Glimpses in June

Although the weather, cool and cloudy, would indicate otherwise this week, summer is in full swing here on the Rez.  Our garden is starting to take off, for which I can take very little credit; Jesse planted it all when I was on bed rest.  The squash (or melon?) pictured above is a mystery plant that grew on its own and since it came up where the other squash is planted, I am letting it grow.  I haven't even researched what I think it might be (so if you can tell right away, would you let me know in the comments?). We will probably have a huge tomato crop this year so I will try my hand at canning them if I have time later this summer.  I would like to work on learning to preserve more of the beautiful harvest all around us! We also did potatoes for the first time this year and they seem to be doing well and our raspberries are looking lovely!  Those are things I am most interested in - it's hard to get too jazzed about carrots that can't be harvested for a while, and our peas never got trellised and are looking... sad. 

The view of the hills and the hops field is from my bed room window; isn't it lovely?

Summers here are a crazy time for the Sacred Road staff, but quiet and steady here at home for the most part.  Jesse is gone a lot to work alongside the teams from all over the US who come for a week at a time to do work projects and do Kids Clubs in the housing projects.  It's an exciting time of ministry and God is really doing huge things in the community all around us!  But it does mean several times a week he is gone from breakfast until bedtime or after.  So, by quiet, I mean that I am here caring for the children alone most of the time, especially on "team weeks" -which is a big  huge task with three girls under the age of four.  I have to lean daily on God's strength to have grace and patience, and His forgiveness the several times a day that I fail to respond with selfless love and giving.  I am thankful that I can be here providing them with the love and care and stability they need and keeping track of the blessings I see daily from God helps me to cling to joy.

What about you?  What are your days like this week?