President Thomas S. Monson has said: “God left the world unfinished for man to work his skill upon. He left the electricity in the cloud, the oil in the earth. He left the rivers unbridged and the forests unfelled and the cities unbuilt. God gives to man the challenge of raw materials, not the ease of finished things. He leaves the pictures unpainted and the music unsung and the problems unsolved, that man might know the joys and glories of creation."... the exhilaration of being creative and the feeling of accomplishment that often accompany hard work bring happiness. (Happiness, Hanks, 2016)
These quotes were shared a few weeks ago by a return missionary. They were profound at the time but as the summer progresses and unfolds I'm struck at just how poignant they are on these new lives being lived in our home.
Beans are in season! I must say only strawberries rival the tedium of picking green beans. Each individual bean, at ground level, being picked in the heat of the summer it's a chore that usually conjures up groans and sympathy from others. It takes a lot of beans to feed our family for a year. But as I keep reminding our children- there are a lot of us, no one is working at this huge task alone. This is not too bad if we all pitch in! And green beans are our go-to vegetable.
And the best part of bean picking- why they love to sit on the piano I don't know- watching movies or in this case Andy Griffith DVD's while we snap and snap beans. Afton was way too much help transferring beans and ends from bowl to bowl or garbage. Each bean is precious if you have sweated for it and we guard them from mishandling as best we can. She was quicker and more persistent than we could be but she likes to help so we try to tolerate her helping hands.
The little girls managed about 1/4 of a bag each! I was happy they kept picking some here and some there. They were happy to eat the fresh green beans. My personal favorite part of picking the awesome goodness of the most fresh food. It is also good to listen to them tell stories and visit as we worked. They love to talk but I rarely have an hour to just listen. Probably the second best part of canning is the time just repeatedly doing the task. Lots of time to visit, sing, fight, think, listen to books etc. It's good to have busy hands but stationary or slow moving bodies.
Doing chores for a neighbor. The boys love livestock and gathering eggs is like a daily Easter egg hunt! They race to see who gets the most eggs. Then they quickly feed the ordered amounts to the chickens and cows.
A few weeks ago I woke up in a panic realizing back to school shopping was just around the corner and I have 7 children needing new clothes and shoes. That is a lot of bodies and more worrisome a lot of shoes. At least 4 of them are in adult sizes and there just aren't many under $20 deals for adults. With those worries fresh on my mind and prayers the month has unfolded many opportunities for earning money. Neighbors calling with chores to do, hay to be bucked and stacked, lawns to mow, and even some who wanted green beans for a family dinner.
Grandma Sue has repeatedly told the kids her goal for the summer is to teach them to be good employees. That is a HUGE gift. And these kiddos are learning those lessons. Be on time, do the job all the way till finished, be honest, work hard, be happy, don't give up. This farm has taught a lot of people to be good employees I'm thankful that my kids are also getting that lesson.
And the best part is as they have gone and worked for others or interacted with random people we are getting the comments: "You're kids don't fight. They are nice to each other. They didn't complain..." I can vouch otherwise, but I'm so thankful they are that way at least half of the time. They are getting the confidence of being capable, they are learning the importance of each sibling in accomplishing the task, and they are busy with bigger problems than petty fighting. Phew! Thank goodness God left so much work to do on this earth. He is good and in our work and toil is where we find some of our happiest memories.
Best to you today.
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