Opening a jar of tomatoes which were canned in some of the hottest, humid days of summer bring a delightful enjoyment. It’s like eating sun inspired vitamins and minerals.
Frozen strawberries remind me of the weeks in late May and early June when the Earliglow variety are ripe. They need to be picked every other day so that the ripe ones will not rot. I think of family members who helped me pick them. My grandchildren love to help! The older ones pick diligently and the preschoolers put more in their mouths than in their containers. I love it! Two days before our daughter’s wedding my dear brother stopped by the farm and asked what needed to be done. There were ripe berries that needed to be picked to adorn the cupcakes. So we spent time in the strawberry patch together which was a rare occasion.
Delicious tart sour cherries are ripe at the end of June. We have one tree. Thanks to my son who planted it many years ago. Last summer we had a bumper crop. It took me several days to get them picked, pitted, and frozen. Those frozen cherries in my breakfast oatmeal give it a distinctive taste. My husband’s Valentine gift was a sour cherry crumb pie. This week we had cherry cobbler. Ultimate comfort food!
Winter can bring the cloudy, gloomy days and our lives are not always sunny and bright. That’s when we reach into our storehouse of rich Bible verses which give us comfort and inspiration. Psalms 42 and 43 describe times in our lives when the light is not so bright.
The question is “Why are you in despair, O my soul?” and the answer is, “Hope in God, for I shall again praise him. The help of my countenance and my God. “
Psalm 42:8 has brought me through the ‘winters’ when there are more clouds then sun.
“The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime; And His song will be with me in the night. A prayer to the God of my life.”
The songs that spring up in those dark nights are a comfort for the soul and they give strength to keep going on. When the fruit is ripe ie when the revelation is flowing write it down, preserve it, hide scripture in your heart so it can be on the shelf of your mind ready to open, not only for yourself but for those around you.