HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW?

 Cultivate a thankful spirit! It will be to thee a perpetual feast. There is, or ought to be, with us no such thing as small mercies; all are great, because the least are undeserved. Indeed a really thankful heart will extract motive for gratitude from everything, making the most even of scanty blessings.   ~ J. R. MacDuff

Although I don’t have a garden of my own and I am certainly not a farmer, I believe I know enough about the concept of cultivating to be confident in stating emphatically: cultivation requires work. A smattering of an occasional handful of seeds tossed onto the surface of untilled soil will not result in much of a crop no matter how well intentioned a momentary impulse to sow a good seed might be. I have several friends who have lush beautiful gardens, which is no easy feat in North Central Alberta. Through out the year I overhear their conversations as they speak of tilling, composting, seedlings and planting, weeding and harvesting. Every step along the way demands their complete attention and conscious involvement in order to see that harvest come in, whether that harvest is a bounty of fresh vegetables or a plethora of beautiful flowers and shrubs.

And so it is in developing a truly thankful heart. Good parents instill in their toddlers the importance of ‘please’ and ‘thank you’. As their preschoolers grow in their development, a thoughtful parent adds to this foundation by introducing the concept of thank-you pictures to send to gift-givers and graduates this education further to thank-you letters, meaningful phone calls or emails. This is an important first step in understanding the concept of gratitude but I believe a thankful heart goes beyond merely giving thanks for the gifts we receive.

Truly grateful hearts see reason to give thanks in all things and all seasons no matter how dark and dreary those seasons may be on the surface. A grateful heart can see with eyes of faith the goodness that surrounds them or that is yet to spring forth from the long dormant days of spiritual winter. Such grateful hearts belonged to the Ten Boom sisters, Corrie and Betsie. Because of their determination to protect innocent lives during World War 2, the middle-aged Christian sisters were thrown into an infamous concentration death camp. Conditions were deplorable, disease and vermin were rampant. Housed in the barracks that had the worst reputation of all; being invested with fleas; it was impossible to sleep in the cramped quarters and the prisoners lice-covered bodies were ridden with fleabites. When the sisters cried out to the Lord for grace to endure the hardships, the Lord reminded them to give thanks in ALL circumstances and they did so, in child-like obedience. It wasn’t until much later that Corrie came to the realize one of the reasons why she was able to share the gospel freely in her barrack and lead nightly bible studies without the interference of prison officials. The very fleas that plagued them kept their enemies at bay …the guards refused to enter their hut unless ordered to do so, in fear of being infested themselves.

Corrie and Betsie would not have been able to bring good out of so much evil around them if they had not been able to give thanks out of hearts filled with faithful and faith-filled gratitude to their Loving Heavenly Father.

 My prayer is that I will cultivate such a garden of praise and thankfulness
       myself so I can partake daily of this perpetual feast of gratitude.  ~ Katherine Walden

Strength, rest, guidance, grace, help, sympathy, love – all from God to us!!  What a list of blessings!  ~ E. Stenbock

Thank you all for your prayers, and sweet comments!  Schedules changed, and my in-laws moved a day early!  My DH, who was there most of the day with them, called and said that it went very well … Mom has already met some of the ladies who are in the ‘Red Hat Society’, and she’ll be joining that group … I want to buy her a red hat!  She is such a ‘hat lady’, and loves to have tea, so I know she will love that … she will be just fine … hmmm, I wonder if they have a men’s ‘Top Hat Society’ for Dad to join!! :o)  After being there with them today, Lewis thinks they’ll adjust quite nicely!  They stayed the night at my sister in law’s house … she  lives just minutes from where they’ll be living.  They’ll spend the day there today, hanging pictures, making it comfortable, then be ready for their first night in their new home!  I can’t wait to go to visit!  I’m thankful that things went well … and thankful for all of you! 

Have an awesome day, and be blessed on this ‘Thankful Thursday’! 

 Hugs,
         ~ Deborah <><

I wanted to share a photo of my in-laws … O.P. & Betty! 
Now, tell me, doesn’t she look good in red?!!


Oh, and, if you haven’t already … be sure to check out all the great
photos at Betsafly Gallery!