We have been canning for six weekends straight, dedicating most of our time to this task. Although it feels like we may never finish at times, we are grateful for the opportunity to preserve food for our family. It requires hard work, dedication, and perseverance, but the reward is priceless. Our children are learning the value of hard work, and we can see the benefits of their efforts. Spending a day cutting, peeling, and packing jars is worth it when we get to enjoy the canned pears that everyone loves. They also love having canned fruit all year long!
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!We have added another table into our kitchen area to help with the take over of all things canning. It was much needed after the counters became to overwhelming
Once we are finished for the year I will be happy to have my kitchen back to its normal state. look forward to having some free time to do things other than being in the kitchen all day canning.
I’ll Miss…
I will miss my kids eagerly asking to eat the fruit we are preparing, as they can’t seem to get enough. I will miss watching them play with friends while their mom helps with the preparations. The kids have enjoyed playing with friends, even when there are six kids taking over the living room at times. It was great to watch them create, build, and imagine together.
Most of all, I will miss having my husband’s assistance in the kitchen. It’s fun finding tasks that we both really enjoy learning about together.
Our lives are busy, with something always happening. Canning has provided us with the opportunity to spend quality time together as a team. Even after ten years together, we are still learning about each other (do you ever really stop learning?).
We are figuring out what systems for canning work best for us. It’s a process, but we are grateful for the chance to be together working on a project. I look forward to many years to come of us growing together in our love for preserving food. It’s been fun seeing what comes from the garden and our neighbors have also been sharing extra produce with us which is great. We have learned about new types of plants and tried different foods.
Faith
Do you find it hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel? Do you ever take on projects that make you feel overwhelmed? This is how my last week went. It felt as though another weekend was going to be spent doing nothing else but canning. During the week my mind was thinking about what still needed to be accomplished and what was next in our priority so we could make the most of all the fresh produce.
Sometimes we need to stop and take a step back and realize that it is all about perspective. What is your perspective on life? Are you a half full or half empty person? I try to maintain a positive thought process, but that is not always easy.
I find that with God’s love and guidance, things calm down and it becomes easier to look for the good in all things. God wants us to see the light at the end of the tunnel. It may only be a glimmer, but if we look for it, Jesus is the light. He can be our inner light in the world. He sees our hard work and encourages us to make the right choice even when it is difficult.
What do you do to help get through a hard time? How do you power through the hard work? Where do you look for guidance? I find that even though I know I should look to God and read His word it’s not always the easiest. I tend to want to talk out what is difficult, but not always look for biblical answers. Remember, you can always start a new; that is the beauty of being a Christian.
John 12:36 (NIV)
Believe in the light while you have the light, so that you may become children of light.” When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them.
2 Corinthians 4:6 (NIV)
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.