Here’s a simple way to help those less fortunate. Jamestown Presbyterian Church’s youth group is planning a mission trip to Fairbanks, Alaska this July. They are hosting several fundraising dinners, including a pancake breakfast (buttermilk and buckwheat) on Saturday, January 13, from 7 a.m. to noon, and a creamed turkey and biscuit dinner on Saturday, January 20, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. I hope you can come out and support this mission fundraiser.
Snow is falling steadily as I write. I awoke earlier than usual this morning, around 5:30. I saw two deer eating leaves off my rhododendron bushes. I’m glad God gave them instinct so they know what to eat during winter. I felt sorry for them, but I’ve read that feeding deer corn isn’t a good idea, because it messes with their digestive tract.
Seeing those deer made me thankful I have food in my house and don’t need to forage. Our ancestors had to work to exhaustion to store up food for winter. I can drive ten minutes to ALDI and Walmart to replenish my refrigerator and cupboards.
Have you ever heard the expression “First world problems?” Here’s an example. You’re looking for leftovers to heat up for lunch and you find a bag of fresh spinach jammed against the back of your fridge. The leaves are wet and black on the edges. It’s started to spoil. You feel compelled to either eat as much of it as you can salvage, or pitch it. The guilt of wasting food and money washes over you. This is a first world problem. You have so much food you lose track of it and it goes to waste.
I think I ought to take a moment to think how blessed I am to be able to eat fresh spinach in January. Greens are only available at Amish stands in July and August in the Atlantic community. Thanks to California farmers and tractor trailer drivers I can eat a fresh spinach salad as I watch the snow fly.
I don’t know if the deer I saw this morning were content to stand in the snow and munch on frozen rhododendron leaves, but they had something to eat. I’m sure they were grateful for that.
Maybe God woke me up early so I could learn a lesson from those deer. Appreciating what I have goes a long way toward feeling content. Spending a few hours with an infant reminds me that contentment doesn’t come naturally to people. We have to learn to be happy with what we have. Hmm. Maybe I should make this a goal. I can’t make it a New Year’s resolution, because I feel sure it’ll take years for me to learn to be content. But I can ask God to help me remain conscious of His blessings and see how my attitude changes.
Have a wonderful week. Blessings!