. the childhood memories of my mom's garden

272. singing with my kids

273. the heron that glided over our heads

274. the son who stops to notice that heron

275. the coolness of a summer morning

276. dirt between my toes

as a side note....when we were done, princess headed upstairs and packed up her clothes and toys that she doesn't want anymore to give away during love week...maybe she is getting the whole contentment thing too:)





Comments

Hope E said…
Hey mrs. Garner we have gotten quite a few grean Beans too. It's amazing that God knew what Grean Beans where going to taste, feel and smell like. :)

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