It is Friday evening November 21. The leaves are gone from the trees and raked from the yard. Only the brussel sprouts are left in the garden and they are at their best. I've started making fires in the shop for Merlin and Rollo. Merlin is now more eager to get into the shop than out as he likes the warmth. I put a rug on top of Rollo's crate. Merlin hops up there and sleeps contentedly. Papa brought 2 loads of wood from the pile by the barn and we stacked it in the shop all ready for cold nights. The stone oven did good service this morning and we have two fresh loaves of wood-fired oven baked bread sitting on the counter. It has a nice thick crust when baked at 600 degrees fahrenheit. Mom is sleeping curled up on the couch under John's alpaca blanket. Rollo had a bath today and for a special is in the entry lying asleep on a bath towel.All of our 5 gallon buckets are full of oats, wheat (red and white), barley, rye, sesame seeds, beans (red kidney and pinto), lentils (persian and red), split peas, rice (jasmine and basmati brown), chick peas, dry soybeans, shredded coconut, raisins and currents, and date pieces. We have about 250 quarts of apple-raspberry and apple blueberry sauce in stacked in various places around the house. A delicious lasagne with pimento stuffed olives, dried tomatos, garlic and basil sits in the kitchen awaiting tomorrow's fellowship dinner.
I've just lit the fire in the soapstone fireplace and am getting ready to do a little reading. but what I'm really thankful for is that we could lose all these things, be out in the cold with no home and no place to go and still have riches untouchable by any earthly event. As Paul wrote from the prison in Rome, "But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus." So by faith no matter where we are no matter what our situation we can be in heavenly places with Jesus. Now that is something worth giving thanks about.
