It Is Well

Genesis 1:29 -- "Then God said, 'Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food.' "

In the heat, the bright, the lazy glow of sunlight I reach down into the earth and feel the warm moisture on my finger tips. Dirt collects under my finger nails and I can smell rain coming. It feels good.

I was blessed with a wonderful - and life changing - opportunity to stay part of the summer with Aunt Linda Dillworth at Mt. Carmel on Mindanao.  We were given the chance to farm. It was wonderful.

In my lap were several pouches of colorful seeds and beans. It amazed me that I could put these tiny little things in the ground and out would come food. I couldn't help but be reminded of the many ways God provides for us.

We were working on F.A.I.T.H gardens. [Food Always In The Home]. Part of a program to help Filipino nationals feed their families - acting out the old adage "give a man a fish, he'll eat for a day....TEACH a man to fish, he'll eat for a lifetime." After watering the turned earth that cradled my row of freshly planted corn I stood and stretched, dirt stains on my knees and mud on my sneakers. I felt renewed. There is just something about getting your hands dirty in the abundance of God that makes the soul relax and smile.

I picked up a piece of raw sugar cane [purchased from the market, I think] and started chewing the juice from the fibers as I headed over to milk the goats. It Is Well With My Soul played in my head and I realized that it really, really WAS well with my soul. What a precious gift God gave us when he said in Genesis, "I have given you every seed-bearing plant for your food." I remain in awe of Him.

Meandering through the produce isle at Whole Foods - it's difficult sometimes for me to remember the smell of the earth, the goats, the rain on freshly tilled soil and I know I take for granted the beauty in the way God provides for us. It's so easy, now. All I have to do is run to the grocery store and fill up my Eco-friendly reusable bags, get them home, follow a few recipes and viola!....dinner!

But today, I remember. I can imagine the sun beating down on my neck and shoulders, soft earth beneath my knees and earthworms scurrying to get out of the way. I remember the goats whining and the cows chewing endlessly on green, green grass. I remember the pigs as big as VW beetles and my laughter when all the piglets dove in to nurse at the same time. I remember Aunt Linda Dillworth and think of the box of Christmas Tree ornaments I keep in the garage - full of a wonderful assortment of little decorations that she gave each M.K. every single year just before Christmas. And I am reminded....it is well. It is well with my soul.