The average North American throws out an estimated 170-183 kilograms (375-405 pounds) of FOOD every year. Each “individual“, not family or household! That make us among the Worst Food Wasters in the world! Not something to be especially proud of is it? And then what about if you have four people living in your home? That’s a whopping estimated 1600 pounds! Of FOOD! How can we afford that?
North Americans are among the Worst Food Wasters in the world.
I don’t even know what 1600 pounds of food-waste looks like, but to simplify, it works out to about 25 – 40% of the average grocery budget. I have a pretty good idea what THAT looks like. Yikes! If you’ve got a couple of teens in your house, you’re likely spending well over $1000 a month on groceries. If we took the most conservative estimate (1/4), then we’re still talking about $250 a month IN THE GARBAGE! That’s $3000 a year! What could you do with an extra $3000 a year? I don’t know about you, but I can think of a lotta things I’d rather do with $3000 a year!
If you’re like me, you’re probably saying “No way. Not me”. I prided myself on being quite resourceful and while I did not doubt the stats, I was pretty certain they didn’t apply to me. I figured that someone else must be wasting a lot of food to make up for me not wasting so much. So I began to seriously pay attention to everything I threw into my kitchen garbage. And it didn’t take me long before I had to reluctantly concede … “well, maybe, that might be me“.
What are we wasting?
Well in my case, it was mostly produce. I was full of good intentions when I brought fresh fruits and vegetable home. And perhaps if I would have personally washed and cut the fruit, and maybe peeled it for my family, and then FED it to them, they would have eaten more of it. But I didn’t have time for that nonsense, and they sure didn’t always take advantage of what I was providing them “fresh”. Conscientious mom that I was, I had to make sure I continued providing it. I was stuck in the routine of: – buy fresh fruit and vegetables from the store – a week later throw much of it into the garbage – back to the store to buy more “fresh” fruits and vegetables. – one week later throw most of it out. Repeat. – often – like doing that somehow made me a better mom.
Composting kitchen waste may be better throwing it into the trash, but I still didn’t purchase it just to throw most of it into the compost.
Round and around we went. More and more money into the compost. Did you know that ‘healthy eaters’ generate the most food waste? Doesn’t seem fair does it? Well, you could say I was “ripe for the picking” when I realized that there was absolutely ZERO waste involved in the new way I had begun to buy groceries. I admit I was first attracted to THRIVE LIFE freeze dried food because of its long shelf life, and I was astounded to learn of the exceptionally high nutritional value of it. But I was even more impressed when I began using it in my everyday meal plan, and noticed that I was no longer throwing out as much food. That was a bonus I hadn’t counted on (duh). The nutritional value might have been the selling feature and the convenience of it sealed the deal, but in a very short amount of time, when I realized that I was in fact saving money, that was the clincher! When you are no longer throwing out a quarter of your monthly groceries, you start seeing your dollar go a LOT further! And that was a happy realization for me.
On a bigger scale, while it pains me to admit it, I read a recent report that says the evidence points to Canada as being among the worst on the globe for wasting food. The report released by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation — “an environmental agency set up under the North American Free Trade Agreement — found when including all stages of the food supply chain, 396 kilograms of food per capita is wasted in Canada every year. That’s compared with 415 kilograms in the United States and 249 kilograms in Mexico.” I’m not sure how excited we can get about being ‘better’ than someone else, especially when that ‘someone else’ produces more produce than we do. So much for my wholesome Canadian pride. Sheesh!
So, I don’t pretend to have the answer to global problems, and I don’t have the energy to even worry about them. But I have always been of the mind that if we each take care of our own front porch, the world will be a much nicer place, so I am gonna focus my attention on what is in my control. What exactly IS in my control? The waste in my own kitchen. I control that. And where I choose to spend my hard earned dollar – I control that too. That is where I started. At home.
Did you know that when you buy a can of THRIVE LIFE freeze dried Spinach, that 0% (yup, a big fat ZERO) goes into the garbage? Every piece of spinach you buy gets eaten. By you. Or me. Compare that to the spinach I used to buy in the cellophane bag from the produce department in my grocery store. I threw some of that into my compost almost every time I bought it. Add to that injury, is the insult of discovering that spinach loses ALL of its Vitamin C within 4 days after harvest? I can promise you that the spinach on my grocery store shelves was not picked within the last 96 hours. And did you know that THRIVE LIFE Spinach is picked at the peak of perfection and flash frozen within 6 hours of harvest? And that it contains up to 6 times more Vitamin A than the so called ‘fresh’ spinach we buy from our local grocery store? Yup. Yup. And Yup. So add those facts to the fact that much of the so called ‘fresh’ spinach I was buying ended up in my compost pail, because really how much time do you have before that spinach starts to go slimy on the bottom of the bag? Lets just say the romance of fresh spinach began to lose some of its appeal.
Spinach is one of my favourite Thrive Life freeze dried vegetables. Certainly its one that I use the most.
Continuing on with the example of Spinach: a family sized can of Thrive Life freeze dried spinach is priced (at time of my writing this – July 2022) at $33.82 USD when purchased in a Delivery (best pricing). For my Canadian friends, converted at a 1.3 exchange rate, that works out to about $44 Cdn. (*hint: you get FREE shipping when your complete order tops $99) That same family sized can contains the equivalent of 11.5 bags of spinach! The size of bag that in my local grocery store cost $4.35 (10 ounces) each. To buy the equivalent amount would cost me $50 Cdn (I live in Canada). I asked myself: “why would I want to pay more for ‘not-so-fresh’ spinach, when I know that the nutritional value of ‘fresher-than-fresh‘ spinach from Thrive Life, is considerably more?” It didn’t make any sense to me. And that doesn’t even factor in the typical waste from that store bought ‘not-so-fresh’ spinach.
Even into Canada folks, that is a huge savings. And I am a sale shopper so I’m always looking for a bargain. When I buy Thrive Life Spinach on sale, I save even more. And you know how much of that goes into my compost pail? ZERO! That is 100% Food! In my pantry. Ready to use when I want it. With a 25 year shelf life. Even after the can has been opened, the shelf life is at least a year.
reducing food waste will save you a ton of money
This story just keeps getting better, and better. I guess you could say “Spinach to Win-it”. But remember, Spinach is just an example. We can repeat this scenario with every single food item that THRIVE LIFE has. Of course details will change, but the waste factor and the nutrition factor remain solid.
My way of reducing waste in this country is by reducing waste in my own home. Since doing so, saves me a lot of money, its a win/win situation. And that’s how I like things. Happy all round.
Cindy Suelzle Independent THRIVE LIFE Consultant and Leader
I had just laid my head down after spending another few hours in the garden that spring evening ….. finally got most of my herb plants and a few more flowers IN . . . when I heard it.
ARGHHHHH HAIL!
Hail. I hate hail. That great equalizer. Natures way of reminding us who is in charge, and that we are always dependent on Him. Big mistake to rely solely on “the arm of flesh”.
I timed it.
From beginning to end less than six minutes. But I knew it wouldn’t take more than that. It never does. It doesn’t have to. I mentally went through my garden beds and realized there was no one or two places that I could reasonably even hope to cover. If I had had warning. I was completely at the mercy of hail. My thoughts turned, as they often do, to my great grandparents who repeatedly got hailed out on the prairies after putting in all their blood, sweat and tears. I thought of them standing there, at the door, watching the hail fall, weeping. Not much else to do. . . . . And as always, my heart went out to them. My people. Most of whom I’ve never even met.
early family garden in the city when the kids were little, around 1989
For me hail means frustration, disappointment and inconvenience. For them it meant everything! For them it could have cost them their entire year, and they would have wondered how they were gonna feed their family in the winter to come. I knew there was nothing I could do but hope and pray. Just as they knew there was nothing more they could do.
I went out the following morning to check my gardens. Fine. I checked each plant I put in last night. Fine. All fine. If I hadn’t heard the hail storm the night before, I likely wouldn’t even have known about it. I am relieved. And I am grateful. And again as I do so often, I wondered “why I am so favoured?”. And I love and appreciate all the more, those people who came before me, to this land. And paid such a high price, so that I could have what I have, a long time after they’re dead and gone. Thank you. Thank you to Charles and Sarah, to Alonzo and Elizabeth, to Andreas and Inger, Pearl and Leland, Heber and Capitolia, and all the others who sacrificed so that my children could be born HERE in this place, NOW in this time. The fullness of times.
And I thank my Heavenly Father again for the bounty we enjoy in this land. And I recommit myself to Him, with the reminder that I am nothing without Him. All I can do for myself can be wiped away in 6 minutes, or less. Yes, I will continue to work hard. But in Him alone will I put my trust.
In the name of family and of all that is good in this world, we have this beautiful, tender scene painted by Robert T. Barrett – of two brothers embracing. It is a scene of forgiveness, and one of a shared bond that was ultimately stronger than differences. After two decades of separation, caused by two opposing perspectives, offence given and offence taken, misunderstanding and vengeful anger, they come together on a field that could have just as likely, been a bloodbath. Every reason to hate still valid, because though a lifetime had lapsed, the facts still remained. The ball was in Esau’s court so to speak, he could have gone either way. He may have even been uncertain himself, after all he came out to meet Jacob with 400 men. But there. On that field. After long absence, and tremendous mutual familial loss, including the death of their mother in Jacob’s absence, we see one of scripture’s great lessons on forgiveness.(1) Esau let go. There was no chance of bringing back what was lost, nor of undoing what had been done, and to persist in a attitude of vengeance would only cause further hurt and further loss.
Esau and Jacob Embrace by Robert T. Barrett
At what point does one say “Enough is enough. And this truly IS enough!” ? Does it take a year? a decade? more? A veritable lifetime of separation? Does it take the death of a parent? Wherever that point was for Esau, he had reached it and crossed over. And though Rebekah did not, Isaac lived to see it. I can scarce imagine the gut wrenching sobs and father-tears of both grief and joy to hear the news and to feel with his very own hands (for his sight had long ago failed him), both of his boys at the same time. I’m sure he had all but given up hope that he ever would.
Such a reunion! And how could Rebekah not have looked on with similar emotion from her heavenly vantage point? Brothers. Sisters in law. Cousins who never knew each other. Each family had followed a different path, and their futures wouldn’t necessarily be intertwined, but old grudges were gone and peace could once again prevail, as they parted ways, this time with mutual acceptance and respect. “That’s what its all about, ” says singer songwriter Sam Payne “Having good reason to hate each other and not hating each other anyway.” (2)
Most of us can pull an Esau-Jacob story from our family files. Maybe they ended well, maybe they have not yet. For me, I have a few. Some are not quite completed. One saw resolution many years ago, and has gone on to yield life long loving familial relationships, and eternal blessings not even imagined before. My dad came from a large family of sixteen natural born children. Fourteen of those children grew to adulthood and had families of their own, and yes, you’re right – that makes for a lotta cousins for me. When I was very young, we lived many hours drive from my grandparents. We generally saw them once a year. But my Harrison cousins, many of them also lived many hours drive, and I saw them seldom. We had our very first “Harrison” family reunion when I was in elementary school. In Waterton park. I was shy around so many aunts and uncles and cousins. I had a brief but memorable exchange with one cousin from far away during that reunion. I didn’t know how we fit together, but the adults told us we were cousins, so we played. Her name was Jerilyn. We were the same age and we shared the same last name because our dads were brothers. We had been playing together for a time when her family got ready to go on a planned outing; she invited me to come with them. I’m not sure what motivated me to accept, as they were virtual strangers and I was very shy, but I did, and my mom consented. Her dad was an anomaly to me. He was soft spoken and kind. He laughed – with children! He genuinely seemed to want to be with them. He spoke to me directly. He told dad jokes and my cousins were easy and comfortable around him. My memory of that event is brief, and would have faded altogether I believe, had it not been for a converging of our two families only a few short years later.
Sometime in my childhood, whether before or after that reunion I don’t know, my father had been sent to Winnipeg on an assignment. He was in the Royal Canadian Air Force (as it was called then). While there, he was invited to dinner at his brother’s house. This same brother, who also served in the Air Force. My dad was a couple of years older, both in their mid 30’s. By all accounts, dinner went well. I’m sure it was delicious – my aunt was a good cook. I’m sure my cousins were well behaved, there were 4 of them. All girls. After dinner, my dad pulled out a cigarette as was the habit of smokers. It was no secret that he smoked. Most adults did in those days, certainly the ones in my world. Whether it was my aunt or my uncle who asked my dad not to smoke in the house, is unclear, but my dad attributed it to Aunt Jolayne. He went outside on the front porch to have his cigarette. It was winter. He might have been mildly annoyed at first, but as he stood there smoking, he became increasingly annoyed – even offended. It is so common for people to not smoke in homes nowadays that it may be difficult to imagine a time when it was not only acceptable, but very common. My dad was easily offended at the best of times, so this was the perfect opportunity to do what came naturally for him. As he blew smoke out, he became quite indignant at having to do so outside. In the winter no less. And he walked away. Building up a defensive wall with every step. He had been insulted in the house of his brother. Offended. Never would he darken his door again. My uncle’s wife had insulted my dad, and by association, so did he. They were intolerant and inhospitable, and judgmental, and rude. The extent of the perceived offence grew as the distance between them grew. I can only imagine what that may have felt like from the perspective of my aunt and uncle inside the house. Especially if they watched my father walk away. They had all been raised in southern Alberta “Mormon” towns, in Mormon families. Both families lived by the tenants of their religion and keep the word of wisdom – which included abstaining from tobacco, alcohol and tea and coffee. My dad was one of the brothers who deviated from the family religion.
Distance and time created more distance and time, and as sometimes happen, the wound festered. You could say it had even become infected. I didn’t know my aunt and uncle, and I didn’t know this story, until when I was ten years old we learned that they were moving to our base. My uncle Merlin had been transferred to the airforce base in Cold Lake, Alberta. As children, we couldn’t even imagine what having cousins live so close might be like. My parents did not seem happy about the news, so we were filled with concern, but secretly, I was just a little excited at the possibilities. The old wound however resurfaced, and if we had missed it before, we understood more fully now how significantly bad it was. I didn’t even know what my Aunt Jolayne looked like, but I knew she was a “religious fanatic“. I knew she kicked my dad out of her house for smoking. On a winter day! Smoking in my world was like breathing. Every adult did it. Her action was unimaginable and there was no question that it was unforgiveable. We prepared for the worst.
My uncle came ahead and lived temporarily in the barracks while he waited for a PMQ, and for his family to arrive. One night we invited him for dinner. My dad wasn’t home, so my mom and I went to the barracks to pick him up. We shared a meal with this stranger who we knew was our uncle, and he was . . . nice! And kind. He brought us gifts. Hot chocolate mix, something we had never seen before. All four of us got our very own, which my mom protested was too generous, but he insisted and we were very happy. He was complimentary of the meal, and spoke easily with all of us, even directly to us kids. He asked about our interests and school. We didn’t know how to take him – I had not taken note of too many times in my life that an adult other than a teacher, had spoken directly to me, let alone being interested enough to listen to my response. After dinner, he sat at the table with me as I did my homework. I was writing some kind of report about the pyramids in Egypt, using our ‘Book of Knowledge’ encyclopedia. He told me he had been to Egypt! He had seen the pyramids, the very ones in the picture we looked at. I had never met another man like him in all my long life of ten years. I went with my mother to drive him home and listened to them chat in the front seat. When he got out of the car and waved goodbye, I said to my mom “I like him.” She said “I like him too.”
Sometime after that dinner, Uncle Merlin’s family arrived. They came to visit us and we may have had supper together. We cousins became acquainted with each other. I showed my cousin Shawna my guitar, and played her a song I was learning. Having cousins live in our community was such a strange idea. They would even be coming to our school!
When they got settled in their new house, they invited us to dinner. We were all familiar with “the story” by then, and we wondered how it would play out. We were not just a little apprehensive, and I seem to recall my mom reassuring my dad that all would be well, and that he could suck it up for one evening. After all, he had sworn to never go there again. It was . . . our field. And quite literally, it was our Esau and Jacob moment. Though our two households had had touch-points, we had never as a family, been in their ‘home’. We went, my dad – less willing and still carrying his comfortable crutch – a ‘grudge’. He had after all, been offended, and that could not be forgotten, nor set aside.
When we arrived, they met us at the door and welcomed us in. My aunt Jolayne handed my dad a clear, glass ashtray, purchased for this occasion. She told him “Wes, you can smoke in my house any time you want.” To this day, I cannot think of that single gesture without weeping. I don’t recall my dad’s response, but on the drive home, he said to my mom “Well, if that doesn’t beat all. All these years, she hasn’t forgotten. It has been eating at her like it was eating at me.” He affirmed that never in this life, would he be disrespectful enough to smoke in Aunt Jolayne’s house, but that thoughtful gesture skyrocketed her in his esteem. His dislike transformed almost instantly into admiration, even respect. And over the years that we both lived in Cold Lake, it evolved into love. We spent many happy hours in the company of Uncle Merlin’s family. My dad was a better dad in his brother’s company. Without being too dramatic, it set the wheels in motion for not only life altering changes in my life, and life long friendships between our households, but eventually, the sealing of our family as an eternal unit. That is another story for another time. A story of my utter love and gratitude to Uncle Merlin’s family, and for all that came from the seemingly insignificant gift of a small glass ashtray.
Destructive conflict is “when our inability to collaboratively solve problems with others leads us to hurting others or ourselves.” so says Chad Ford, Professor in Intercultural Peacebuilding at Brigham Young University-Hawaii. “With destructive conflict comes a fear of pain both in anticipation and as a consequence of the conflict, a fear of not being loved or seen the way we want to be seen . . . .” (3) Though our dislike of someone who has offended us may devolve into hatred, hopefully it doesn’t de-escalate to the murderous level Esau’s did. He had sold his birth right to Jacob for a bowl of lentil soup (see Genesis 27: 6-29). At the time, he didn’t have proper respect for the value of his inheritance, and when the time came that he had to own his choice, and live with its consequence, he hated Jacob. So great was that hate, that he swore to kill him. Knowing the violent propensity of their elder son, both Jacob’s parents encouraged him to leave home and to travel to the distant land of his mother’s people – where he could not only find temporary refuge, but also find a wife among believers of the one true God. For two decades, Jacob lived among his mother’s people, marrying two of her brother’s daughters, and accumulating for Laban (his father in law), great wealth by his industry and the blessings of God. Laban recognized that God was with Jacob. At length, God directed Jacob that it was time for him to return to Canaan, the land of his inheritance, which in conference with his wives, he set about to do.
As they travelled and neared the place where he grew up, Jacob worried about Esau and his murderous grudge. He prayed for help. “Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the mother with the children.“(4) He sent notice announcing that he was coming home. His servants returned, telling Jacob that they delivered the message and that Esau was in fact coming out to meet him. With four hundred men! – a veritable army. Rightly fearing his brother’s intent, Jacob separated his company into two groups, reasoning that if Esau attacked one group, the other would have time to escape. He separated generous gifts and sent them ahead with instructions to graciously deliver them to his brother, hoping to communicate his desire to reconcile before they met face to face. Unbeknown to Jacob, Esau may have already reached his peace. Whether Esau had forgiven him before that day, or whether it was a gradual transition, softened by the demonstration of good faith as he was offered generous gifts, we’ll never know – and he himself may not even have known. And it doesn’t even matter. What mattered was that he allowed the gesture to touch his heart, and he was softened to his brother. (My dad was softened toward his brother and sister in law, but it wasn’t until the gift of the ashtray, that he finally allowed the sweet spirit of charity, the gift of final forgiveness to take hold and sooth all that had passed – never to be revisited except to recount a happy outcome.)
Brother’s Road by singer songwriter Sam Payne
When they came within view of each other after so long, Jacob prostrated himself respectfully, and was no doubt surprised that “Esau RAN to meet him, and embraced him and fell on his neck and kissed him; and they wept.“(5) What a glorious scene! Can anything be more beautiful than unresentful reconciliation, powered by true and open forgiveness, a letting go of a former grudge? Who cares what past offense fueled it? In this beautiful story, we see the example of truly “letting go”, of genuine and sincere forgiveness. Of charity in its truest form – which scripture defines as the pure light of Christ. “Deciding to love those who could hurt us allows us to push past fear and become filled with charity.” says Chad Ford. “Love allows us to see our brothers and sisters we are in conflict with, so clearly that THEIR needs and desires matter as much to us as our own . . . . We’ll do whatever it takes to find solutions that meet their needs as well as our own.” (6)
“It took courage for Jacob and Esau to acknowledge the truth that they were not enemies – they were Brothers. It took mercy to forgive each other. It took righteousness – the kind of justice that makes right what we or others have made wrong. . . . When all three of those elements were present, it allowed them to live in peace.” (7)
We all have our Esau and Jacob moments. Offence is given and offence is taken. It’s unavoidable, part of our mortal experience. Perhaps they are within our own family. Perhaps they are between neighbours, former friends, or colleagues at work. It never matters which character in the story we play, but the script is usually recognizable. When we are in destructive conflict we justify our behaviour and our feelings. We rationalize that we are in the right, and that no right-minded person could see otherwise. If they try, we firmly place them in the opposite camp. We may villainize the offender, refusing to empathize with them or the situation. We may rally our troops to try to “infect” others with our intolerance of the offender, and their great offence against us. We in fact, do not want to see their side. We do not want to forgive, or to extend ‘mercy’. We crave only justice, but not justice for all, only justice for us.
We cannot start the process of reconciliation without Courage. I cannot imagine the trepidation that my aunt must have felt in trying to make peace for an offence she didn’t willfully intend, but nevertheless perpetrated. We cannot proceed without Mercy. We must try to see the situation from the perspective of the other person. We must try to FEEL it the way they feel it, without trying to explain away or minimize our own part in it. Mercy requires Empathy. And we cannot sustain it without a commitment to continued Righteousness in our chosen path of reconciliation. We cannot truly ‘let go’ without a change of heart that we are committed to. True forgiveness never goes back. To experience the lasting effect of that sweet spirit of final forgiveness, is to never revisit it, “except to recount a happy outcome“.
The picture at the top – Esau and Jacob Embrace by Robert T. Barrett, spoke to my heart. When I first saw it, I saw a powerful story. One of the world’s great stories of forgiveness. A story of siblings who were angry with each other, and felt justified in their resentment. Insults were given and received – whether accurate or magnified doesn’t even matter; they were real enough to them. I saw the inability or refusal to feel empathy, and of course, the resulting offences. All. Let. Go. On that field. Symbolized by a long, tearful brotherly embrace. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and it was to me. As a mother that is my wish, my hope, and my daily prayer. That unlike Rebekah, I will witness such an embrace, and I won’t have to wait to do so from an other world’s vantage point.
I’ve read many different perspectives on the story of Esau and Jacob. Some paint Jacob as ‘the deceiver’. Some paint Rebekah as the conspiring accomplice. Some paint Esau as a brute who was outwitted. Some paint Isaac as a puppet. All those are short sighted and one sided in my opinion, too easy to judge people of antiquity by the ‘woke’ standards of our day. The story is complex with many layers that would take volumes to discuss. My point here is only to get to the core of what matters most: unconditional love. True ‘Charity’. Moroni says “if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth.” He says that charity “is the greatest of all, for all things must fail— But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever “. (8)
I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Warmly,
Cindy Suelzle
footnotes: 1. Genesis 25-35 2. introduction to Brother’s Road, youtube live video 3. Liahona magazine March 2022 pg 26 4. Genesis 32:11 5. Genesis 33:4 6. Liahone magazine March 2022 pg 27 7. ibid pg 28 8. Moroni 7: 46,47
He’s not your typical prophet or military hero, he starts out as a bad guy. An educated, prideful conniving lawyer in the cosmopolitan-apostate city of Ammonihah – wherein the scriptures tell us that, “Satan had gotten great hold upon the hearts of the people” (Alma 8:9). He was described as “the most expert . . having much business to do among the people (Alma 10:31), and “expert in the devices of the devil, that he might destroy that which was good.”
He’s the poster child for the corruption and dishonesty that is so often ascribed to political arenas. His society of professional lawyers made it their full-time business to stir up contention among the people for the purpose of perfecting their craft at great expense. Wealthy people wrestled to get gain and advantage over one another, within laws specially suited for this purpose, and the ultimate winners were those employed to take their cases to court. Judges were corrupt, eager to accept bribes to rule in favour of the highest bidder. Those without means wouldn’t hope to stand a chance in such a corrupt system. And those with means, could lose it all in the games played for the purpose of cheating them. In order to appreciate where he ended, one must understand from whence he came.
The missionary Alma, and his newly converted companion Amulek, found themselves arrested and brought before this pandemonium of legal contradiction. Amulek was himself a wealthy and well-known citizen of Ammonihah, so he was no doubt aware of the legal games played in this political coliseum. The missionaries were fresh material, and because they had already raised the anger of the people, who they chastened for their wickedness, they were the perfect victims to be thrown into the arena to be ripped apart by Ammonihah’s champions, and Zeezrom was their foremost gladiator.
Zeezrom was a leader among his peers, skilled in his craft, well known among the people for his sophistry and cunning. He had good reason to be self assured in court, and with those offended by the missionaries, he had an eager audience to play to. One can only imagine the eagerness with which his team approached the case. Court and jury prejudiced against the defendants already, it was a slam dunk. The only thing left to the imagination was the script; one can almost visualize the scene. His questions were formulated to entrap, to twist words and have the missionaries unwittingly condemn themselves – thereby adding to his reputation among peers and fans.
But that is where Zeezrom’s prowness ended. He was accustomed to verbal combat with mortals, in his own arena, where he was the champion. He was not accustomed to dealing with the spirit of God. I think it is important to try to visualize the depravity to which Zeezrom had stooped, to fully appreciate his conversion. We’ve seen it before in scripture. The proud and haughty Prince of Egypt – turning his back to the world he was raised in, to take his place among the people of God. The Pharisitical single mindedness of the Saul in his persecution of Christians, who turned 180 degrees and spent the rest of his life converting people to the same religion he reviled against. More recently, Alma the Elder who left King Noah’s court at his own peril, to follow and preach the words of the dying prophet Abinadi. And his son Alma the Younger, who sought to destroy the very church his father dedicated his life to, but then spent the rest of his life serving God.
But Zeezrom was unique. Like many others, he was a product of his culture, who rose in the societal ranks by his own cunning and ambition. When he was matched by the missionarys’ ability to see through his tactics however, and called out on his shameful attempt to pay them off with a veritable fortune, he lost his footing. They didn’t cower under his state sanctioned ability to control their destinies. And when they began testifying of basic gospel principles, he recognized that there was something different going on. He was matched with an opponent unlike his previous conquests. Herein lies his difference. So many other persecutors of righteousness did not respond to the spirit the way he did. *Laban was given repeated opportunity to respond appropriately before the Lord finally instructed Nephi to slay him. *Sherem persisted in his proud mocking of Jacob’s teaching before finally receiving the sign that he asked for. Though he acknowledged his fault, he did so with his dying breath. *King Noah almost caved before he was bolstered by his wicked priests and stayed his course to finally be destroyed.
But the proud Zeezrom was not beyond feeling the spirit, and he was visibly shaken to the core in front of his peers as the missionaries rebuked him. “Now when Alma had spoken these words, Zeezrom began to tremble more exceedingly, for he was convinced more and more of the power of God; and he was also convinced that Alma and Amulek had a knowledge of him, for he was convinced that they knew the thoughts and intents of his heart.” (Alma 12:7) People were astonished to see their mighty champion tremble. Right before their eyes, a remarkable change began to take place. Zeezrom not only felt the power of the spirit, but he began to genuinely seek truth from the missionaries – right in front of his audience. He humbled himself, in a way that must have shocked even him. He learned of another ‘courtroom’, where the “just and the unjust .. are brought to stand before God to be judged according to their works.” (Alma 12:8). This was HIS language, and he understood it. He learned from Amulek that those who have hardened their hearts against the word, will find themselves in an awful state – condemned by their own words, works and even thoughts, so much so that they should not even dare to look up to their God, and would “be glad if [they] could command the rocks and the mountains to fall upon [them] to hide [them] from his presence.” But it wouldn’t be possible to hide. They’d have to stand before him in his glory and majesty and “acknowledge to [their] everlasting shame that all his judgements [were] just.” (Alma 7:14,15) He learned of a second death, which is a spiritual death, and for those who rejected the word, it would be “as though there had been no redemption made”.
As one reads the account, remember it was Alma teaching, that same Alma whose former companion Ammon said “we (Alma included) went forth even in wrath, with mighty threatenings to destroy his Church”. Alma knew of what he spoke. He had been there. (Alma 26:19) One can only imagine the tenderness with which Alma spoke, the spirit undoubtedly witnessing his message. He was a living testimony of second chances, of repentance and of a life turned around.
And Zeezrom responded. Zeezrom – Ammonihah’s intellectual Goliath – responded to the spirit testifying of the truth taught by Alma and Amulek. Somewhere in him, had flickered a spark of the light of Christ – that even he might not have been aware of, and it was fanned in that courtroom, by the words of men of God, speaking under the direction of the Holy Ghost. And all observed it and were surprised and probably more than a little perplexed at Zeezrom’s response. The missionaries concluded their teachings with the tenderness of the words of God the Father “If ye will repent and harden not your hearts, then will I have mercy upon you, through mine Only Begotten son; Therefore, whosoever repenteth, and hardeneth not his heart, he shall have claim on mercy through mine Only Begotten Son, unto a remission of his sins, and these shall enter into my rest.” (Alma 12:33,34)
Zeezrom witnessing the martyrdom of the believers
Zeezrom would never be the same, but though some others within hearing were similarly touched, the devil regained his previous footing and the wicked united into an angry mob. Zeezom recognized his accountability in being an instrument which caused the hearts of many to harden, and he pled for the lives of Alma and Amulek, “Behold, I am guilty, and these men are spotless before God” but Satan gnashed his teeth and unleashed his fury upon all those who believed the words of the missionaries. And the wicked who took his cues reviled Zeezrom, and they spit upon him, and cast him and others who believed, out from among them. ((Alma 14:6-7) Then they did the unthinkable. They gathered together the wives and the children of the believers, and they cast them into a fire, forcing Alma and Amulek to witness the horrifying scene. As horrible as this would have been for Alma, I am reminded that these were Amulek’s people. His friends and neighbours, colleagues, kin, his own wife and children, and all those who had trusted him. It is difficult to imagine the anguish and the heart wrenching agony of Amulek, who loved many of them. “How can we witness this this awful scene?” he pled, but Alma said “The Spirit constraineth me that I must not stretch forth mine hand”.
Ammonihah’s is not a happy story. It didn’t start out happy, and it didn’t end happy. But the rest of its story is for another time. It is Zeezrom that I am focused on for now. He had relocated with other believers to the nearby land of Sidom, laid low with a burning fever, convinced that he had caused the destruction of the missionaries. He was brought to a recognition of his sins, and was acutely aware that his influence had caused many to harden their hearts against hearing the truth.
Alma and Amulek, made their way to Sidom after being delivered from prison, and brought the sad news with them, of the martyrdom of the exiled believers’ families and loved ones. The attendant sorrow that must have accompanied this report, is impossible to imagine. The sounds of it almost ring in my ears. Zeezrom sought forgiveness for the damage he’d caused, not only from the missionaries, but also from the Lord, and he sought healing. Alma, the Lord’s servant “said unto him, taking him by the hand: Believest thou in the power of Christ unto salvation? And he answered and said: Yea, I believe all the words that thou has taught . . . And then Alma cried unto the Lord, saying: O Lord our God, have mercy on this man, and heal him according to his faith which is in Christ.” (Alma 15:6,7,10)
Zeezrom was healed physically and spiritually, and the good news spread throughout the city. His repentance and conversion dramatically altered the course of his life, and apparently resonated with the people, as many “did flock in from all the region round about Sidom, and were baptized.” (Alma 15:14). Zeezrom had been well known for his former wealth and power, so his conversion was of note, and his healing would have affected many.
With renewed fervor, and a profoundly repentant spirit, Zeezrom became a faithful servant, dedicating his life and talents to helping others experience the same redemptive conversion he did. Like King Lamoni’s father who gave away all his sins to know God, so did Zeezrom give away all his sins. The scriptures mention his name later in connection with Alma and other notable missionaries like Ammon, Aaron, Omner, and Amulek. (Alma 31:6)
Zeezrom is a heroic example of dramatic, courageous REVERSAL. It is not easy to be dedicated to a course and then admit you were wrong. It is not easy to walk away from everything you’ve worked your entire career to establish, including reputation and good standing among your peers. It is not easy to acknowledge that your actions caused others harm, and then to work tirelessly the rest of your life trying to repair the damage. In the story of Zeerom we see encouragement that one cannot stoop so low that the atonement of Jesus Christ cannot redeem. In the story of Zeezrom, we see yet another testimony that we should never give up on another’s potential to be influenced by the spirit. He was not the first. He followed a path that others, like Alma had walked. But he walked it. And he lived it.
Not everyone can be a Moses, or a Nephi, or an Alma. Or even a Ghandi or a Martin Luther King. But we can be “Aarons” or “Sams”, or “Amuleks”, or “Zeezroms”. The Lord needs servants willing to serve in supportive roles. And the world needs them too.
Thank you Zeezrom for reserving a spot in your heart for that tiny flicker of light. Thank you for not being unteachable, and therefore unreachable. Thank you for being courageous enough to acknowledge the feelings that awakened in your heart, and then to act on them. Thank you for staying the course, and being faithful to the end.
Thanksgiving is always the second Monday in October for Canadians, about six weeks before our American neighbours celebrate the same holiday. It is an important and very unique holiday for a number of reasons. For one, it’s secular in origin, not religious like Christmas and Easter, and rather than celebrating an ‘event’, it celebrates gratitude, something society as a whole seems to have a hard time practicing in general. Although it isn’t religious in origin, its roots lie with the very Christian American pilgrims who gave thanks to God for bounty at the end of a successful harvest in 1621.
For 400 years North Americans have traditionally paused to give thanks at the conclusion of harvest. Even though most of us no longer feel we’re connected to harvest, make no mistake, it is still a successful harvest that ensures a comfortable winter – for all of us. Never in my life has that been more evident than in the year of 2020. For the first time in memory, the planting of spring was in jeopardy across the nation due to supply chain issues and minimized seasonal foreign workers (upon which many market gardens, grain farmers and ranchers depend), and during the first few months, issues with social distancing caused many meat plants to shut down creating a problem for meat producers who depended on them to get their meat to market. Over the months, we came to accept, and even expect in-store shortages and not being able to get what we order as soon as we were used to getting it. True definition of a first world problem at the best of times, but a little more tangible recently.
Bountiful harvests in 2020 and 2021 were questionable right from the onset of spring planting, and many people were worried. Me included. It looked like we were in for desperate food shortages, and very high prices. But from the perspective of hindsight, we can say that the inconveniences of ‘out-of-stock’ items has been only that, an inconvenience. Some prices rose, but the situation warranted that. Though frustrating at times, these inconveniences were only ever ‘lumps-in-our-oatmeal‘. At least for the time being. Other things were a little more impactful: special events that had to be altered, postponed or even cancelled, ill loved ones we couldn’t visit, funerals that sadly got missed, family gatherings that didn’t happen, loneliness – especially for the elderly or immune compromised, jobs that were affected, income reduced, businesses that suffered and some that couldn’t survive, dental care and other health related appointments that were set aside, as well as the loss of other services we enjoyed and upon which many jobs were dependent. Our economy was driven to its knees and we worried about the reliable availability of food and other necessities.
Now, in the autumn of 2021, we’ve learned many things. We’ve learned to continue on, keeping a bigger distance between each other, washing our hands more often, masks have become part of our outer clothing, and technology has become our connection with the world outside our front door. We’re still seeing results of the global upset, and it is affecting our food supply, promising to be more than an inconvenience in the near future.
But we have SO much to be grateful for, and it is more important than ever to not only acknowledge these blessings, but to focus on them. Yes, in some ways its been tough, but there are many good things that came out of our unwilling courtship with covid. I am so grateful that THANKSGIVING gives me pause to reflect and appreciate the specifics of my bigger picture.
If I were to get into details, the things I am grateful for, are innumerable. Though I try to consciously “count my many blessings, and name them one by one“, to do so takes a long time. Those are better left for personal reflection and my journal, for me to review from time to time with my Heavenly Father. But more generally, I can summarize many of them in these broader points.
1. Jesus Christ The gospel of Jesus Christ blesses my life in every way. Through it, I understand where I came from, where I am going, and what I am doing here. It provides a clearer vision of what I want, it helps me appreciate the many roles I play and helps me define my core values. I am grateful for His atoning sacrifice that paid the price for my sins, and swallows up my sorrows. I am grateful for the example He set, the unconditional love and the gate through which He walked which points the way to my Heavenly Father. I am thankful for His gospel which continues to be a beacon in my life, helping me to let go of the past, overcome weaknesses and to focus on becoming the person I want to be. I am grateful for scriptures that teach of Him, and for prayer that is the means of communication He makes available to me.
2. My family Those who produced me, and those I had a hand in producing and in whose lives I had influence – I hope I did enough. For siblings and cousins with whom I walked in my formative years, and who are still in my life. For nieces and nephews who choose to continue to stay in my life. For those of my family who have gone on before me – I appreciate so much, the choices you’ve made to bring me to this place and time. I will do what I can for you. And for those who have yet to be born – I feel some accountability to leave you a better world, and a faithful family in which to grow.
3. Dan The man I share this life with, and with whom I share all these children and now grandchildren. For the growing experiences we’ve had together both good and bad – they’ve made us who we are. I am grateful for love in my life. And as time goes on, I am increasingly grateful for the future we still have before us. I am grateful with confidence that we will grow old together – sealed for this life and the next.
4. The church I belong to which provides doctrine to help me understand my relationship with God, and my responsibility to my fellow human beings. It provides community to me, of like minded people who I love and respect; a community of people I can rely on, people I can reach out to, and people I can help, serve with and learn from. It has been the village that helped raise my children. It is the vehicle through which I make sacred covenants with my Heavenly Father, which sustain me, bringing me comfort and confidence as I walk that covenant path. It provides me with meaningful service opportunities which allow me to put myself and my perspective aside from time to time, to focus on a bigger, all inclusive picture.
5. Good health and strength to accomplish the things that are most important to me. As an extension of this, I am grateful for a good medical system that serves my community. Doctors, nurses, dentists, pharmacies, and all those who work in the medical field, that I most often take for granted.
6. Good nutrition which is the building block of good health. For many of our early years, we lived from month to month, not being able to afford a lot of extras, and many times not even buying much in the way of groceries in any given month, but through it all because of gardens, food storage, tithing and careful management, there has always been healthy food on our table. That blessing was always appreciated.
7. Friends. We’ve been blessed with dear friends over our lifetime. We don’t get together in the same way of course, we don’t sit for hours and chat face to face like we used to, we don’t go to movies or out to lunch as we have in the past, but we do what we can in these covid times. We’re still in each other’s lives and we’ve found ways to be creative. The important thing is that when we do get together its as if there’s never been an absence. How I appreciate the love of good friends.
8. Tradition. Traditions are a critical part of our culture. In many ways they are the building blocks of what brings us together, and holds us together. They connect us to our history and provide clues about why we are the way we are. They separate us from others in a good way, providing unique similarities that bind cultural identities, and family units. They provide context for those who came before us, acknowledging the contribution they’ve made to the quality of our lives and the way we understand our world. They are an important thread in the tapestry of what makes us unique – providing a sense of comfort and belonging. Traditions don’t have to be old, handed down from generations before. We can develop new meaningful traditions that have the power to bless our lives in the future, and to create a legacy that will enhance the quality of life of those who come after us. Truth is, we are all creating a legacy of one sort or another – consciously or not. How much better it could be if we focused on what that legacy will look like to those we’re leaving it to.
Not all traditions are good. Part of our responsibility to our family is not only to pass on healthy traditions, the ones that connect and edify, that strengthen and uplift – but to break the cycle of unhealthy traditions, the ones that foster hate and prejudice, division, unhappiness and abuse.
9. Technology Never thought I’d ever say it, but I am grateful for technology. Even to the degree that I understand it, and the terrifying learning curve that is repeatedly before me, I must concede that it has enhanced my life. It has kept me connected with the people I love and care for, the information I need, the community I want, and a multitude of opportunities to serve those around me. Mobile phones, tablets, desk top computers, televisions, the internet that makes them all friends, and yes even social media avenues that help me reach beyond my own immediate circle. Without technology this year, it would have been a lot lonelier than it was.
10. Our Garden
For many years while I managed our family business, an LDS Bookstore – I didn’t have time to fully enjoy my garden. It was a chore that somehow compelled me from spring to fall. I put in the work, and while I can admit I often found solace losing myself for hours in the distraction of it, I confess that I hardly ever harvested it in those busy years. Some years I was tempted to let it go, reasoning that because the store kept me so busy every fall, the final satisfaction of harvest alluded me. But one day I realized that it wasn’t the harvest that soothed me during the calm peaceful summer hours that I quietly weeded with only the birds and squirrels. It wasn’t the harvest that distracted me from business worries and stress in the spring while I planted flowers and potatoes. It wasn’t the harvest that took me on pleasant greenhouse excursions looking for evening scented stock and some new herb that I hadn’t yet grown. I realized that my garden was therapy, and though one day I hoped it would become a-year-long therapy, I would be making a terrible mistake if I stopped the process simply because one portion of it wasn’t working for me. From this vantage point, I am very glad for that decision long ago. My garden has paid me back many times over for the hours I devoted to it these many years. It has been good for me.
I am grateful for continual clean water, electricity, furnaces and fireplaces, hardwood floors, meaningful employment, vacuum cleaners, brooms, chickens, cherries, kale, dill and sunny days. I am grateful for Vitamin D and aloe vera plants, books, movies and this blog that gives me an outlet of expression. I am grateful for the constant drive to improve and learn new things. I am grateful for Santa and teddy bears and quilts and clotheslines.
Being grateful makes us happier. It really does. Because it helps us develop a more positive outlook, it promotes optimism, lowers stress, depression and anxiety. There is growing scientific evidence that demonstrates expressing genuine gratitude improves our physical health as well as emotional. It improves our quality of sleep and even enhances our immune system.
Thanksgiving is a gift. It is the opportunity we often neglect to take without a reminder, that is to pause, take a few minutes, reflect on what we’re really grateful for. I hope you take this time to do exactly that. I’d love to see your list. No doubt you’ll remind me of many more things I too am grateful for.
“Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be, the last of life, for which the first was made. Our times are in his hand who saith, ‘A whole I planned, youth shows but half; Trust God: See all, nor be afraid!” – Robert Browning, a 19th century British poet, and famous for the poetry he and his wife Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote together, still often quoted today.
Many things he wrote touch my heart. But this: “Come grow old with me. The best is yet to be . . .” this one is my mantra. I first heard it when I was 17, recited by a television character in an episode of “Marcus Welby MD”, and it imprinted in my brain. I thought it was the most wonderful and idealic expressions of love I’d ever heard. Although I couldn’t really visualize a life that wasn’t youthful, I knew already that I wanted to grow old with Dan. And I completely trusted that “the best was yet to be”.
Robert Browning
Well, over 45 years have come and gone – nearly half a century. (Sheesh right ). And I have realized for years that I am living my dream. Although it hasn’t always been a picnic, and we’ve certainly waded through much struggle over those years, I am indeed growing old with Dan. Ironically, Robert Browning outlived his wife Elizabeth by 28 years, never remarrying. He grew old without her, dying at the age of 77. How very, very sad. But not sadder than the hundreds of similar stories we see unfold all around us. Loving marriages, cut short here on earth by the passing of one. How grateful I am for the promise I have absolute faith in: that families are forever. Because of the atonement of Jesus Christ, families can be sealed together for eternity, and live together in family units forever.
Dan and I are approaching retirement. We hope and we pray for, and we truly look forward to the time to finish growing old together. We have many productive and wonderful years ahead, to spend together and to enjoy our family as they grow old too. But if not. If, for some reason that neither one of us will understand, that is not to be – then we can lean on the knowledge that we have chosen to seal ourselves to each other, with our family, and that we will be reunited in due time, and continue our life together in another place.
Welllll, maybe I don’t absolutely love all of the ‘verb‘ part of it. But I like what it yields. I like the feeling of everything being clean. And I like it enough to do the work necessary to make it a reality. I like the freshness of knowing the medicine cabinet and bathroom cupboards are wiped down and organized, and the mirrors are polished, and corners are wiped clean.
I like dejunking – getting rid of things we really shouldn’t be keeping anymore anyway. I like that the fridge is clean inside and out, that behind it is is clean too. I like the look of a freshly oiled table and sideboard, and the bright clean look of all surfaces that have been oiled. I like clean windows. The truth is, I’m not especially fond of the actual cleanING part – but very fond of the CLEAN part, and so far, in my life – there’s only one way to the desired destination. If I was rich, I’d probably hire someone to come in and do those deep cleaning jobs for me, or at least help me so that I could just skip ahead to the wonderful adjective version of ‘clean’ and not have to wade thru the verb version of it. . . . .
I have many memories of spring cleaning when our kids were home. Some of them are good. Oh well. I guess they’re all kinda good. I just had some lazy-butt kids when it came to spring cleaning, who didn’t always catch the vision of the satisfaction that comes from a job well done. Often times I wondered if the pain of forced labour was worth the price I had to pay for it, but I usually didn’t let that interfere. Especially if they ticked me off.
We made it a habit to use the week of spring-break for spring-cleaning. And by ‘we’, I mean the ‘royal we’ of course. As in – ME. “I” made it a habit to use the week of spring break for spring cleaning. “They” didn’t have much choice. It wasn’t a popular idea, but it had its advantages. I created a list of what needed to be done. The first person who got off their butts to get started, got their choice of jobs, the last person got what nobody else wanted. And of course, their rooms – that went without saying. Everybody over 8 was responsible for their own rooms. Each job was calculated to take the better part of a day to complete. Nothing else could be done during spring break till your job was finished. That should have worked better as an incentive than it often did. There were times when certain individuals spent the whole time feeling sorry for themselves and then the week was done, and they never did get to enjoy their week off school. And then, having wasted their entire spring break getting to do nothing they wanted, they ‘really’ felt sorry for themselves. And they thought I should too. But I didn’t. I just felt sorry for me. And the pain they put me through while they moaned and complained about the injustice of it all.
And now, all these years later, they’re all gone and they have kids of their own, and they can figure out what they want to do about spring cleaning. There are options of course: 1) do nothing and get zero results, 2) be the martyr and do it all yourself, never training your kids how to clean and find joy in a freshly cleaned house, 3) find ways to motivate your family to pitch in and do their part, 4) prevent the need for spring cleaning, by cleaning deeply on a regular basis all year long, which you could do on your own, teaching your kids that some magical fairy godmother is the source of all shiny surfaces, or you could do with the helping hands of those who live in your house. Do I regret being the meanie who made them clean? Nope. Was it easy? Nope. Would I do it again? Yup.
And now, its just me to clean. sigh . . . . and now I have to motivate myself. sigh again . . . . . There are so many other things I’d rather do. But I remind myself: while I don’t especially love the ‘verb‘ part of it, I like what it yields – and there’s only one way to get there.
“Compost is a product that results from the slow decomposition of plant and animal material by living organisms. It is nature’s way of recycling the nutrients that exist in all living things and returning them to the soil to enrich and feed further generations.” – Pauline Pears in Organic Book of Compost.
40% of all household waste is compostable.
So WHO should be composting? And WHAT should we compost? And WHERE would one set up a compost? And WHY would we bother? And HOW do we go about it? HOW does it all work? Lets go through those valid questions.
WHO?
Everyone! You do not need a large yard. You do not need a science degree or expensive equipment. And yes something as simple as kitchen and yard waste can make a difference. Turning what would otherwise be wasted into something valuable is somehow empowering. You are taking control of another area in your life. You are in fact, taking responsibility for managing a good part of the waste you produce, instead of making it someone else’s problem. It is the responsible thing to do. When we look at the big picture, it’s hard to believe that our pitiful contribution can have much environmental impact, but the small project of household compost means we are part of a solution, NOT the problem.
What is the personal benefit our of compost? As in why bother?
Using the compost you produce, helps your future garden grow. It in fact becomes rich, loamy, dark brown soil , “whole food” for plants, providing nutrients and fiber. The more it breaks down the more it improves, making nutrients even more available.
Compost increases your soil’s ability to absorb and retain moisture, which naturally wastes less water, and reduces the need for water.
A natural fertilizer, compost contains balanced amounts of nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium and other important minerals.
Improves the composition and texture of the soil, making heavy clay soil lighter so it drains better, and adding body to sandy soil so that it holds water and nutrients better.
WHAT
What you compost is categorized into two simple groups: GREENS and BROWNS.
GREENS = wet, sappy material that breaks down readily BROWNS = dry fibrous material that is slower to decompose.
A good compost needs a balance of both. Too many greens will make your compost too wet and too many browns will make it too dry. Both conditions will impede proper decomposition and progress. Greens are nitrogen rich, and often referred to as HOT. Hot means they have the ability to burn plants if used in too high of concentrations, or too ‘raw’ – like chicken manure. It also means that it creates heat in compost that is necessary for the breakdown of material.
There is no BEST way to compost. What works best for me, might not work for you at all, and vice versa. What worked for me years ago, doesn’t work anymore. The BEST way for you to compost is the way that’s going to work best for your situation right now. Do you have a big garden? a big yard? so that you can afford more space for your compost? Do you have a small yard? maybe even a town house? perhaps an apartment? When space is limited, naturally you have fewer options for space, but that doesn’t exclude the possibility of having a compost. Don’t make excuses for why you canNOT have a compost. Find ways you can make it work. The secret is to mesh your compost with your lifestyle. If its to inconvenient, good intensions are soon abandoned.
FROM THE HOUSE – I use ALL fruit and vegetable trimmings, scraps and leftovers for compost. I also use paper and cardboard. I do not use meat trimmings or scraps of any kind. (see below)
Citrus – Worth mentioning separately, because there are different schools of thought that warn against using citrus. Evidently, citrus peels take a long time to break down due to the natural chemicals and acidity which repel worms and other microorganisms, sometimes even killing them. Personally, I add citrus and onions (which some also warn against). My thinking is that in the big picture, citrus makes up such a small percentage of my total composting material, that I simply don’t have time to fuss about it. On the other hand, if I had a LOT of citrus, or if I was composting on a very small scale – like in an apartment using worms, I would probably avoid citrus peels because I don’t want to risk hurting my worms. But in a normal household compost, don’t worry about that. Just how many oranges do you eat anyway? I use ALL produce.
Coffee grounds – improve soil looseness. They are a good nitrogen source for composting, but use with moderation as they are acidic and excess acid prevents the compost from heating up. Adding them directly to the garden may be too much direct acid for the novice gardener, but blending them with everything else in your compost is perfect. We don’t drink coffee in our house, so once or twice a year we’ll go to our local Tim Hortons with a pail and ask for their day’s left over grounds. They don’t save them usually, so we leave our pail and pick it up the next day. I remove the paper filters when I dump the pail into our compost bin. In a normal household I wouldn’t hesitate to use whatever coffee grounds are produced. I’d totally call that moderation. Again, how much can one normal household produce?
Meat, fish, fats, oils and dairy – Can these protein foods be composted? Of course they can. Everything that ever lived is compostable. With meat, fish and dairy however, you risk attracting unwelcome pests like flies, mice, and cats, even skunks, racoons and coyotes if you live in an urban area, or bears if you live in rural areas. Its the smell of rotting meat that is offensive to humans but attractive to animals. There are many composters however, who do compost meat, being careful to cover it with a layer of sawdust or other dry material to minimize odours. There are others who say that decomposing meat contains bacteria you don’t want, while others say the heat generated takes care of it. In the end, you-do-you. I prefer not to deal with it.
Paper products – Most paper products are great for composting. Thin printed paper like newspapers are perfect. Help speed up the process by shredding them or ripping them up when you throw them into the bin. Also paper towels and tissues and even shredded cardboard. They are from trees, after all! Avoid coloured glossy paper like magazine pages as they have been treated with coatings to make them so bright. Not only do they not break down well, they contain toxins that are best left avoided. I also add paper towel rolls, toilet paper rolls, paper egg cartons, newsprint flyers that come to the door, some packing papers, as well as many brown cardboards. Just rip them up and add them to your compost bin.
Egg shells – are a rich source of calcium and other essential nutrients that plants need. Not only are they excellent for your compost, but many people also add them directly to the soil they are transplanting vegetables seedlings into. If you throw eggshells directly into your kitchen pail and then transfer it directly to your garden compost, you may find some undecomposed egg shells the following spring. Not to worry, they’ll finish decomposing. But if you take the time to dry your shells, and then crush them before adding them to your compost or garden, you’ll speed up the process, and reduce the inconvenience.
Walnuts – NO. Walnut shells, nuts, leaves and bark should not be used in compost destined for a vegetable garden. Walnut trees release a chemical called juglone which occurs naturally and is toxic to some vegetables and plants. Some say that the leaves can be composted because the juglone toxin breaks down when exposed to air, water and bacteria, with the toxic effect degraded within a few weeks, but to me – why take the chance? In my part of Alberta, walnuts don’t grow anyway, but if you’re in southern BC or the western states, then you already know that walnut trees are not a gardener’s friend, and you already know what to avoid. Apparently, compost containing walnut residue is excellent for lawns. For the rest of us – I choose not to put walnut shells in my compost. Its an easy choice.
Old straw or wood shaving bedding from small pets like hamsters– Yes. Just dump the soiled bedding into your compost bin and let it age like everything else.
Indoor plants that become infested with bugs or disease – NO. Get rid of them. In a bag, into the trash. Don’t risk spreading disease or pests.
FROM THE YARD
First spring mowing – will include a lot of great brown material like dead grass, snow mold, dead leaves etc. HOLD ON! Don’t bag it all up and haul out with the garbage. Mow them up and use as the base of a new compost pile.
Grass clippings throughout the year – Yes – But! Grass clippings are usually green and moist. They matt and break down, but prevent moisture from getting through them when they matt. For this reason its not a good idea to use as plant mulch fresh from the lawn mower. Best to spread them out and maybe even toss them with a fork the next day or two to prevent that matting, and let them dry a bit. I have an area that I have Dan dump the clippings, them I spread it out with a rake. A couple of days later I spread it out again, and that should do it. I don’t want to miss out on their goodness. For the compost bin – absolutely. Green grass is quick to decay, adding nitrogen which helps everything around it decay.
NO – when you’ve recently treated your lawn with weed killer or fertilizer. Give it a mowing or two before adding to your compost.
Garden waste and weeds – Another Yes But! Anything organic from your garden is fabulous and is best returned to it. Some weeds like dandelions, thistles and quack grass, spread through root cuttings, so be prepared that you might be creating more by recycling them. Also, some weeds spread through seeds, so it they’re already gone to seed, you may be recycling those weeds again the following year. If seeds are tough enough to get through a 40 below winter, they’re probably tough enough to make it through the decomposition process of a typical compost.
If you’re weeding before the weeds go to seed, you should be fine to use them. Most weeds that I pull from my garden go straight into the compost.
Wood – Small pieces of wood scraps and small branches are perfect additions to your compost bin. All untreated wood will decompose, but obviously bigger pieces like logs or big branches are going to take a lot longer. Breaking down large branches through a wood chipper will make all the difference.
Sawdust – is another great addition in moderation, but not all sawdust is equal. If the wood has been pressure treated, varnished, stained or painted, the toxic compounds in those chemicals will not break down, and can negatively affect the microorganism activity, and ultimately the health of future plants. This is totally logical, as those chemicals are used to protect the wood from decay in the first place. Not something you want in your garden.
Dog or cat waste – NO! Not in a normal compost as it is yucky, stinky and has bad bacteria. However, there are many who have specific compost containers for it. More power to them. I’m not of that persuasion. That’s all I have to say about that.
Rabbit or Chicken bedding / droppings – *Rabbits: Unlike the droppings of other animals, rabbit pellets are a great addition to any compost and even straight into the vegetable garden at the end of the year. It is generally considered that after six months any pathogens that survived the heat of the compost are sufficiently broken down. Rabbit manure is considered GREEN – so add equal amounts of straw, wood shavings, leaves or other BROWNS to balance it out. It is rich in nitrogen, so is a great way to give your plants the boost they need for strong, healthy growth. If you or your friendly neighbour have rabbits, you’ll always have an excellent source of nitrogen for your compost pile. Yay for Rabbits!
*Chickens: Chicken manure is an excellent addition to your compost. It increases the water holding capacity and beneficial organic makeup of your garden, contributing more of the critical elements – nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (by about three times!) than horse, cow or steer manure! (particularly good for tomatoes bytheway) It is so high in nitrogen (GREENS), you’ll want to be sure you’re adding sufficient BROWNS to balance it, but the way I look at it, I am usually adding chicken manure WITH the straw bedding anyway – so, problem averted.
Don’t be tempted to use it ‘raw’ – straight from the chicken coop. It can burn and damage your plants, as well as potentially carrying pathogens that can harm people. As with other manures, it really should be composted / aged before using. Six to nine months is plenty of time, and since in our climate, your compost is likely frozen much of November through mid April, count one gardening season to the next gardening season. If you use that as a safe rule of thumb and you cannot go wrong.
Ash – Wood ash is great to add IF it is clean ashes. Dan used to use diesel to start his fires in the firepit, but even months later when you shovel out the fire pit, you can still smell the diesel. Bad sign. We also used to burn a lot of scrap wood that was often varnished or otherwise treated. I have made a concerted effort the last few years, to clean up out fire pit burning so that I can use the ashes in the garden. No gas or diesel. No treated wood, including varnished or oil based painted wood. No coal or charcoal ash, as they contains enough sulfur to make the soil excessively acidic, and harmful to plants. Many charcoal briquets are treated with chemicals. When you’re burning old tree logs, leaves and other brown garden waste, your ashes will be a welcome, moderate addition to your compost bin. As with most things in life, moderation is key.
Diseased or pest infested outside plant material – NO. Get rid of them. Once in a while I might lose a Delphinean to some kind of infestation. I cut if off, put it into a plastic bag and dispose of it. I do not want to keep it on the property and risk re-infecting a different area. If you have a plant that died inexplicably, don’t risk passing that disease on. Get rid of it. Remove it completely from your property, in a plastic bag.
WHERE?
Where is it going to work for you? Sometimes you don’t have a whole lotta choice. Ideally, you want it in the sun to keep it warm. Ideally, you want it close to your garden so transferring the finished soil is easy. Ideally, you want it away from your sitting area – for obvious reasons. But ‘ideal’ is not always possible. Sometimes, you just have to put it where it fits. And its not like you’re putting in a foundation. If, in a few years, it needs to be moved, then move it. Don’t fret about the perfect spot for now. Just get it ‘somewhere’ so you can find out if its gonna work there or not. Next spring, you may change your mind if you want.
WHY?
Your compost pile will turn once living matter from your yard and your kitchen into rich, dark, wonderful, soil. Combine yard waste like grass clippings, leaves, and garden weeds with kitchen waste like fruit and vegetable trimmings, even leftover yesterday’s dinner, and you’re good to go. Essentially you’re taking what cannot be used and making it useable. The real question is “WHY NOT?”
Is compost the same as fertilizer?
I like to compare fertilizer to vitamins. For all intents and purposes, it is the same thing: vitamins for plants. Fertilizer feeds plants in a similar way to how vitamin supplements ‘feed’ us. For the record, I am not opposed to vitamins, but they are not ‘food’. And fertilizer is not ‘food’, it is not intended to feed the soil, it is intended to meet the need of specific plants. Rather short term. Compost on the other hand, is food for the soil. It amends the actual composition of the soil, making and keeping it a healthy home in which healthy plants flourish, Compost and organic fertilizers can work together in the same way that nutritious food and good supplements can work together for our body’s health. The organic matter in compost not only increases fertility by providing trace nutrients that plants need, but also increases its ability to hold moisture, which helps release the nutrients in organic fertilizer. Soil that is regularly amended with aged manure and compost is soil that will stay healthy, providing a healthy environment for plants.
HOW?
How do you go about creating your first Compost? or How do you resurrect a compost that wasn’t all that successful?
How does Composting work? Composting will happen with or without you. It is the natural process carried out by millions of tiny creepy crawlies, all uniquely organized for this purpose. Most are microscopic, while others such as worms and insects, you can see. Its that great circle of life. All you have to do is to keep things natural enough that those creatures are welcome and safe in your compost yard.
Different methods There is no end to the different bins/containers for composting you can employ . From big to small, from free to expensive, from an eyesore to fitting right into your garden – and everything in between. If you’re handy and like the DIY thing, you can make make your own with wood, or a garbage can, or buy one already to go. Your available space will likely be the biggest influencer in your options and will ultimately determine your decision.
Our first attempts at composting were with varying degrees of success.
#1 was just a wooden frame and we put everything in it with no idea of how to layer, what not to add, how to toss and even what to expect. To sum it up, it was pretty much an organic garbage pile and very unsightly. It was also in a spot visible from the alley, which didn’t endear us to our neighbours I’m sure. And because we didn’t have an end goal, we never really knew when it was ‘done’. I’d like to forget about that one, and my apologies to all our former neighbours, who for the record, were all kind and patient with us. We were young, and most of them were considerably older. I think they thought our efforts were ‘cute’ and they were just glad someone was taking care of the property .
Our #2 was slightly better. Another house. We dug a hole in the far corner of our garden and we tossed everything into it. We had a better idea, but a marginally better plan. In the early spring, we forked it out and spread the resulting rich soil, but other than that, we hardly ever paid attention to it. Unfortunately, on the other side of the fence our neighbours had a nice tidy sitting area. Our compost attracted flies and apparently had an odour we hadn’t made note of. Our neighbour was kind, but asked if we could cover it for his benefit. Sorry again.
the UPRIGHT plastic bin
Our #3 was the purchase of a black upright bin. It cost about $100 which was really pricey for us in those days, but at least it was contained. We filled it up throughout the warm months, let it sit for the winter, and tipped it over in the spring to fork out the resulting soil. There was always a upper layer that didn’t break down, so we put that in the bottom of the current year’s collection. It was more successful. And tidier. The black colour kept it warm in the summer, which helps. My one criticism was that it didn’t allow for much air circulation. That perhaps affected the final result, but it was still adequate for our needs.
Over the years, I paid a little more attention to layering better with greens and browns. Dan and I had different expectations from our compost, and different opinions about what should go into it. *For instance, he didn’t like putting corn husks or cobs into the compost because there were always rogue ‘undigested’ cobs (and egg shells) the following spring. I on the other hand, didn’t mind that. They just got mixed up with the rest of the soil in the spring, and soon enough ceased to exist. That was good enough for me. And in corn season, corn on the cob is a family favourite, so we always had plenty of corn compostables in August. I couldn’t bear to waste them. *Dan always put the first spring yard mowings into bags and hauled them out to the garbage cans for pick up. He was all about ‘tidy’. If I saw them in time, I’d haul them back into the yard and dump them in the compost ‘area’ as my bin couldn’t handle it all. I am all about ‘compost’. We’re not always on the same page lol. *If there was anything identifiable left in the compost bin when we emptied it in the spring, Dan felt that it was a failure and we should stop doing it because clearly we don’t know how. I on the other hand, didn’t expect everything to have disappeared, and I didn’t mind those last contributions from the year before still looking like their former lives. So we just agree to not talk about it, and I take care of the compost. It works. We’ve found our peace.
When we moved to our current house, we brought our black upright bin with us, where it served us well for many years. But it began showing its age, and last spring, died. I threw the top half in the garbage and continued using the bottom half till it didn’t suffice anymore. I gave it a proper funeral, and we came up with another style that so far is working beautifully. See below.
the TUMBLER:
A tumbler is a bin designed to turn on an axle or to roll, allowing the ingredients to mix as it is turned. If you have a small yard and garden which is visible to your back deck, then a tumbler may be a good fit. It is neat and tidy, rotates easily – keeping the compost itself tossed and aerated. As it is a closed unit, you don’t have to worry about a bad smell or animals getting into it, and its easy to dump out. It speeds up the process from the whole season, to about half the time.
A tumbler is limited in size and so you’re restricted in the amount you can compost – which may suit you just fine if you don’t have a big yard anyway. They can be kinda pricey, but there are always options to maybe pick one up second hand, or to make one yourself. You will need to make sure you balance your contents out by putting in brown material or you could end up with a stink slimy mess of rotten kitchen produce. They generally have a trap door for adding material, adding water if needed and from which to dump the finished product.
homemade wooden bin with wire netting
I love this style. It is compact, but big enough to last a typical backyard garden all season.
The wire allows for air circulation. The lid can be closed if there is a lot of rain, but still allows the sun to still do its magic. I love the trap door in the front which makes it accessible to fork out the bottom next spring.
If its made with cedar it could be a little pricey, but will last a long time, so it will be worth it in my opinion. I’ve seen this same style made with three compartments, allowing for bigger yards, bigger gardens, more material.
Repurposed plastic garbage can
This is our #4 Compost bin, and it is perfect for us right now. It is an extra large garbage can turned upside down. Dan cut the bottom out for me to make a new ‘top’. He drilled lots of holes around the main body to allow for air. I filled it last summer so we added a second toward the end of the season. The idea is to simply tip it over in the spring, like I did for years with the black one, then fork out the new soil. Because our compost area is in the very back of our garden, it is rarely visible so it doesn’t need to be ‘pretty’. It is surprising how ‘full’ a compost bin can get and how much it compacts. This can was full to overflowing more than a couple of times during the season, and things would settle as it decomposed, always making room for other material. When I went out to have a look at it recently, it is only about half full, although I know that at the end of the season last fall, I couldn’t put anything else in it.
This image is from a reader – Meagan Kessler, and I am using it with her permission. Look in the upper left of center, about 11:00, to see a garbage can painted the same colour as her fence (brilliant bytheway). It has the bottom cut out of it, and several holes drilled into the body of it to all for more airflow and therefore, better composition. It is the perfect solution for her small townhouse lot. Meagan said she would did a hole in the spring and empty its mostly composted contents into it, where it would finish the process. Though Meagan says it was less than ideal, it worked well for her over 14 years. At the end of the day, you’d still end up ahead by repurposing all those food scraps and putting them back into your soil. I think its a great example of using what you have, and making what you have work. Thank you Meagan.
Basic Needs
There really is no ‘right’ container, and no ‘wrong’ container. It is completely about what’s gonna work for your situation: your garden/yard size, your budget, your skill level, your level of commitment to composting, your preferences. – Your compost needs a healthy place to BE. – It needs a good balance of greens and browns. Browns like sticks and cardboard etc, give the compost structure and provide air pockets. – Your compost needs air. – Greens give it nitrogen which speeds up the decomposition. – It needs moisture, but we all know, that too much ‘wet’ is not good either. If it is pouring rain for days, its good to have a lid to keep your compost from flooding and drowning the tiny creatures that live there. You’ll know if its too wet, it will be slimy and mucky and may begin to smell bad. – There should be good drainage so that water doesn’t build up in the bottom. Normally, mine just sits on the ground. Sometimes I have small branches and twigs in the bottom, sometimes I’ve even raised the black upright container a little off the ground with bricks or logs. – Warmth keeps a compost happy. It can’t always be in a sunny spot – we all know there are only so many of those to go around, but try to at least situate it in a warm spot.
Compost is Ready
In the central Alberta climate I live in, (zone 3A), traditional composting season is generally from May through September. I start mine as soon as it is warm enough to dump out last year’s compost – and that is usually further into May than I think it should be. That big clump of compost sometimes takes an extra week or two to thaw – depending on the spring, and how much sun gets to it. But as soon as it has warmed up a bit and I can pull the bin off of it, then its ready to use. It will be dark brown in colour, and look suspiciously like ‘soil’ lol. It will have a pleasant ‘earthy’ smell. Don’t expect it to look like a bag of purchased compost, it’s not likely to be ready all at once. Some of it had most of the summer to decompose, while the last of it was added at the end of the season just before the cold weather hit. There will still be lumps in it, perhaps some egg shells, a few corn cobs, twigs etc. If you’re like me, you likely have some leftover brown material on the top. Don’t worry about that. Just put it in the bottom of your new season’s compost and build on top of it. It can show the new stuff how to do it right.
I use it right away, and I always wish I had more. This year, I’m starting out with two big cans, so I’m hoping to have lots. Use it on top of your garden beds. It’s actually better to leave it on top rather than work it in. That way, the rain will help break it down, and bring the nutrients down will it, into the soil. Use it in your vegetable garden, as mulch around your flower beds, and tomato plants, or mixed with your potting soil. Use around your fruit trees and current bushes.
GREEN MANURE or COMPOST
Comfrey is a perennial herb that has a very deep tap root which draws minerals to the surface and into its large fuzzy leaves. It grows fast and tall, and can be cut a couple of times during the growing season to make a compost activator or to use as a green mulch. Sometimes I chop it down while Dan is mowing the lawn. He mows over top of the comfrey pile, chopping the leaves into mulch, so that I can remove the mower bag and use the mulch wherever I decide I need it.
Another excellent green compost are pea vines. Pretty much do the same thing I do with comfrey. Throw them on the lawn and mow them up. Then throw them into the compost or use as mulch in the garden.
TRENCH COMPOSTING
Early in the spring I am usually ready to start composting before my compost bin from last year is ready to be emptied. I don’t want to add ‘fresh’ kitchen scraps on top of last year’s compost. Sometimes the compost isn’t even completely thawed yet. So what to do? Trench compost. I dig a hole in a part of the garden I am not going to grow root crops. Perhaps zucchini, butternut squash, lettuce, swiss chard, beans, etc.
If its a one time thing, dig a hole and bury it. Simple as that. If you plan to use the method for a week or two, dig narrow trenches, about a foot deep and the width of your shovel. Heap the soil along side of the trench. Then, as your kitchen scraps become available, dump them into the trench, spreading dirt over each section as you fill it. When your real compost bin is ready, cover it over with 4 or more inches of dirt and pretend its not there. Plant your seeds and enjoy knowing that you have buried treasure in your garden.
I’d love to hear of your adventures with composting, your opinions, and your feedback.
There are some basic truths that rule life, no matter what culture or religion we come from. One that, whether we like it or not, we’re all subject to – is the “Law of the Harvest“. What exactly is that? Well, it is very simple and straight forward – essentially “We reap what we sow“. One of life’s great lessons.
Joy of the Harvest by Simon Dewey
A cousin of the Law of the Harvest is “the LAW OF ATTRACTION” which, simply put, is that “like energy attracts like energy”. A negative, complaining type of person always has something to complain about because they find the negative in everything, while a positive, cheerful person always finds the good to be happy about. I’m sure we all can think of examples of both types of people, and can acknowledge that they create self fulfilling realities for themselves. The law of attraction however, goes further. It is based on the idea that people and thoughts are made up of pure energy and that not only can a person attract positive or negative experiences through their positive or negative thoughts and affirmations, but that the process can literally improve one’s health, wealth and personal relationships. I believe this. To a certain extent. But I feel there is a critical component missing.
Let me explain. Harvest is a natural law, a tangible, physical, visual, easy-to-understand law. It says that harvest always comes after a season of sowing. Every farmer and backyard gardener understands the intimate relationship of sowing and reaping. And it is an analogy that transcends beautifully into all aspects of our lives, including spiritual applications.
“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” Galations 6: 7
In 1903, British philosopher James Allen published a book that he called AS A MAN THINKETH. It is based on Psalm 23:7 “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he“, and follows the process of the mind guiding our footsteps as we progress along the pathway of life. “Purity of mind leads inevitably to purity of life, to the precious love and understanding that should control our everyday acts and attitudes towards friends and foes.” he wrote, and his life exemplified his philosophy.
James Allen, author of As a Man Thinketh
Born into a working class family in England, James was the older of two brothers. His mother could neither read nor write. His father was a factory knitter. In 1879, following a downturn in the textile trade of central England, James’ father travelled alone to America to find work and establish a new home for the family. Within the first two days of arriving in New York City, his father was killed, believed to be a victim of robbery and murder. At the tender age of fifteen, James was forced to leave school and find work to support his family.
Having a better education than either of his parents, he eventually found work as a private secretary in several British manufacturing companies, and by his early thirties, was earning his living in journalism and reporting. He married, and found an occupation writing for a magazine where he could rely upon his spiritual and social interests and skill as a writer. This provided him the time and opportunity to be creative, and he published his first of many books, including “As a Man Thinketh”. James and his wife Lily, had only one daughter Nora. He died at the untimely young age of only 47, having written several books, and leaving material that would be published into several more. His words have had a positive impact on generations, and they illustrate the use of the power of thought to increase personal capabilities. Although he personally never achieved great fame or wealth, his words continue more than a century later, to influence people around the world.
The underlying premise of “As a Man Thinketh”, is that noble thoughts make a noble person, while lowly thoughts make a miserable person. Truly, he knew of that which he wrote. A lesser man could easily have let his difficult beginnings pull him down into a defeated life, but against all odds he rose above it. What he learned through a lifetime of application, was that purity of mind can bring happiness and confidence. By magic? By some miraculous process of magnetism? Not at all. But through hard work, and by applying guiding principles that he learned through heartfelt searching. No doubt his father’s tragic death and his family’s economic hardship shaped his future development. He observed that many people were trying to improve their worldly position without seeking spiritual betterment, when he had learned the opposite was true: that by seeking spiritual betterment one gained the power to improve worldly position. He didn’t teach about getting rich, or seeking power, except as it applied to personal empowerment to ACT. And it was through acting upon the truths he learned, that he created a good and fulfilling life for himself and his family.
Through his book, James Allen pointed the true way to a better life. “Out of a clean heart comes a clean life and a clean body,” he wrote, and likewise “Out of a defiled mind proceeds a defiled life and a corrupt body.”
James Allen may have introduced the concept of the law of attraction, but since then, it’s taken a turn that I kinda doubt he would be proud to be connected with. In its basic form – to me, the principle of attraction sidetracks at best, the part God plays in our betterment. For some reason, it seems to attribute the attraction of good to some mystic force of the universe, some inner energy without a name. It circumvents the missing piece of the puzzle. That piece is ACTION. Action follows intent. Intent alone – no matter how much energy we spend thinking about it, is insufficient to bring about change necessary for a different result.
Viktor Frankl – neurologist, psychiatrist, philosopher, author, and Holocaust survivor
Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl proved that while we cannot always alter the outer forces of our experiences, we can determine the type of person we allow ourselves to become. He said “When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves. Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms — to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” Viktor Frankl and James Allen could have been great friends if they had lived in the world at the same time. Each of them was influenced by their unique and tragic circumstances, and yet rose above them. Neither pretended it was easy, but their ‘thinking’ ultimately changed their lives.
And that brings us back to where I began – THE LAW OF THE HARVEST. It is a foundational gospel truth. One that we can count on to apply in all aspects of our lives. Yes, it is possible from time to time, for our harvest to be slightly delayed, tricking us into thinking we got away with something. But in the end it always catches up, and we WILL reap what we sow; in the end, we WILL get what we deserve.
That isn’t a threat, and it certainly isn’t always negative, although I admit, sometimes it comes across that way. To every action there is simply a consequence. Years ago, a teacher demonstrated this principle visually for me with a pencil on the table. We may only pick up only one end of the pencil, but the other end is unavoidably affected. We may choose an action, but we cannot choose the consequence. There will always be a consequence, and in many cases that consequence is a pre-selected, natural result – governed by nature.
Ben
I knew a handsome young man once who consistently made poor choices, but rarely seemed to pay their price. I’ll call him Ben. Inevitably Ben’s poor choices would catch up and then pile up, and suddenly some spark would ignite the whole pile, and the world would come crashing down on him in consequence of his latest series of poor choices. Most of those times, Ben chose not to take accountability for the results. It was always easier to blame others, or circumstances beyond his ability to control. Of course, it is more comfortable that way. Not very productive, but a whole lot more comfortable to never accept responsibility for ones failures.
Eventually Ben started making better choices, some might even say – excellent choices. Choices that were difficult, and didn’t show too much comfort in the immediate future, and which required firm resolve and commitment to follow through with them. But the consequences of his previous poor choices had long lasting results and he still had to pay the piper. For a time it seemed that no matter how much he did right, he still lived with the ill consequences of his prior actions. He was still reaping – albeit a little late, the dismal harvest he originally sowed. And ironically, that harvest continued to be in affect a long time after his attitude changed course.
A couple years into these better choices, Ben began to see better results. He had become so accustomed to living with his prior consequences, that he was unprepared when they began to fade into the background. One day he realized his life had taken a turn for the better and he literally marveled at the good place in which he found himself. But it was not by accident, nor coincidence, nor even simply a change of heart. The fact was, that the unfortunate consequences had nearly all run their course, and he was starting to live with the results of his better choices. The natural consequences of THEM. A much fuller harvest.
Specifically, how did the Law of the Harvest apply in Ben’s life? He paid a price for his poor choices. At the time the price seemed disproportionately high to him, and lasted too long, and in some ways, he is still living with the regrets of some of them. But he has placed them in the past and moved forward. When his choices matured, and his actions followed, he began reaping a richer harvest.
Amelia
Amelia is a lovely young mother with a handful of cute kids. Now if you’ve never had four or five kids at the same time, trust me – some days can be challenging, even overwhelming. I get it. And overwhelmed she was. Amelia began to dream of the education she wished she had taken seriously in her younger, pre-mom days. And it became easier to escape into a desire to improve her mind, than it was to take care of her children. She justified it of course, because who can find fault with the desire to improve one’s education? It is a noble goal. But the timing was now difficult. Children aren’t ‘hobbies’. They are living, breathing human beings with personalities and potential. Their health and well being is completely dependent upon their parents. They literally have CLAIM upon us, legally, morally, and eternally.
The truth was, Amelia found reading her ‘lessons’ more fulfilling than doing dishes, changing diapers and cleaning house. She found the things that she was learning were insightful, satisfying, and rewarding. The more she escaped to her studies, the worse life became around the house. Who’s gonna make the meals? Not mom. She’s busy improving her mind. Who’s gonna clean the house, take the kids to school, help them with homework, ensure they get their chores done, learn personal grooming, develop good friendships and interpersonal skills, gain confidence to deal with challenges and to go into the big wide world? Not mom. She’s busy improving her mind and getting the education she wished she got when she was younger. Can you see where this was headed?
The result was a house of chaos, and the more chaotic it became, the more Amelia retreated behind closed doors to study her ‘lessons’ – because after all, she had important things to do. Education was important, and she was choosing it. It made her feel good. It was much more meaningful that the lowliness of housework, and the drudgery of meal planning – both of which as we all know, never-Ever end. But no matter how distracted you are, there are basics that need to be done in any household, especially where there are children. So who was preparing the meals? Doing the laundry? Doing the shopping? It isn’t that Amelia didn’t love her children. Any one could see she did. She simply found it easier to depend on others to rescue her when she so often fell behind. She got used to friends bringing in family meals. Often. She got used to friends coming in and cleaning when the house got away from her. She began thinking it was her ‘due’. She expected it. She couldn’t even count the times her well-meaning friends and neighbours had helped out with various things – trying to lighten her load. Sometimes when the meal wasn’t just right, or it was a few minutes late, or was too similar to what someone else brought recently, she’d even complain. Just a little.
The Law of the Harvest was gonna play out in Amelia’s situation; of that there was never any doubt. In fact, it already was. And it was beginning to look tragic.
If I had a relationship of trust with Amelia, the first thing I would suggest she do, is to visualize what kind of harvest she wants at the end of this metaphorical ‘season’. My guess is that in her heart of hearts, she’d want happy, healthy children – equipped to handle the adult world confidently, who know and love their Heavenly Father, and keep his commandments. I believe she’d want to have a happier marriage, where both she and her spouse were not only contributing active parents, but equal loving partners. If I am right, I might suggest she look at her current actions and ask herself serious questions like: “How is this action going to help my son have a better day in school tomorrow? my daughter be a good friend? show my children that I love them and that home is a safe and happy place? How is this going to help my children grow into the happy, confident individuals I want them to be? How will this help me be a better mother and/or a better spouse, and show my spouse that I value him?” and so forth . . .
If the honest answer to any of these questions is “Its not” then, I might suggest its time to reassess the action. Children grow up all too soon, there will be time for Amelia to catch up on her education. It’s alright for her to lay it aside for the time being and focus on those who need her.
How awful would it be, to finally reach the top of the ladder we spend years climbing, only to find out it is leaning against the wrong wall?
Specifically, how can Amelia use “the Law of the Harvest” to guide her life? Amelia planted tomatoes in the sun, and she waters them when she feels motherly, but she’s expecting others to stake them and prune them.
She could try to understand that as a mother, she owes her children more than she is currently giving them. By nurturing the seeds she’s already sown, she will be investing in a more rewarding harvest at the end of season, with fewer regrets. Taking care of the immediate priority of children now, doesn’t imply that she will never be able to fulfill her dream of getting her degree. Not at all. To everything there is a season. Delaying the harvest of one, for the harvest of another that is more important, and by necessity more immediate – is not failure. It is a conscious choice of priority.
Alex
Alex was a sales rep for a well known tech company. His company was the biggest in the country, and he was one of the top sales reps in his region. His clients were professionals, and he was a man of no small reputation. Some time ago, a competing company hired Alex, thinking to benefit from his experience and success in the field, and perhaps even to gain some of his existing customers.
They soon discovered however, that though he was knowledgeable in his field, he was arrogant and unteachable. They learned that though he could give exemplary service, he rarely did; he didn’t like being inconvenienced. Yes, he represented his company with confidence, but he was pushy and impatient with prospective clients. He was the top of the food chain and he liked it there. He felt that he shouldn’t have to work as hard as others did anymore, after all, his ship had already come in. And it was a yacht. His reputation among his clients and peers was now one of mixed reviews. Some respected his knowledge, others resented his arrogance. Some appreciated his confidence, others did not feel he valued their opinions.
Specifically, how is the Law of the Harvest playing out in Alex’s life? At some point, Alex had sown good seed to get where he was. Because the harvest he was currently reaping was the result of previous work, Alex is choosing to not pay attention to how things are changing. Perhaps his previous company had an edge earlier, because of something completely independent of him, and he may have been in the right place at the right time. Perhaps existing clients simply don’t like change, so they stuck with him out of habit. Who knows? Whatever the truth is, his previous reputation and professional success was a harvest he happily reaped. But he forgot about the principle of choice and accountability, and its close tie to the law of the Harvest. He neglected to take into consideration how small the professional world in his field is, and how reputation spreads. With his current attitude and work ethic, he is now sowing an entirely different crop than the one he wanted. He wants tomatoes, but he was caring for them as if they were hostas. Hostas don’t want sun; tomatoes must have it. If you want tomatoes Alex, you must do more than put the seed into the ground. You must give them what they need to flourish.
Frank
Sometimes we get in our own way and we refuse to take responsibility for our own faults. Frank is not getting the shifts he wants at work. He feels persecuted by his supervisor, and is considering filing a complaint with the union. Frankly, (no pun intended), he is lazy and has a reputation for shuffling off when there’s work to be done. Colleagues don’t like working with him, and some have even asked not to. The problem is, that Frank convinces himself he is a good employee, and tells anyone who wants to hear it. He doesn’t think there is anything amiss with his performance.
Sometimes we need to take a long hard look at ourselves and ask what our responsibility is when we are not seeing the desired harvest. I have no idea what can be done for someone who is so blind to their own faults.
Helen
Helen is negative about most things: her job and the people she works with, her neighbours, her friends, her spouse, her in-laws, . . . . . She has a hard time seeing the good in people and talks ‘smack’ about them behind their backs. When people hear what she says about others, they wonder what she says about them. She has a victim mentality and feels like everyone is out to get her (and by extension, her family). She is quick to be offended, and has no problem telling people off when she is. She considers herself a loyal friend, but usually that means taking up their fight with them. Consequently she doesn’t have a good group of friends who want to be around her. Her nature makes it difficult sometimes to recognize the blessings she has in her life.
Like Frank, Helen may need to take a long hard look in the mirror to discover her responsibility when she doesn’t see her desired harvests. The most important thing she needs to recognize, is that many of her problems are self made. She can learn to alter her thinking with a little hard work, but first she must be able to accept that the common denominator in all she finds wrong with her world, might be herself. And that is not an easy thing to admit. For anyone.
Dean
Dean just got laid off. He hadn’t seen it coming, and assumed it never would. He had had a government position, and kinda felt that he was immune from such things. Like thousands of others, he had been working a lot from home during the Covid months, but was asked to come into the office Monday. That was that. Done. A fair severance, but no job. Understandably, it took a few days to digest it and to be able to talk about it. He reviewed his family’s situation: He had three young children at home. His wife had been working part time – picking up shifts now and again. He had been with his current employer for almost a decade and had a good reputation there; he knew he could get some good references. He and his wife had a house with a mortgage of course. They didn’t live outside of their means. They paid an honest tithing, and understood the blessings that came from doing so. They had a couple of older vehicles that he always kept in good condition. Most importantly, other than their mortgage, they had strictly avoided debt. What a relief that was at the moment! He felt sure that that fact alone was going to reduce the stress and nervousness of being between jobs for awhile.
Hard to say how long it might take for Dean to find another job in this market. Thankfully, they have some modest savings that they’d have to be careful with, but when combined with his severance, it will help. But back to the debt thing. They have NO credit card debt! No heavy monster interest hanging over their heads.
Specifically, how does “the Law of the Harvest” apply here? One cannot assume that doing one’s best will shield them from trials. Trials are inherent to our mortal experience, and we can learn a lot from them, but there are things we can do in preparation to prevent them from being worse than they have to be. We can in fact, soften their blow. By paying an honest tithing, and avoiding credit card debt, Dean protected himself and his family in the very best way he could have. Although this unemployment experience was not on his radar, he was prepared for it. He understands that while it is only a bump in the road, it could be a big bump. But it is not the harvest. The harvest is yet to come.
~
The moral of these stories is singular: “If you want tomatoes, plant TOMATOES.” Plant exactly what you hope to sow. Tomato seeds yield tomato plants, which in turn produce more tomato seeds. Keep your desired harvest in mind: TOMATOES. Choose your actions intentionally. Whatever they are, YOU WILL REAP WHAT YOU SOW. Using my friends Ben, Amelia, Alex, Frank, Helen and Dean as examples, consider the seeds you are currently planting, and ask yourself if those are the ones you really want to harvest? At one time Alex sowed tomatoes, but he hasn’t taken care of them for a long time, and he cannot expect to continue to reap a harvest he is no longer nurturing.
sometimes we Sabotage ourselves with self defeating behaviour
When one finds problems overwhelming, or maybe even painful, it is tempting to find a bandage, some kind of self-medicating behaviour, rather than learning from those experiences or developing strategies to work through them. Self medicating behaviours are ones that offer relief from pain, or fear-of-failure, and though some can be helpful in the short term, many times they are counterproductive. Self medicating behaviours that remove the worst of our fears, might take the form of alcohol, drugs, inappropriate relationships, self harm, over eating, over exercising, pornography, over spending, excessive indulgences, and so forth. The problem with this solution is that eventually it wears off. And reality comes back into focus, revealing the same problem that never really went away, and has now resurfaced. And we have still not developed skills to deal with it. Instead of learning skills to improve, we have simply learned to escape, and very often have introduced a new problem that can be worse than the original. Addiction.
The more one employs escape strategies, the more dependent we become on them. We find relief there. In our self medicating behaviour we chill out, we become more confident, we like ourselves better, we lose our usual inhibitions. Its a happy place for us. But soon enough it ends again, and we’re back to where we started – again. And the only things we seem to be learning, are quicker ways to escape those things we find difficult. Addiction is forming. Addiction to what? Addiction to whjhjhatever behaviour you are employing to avoid the pain you are living with. The longer you go on, the more serious your addiction becomes and the less you are equipped to deal with the new consequences that it brings with it.
And of course, there will be a reaping of this too.
In my studies and reflection, I have come up with five principles of the Law of the Harvest. They’re not official, not very profound, and probably never gonna be written anywhere else but here. But they are personal to me, learned through my experience. Understanding them helps me apply them to my benefit, and they help me hold myself accountable. Perhaps you may find them of benefit as well.
Lesson 1 – We Reap what we sow
Look ahead. What is it you WANT to end up with? If you want tomatoes, start by PLANTING tomatoes. Find out all that tomatoes need to thrive and do you very best to give it to them. They need as much sun as possible, so pick a sunny spot. They need nutrients, so make sure their soil is rich, continually adding to it with compost and mulch. They need air, so prune and stake them to ensure they have space to grow, and air flow to prevent disease. They need water, but water remaining on their leaves may cause disease, so water from beneath. When you ensure tomatoes have the very best environment and care, you can reasonably expect a bountiful harvest of beautiful, flavourful, nourishing tomatoes. Taking shortcuts in any of these areas will reduce the quality of your harvest. Planting marigolds will not give you a basketful of tomatoes. And letting dandelions flourish will not give you a basketful of tomatoes.
Reading text books will not get your kitchen cleaned up, and meals made. Browsing Pinterest, and flipping through magazines will not give you the kitchen you desire. Staying in bed all day because you’re overwhelmed, with not help your kids learn the golden rule and develop feelings of self worth.
When you have decided what you WANT in a final harvest, plant THOSE seeds, and NURTURE them along the whole season.
Lesson 2 – Sometimes the harvest is not immediate
Trying to cheat the natural consequences of our actions prevents us from valuable learning opportunities and preparation. We simply will not develop the skills we should have. Our world is governed by natural laws; its how we know objects will fall down instead of up, how we know the sun will rise in the morning, and why we know the rain will get us wet. These are things we can count on, without which life would be chaos.
Sometimes we make poor decisions, choices others may even have warned us not to make, actions that we innately sense are not for our own good, . . . nevertheless, we don’t suffer. In fact, everything seems to continue on pretty much as normal. We enjoy the immediate fruits of over spending, we neglect to change the oil in our car regularly, or maintain tire pressure properly, and yet it seems to run fine, we eat poorly but our health doesn’t suffer, we don’t study but we do well in class, …. etc. The delay of consequences can be empowering. We might even feel that we cheated them. Then all of a sudden, the exam looms and we know we’re going in unprepared, we can’t afford to pay the bills, the motor in our car fails and our tires wear out quicker than they should, our lack of energy catches up to us, and we seem to be getting sick a lot, . . . . . . Our lack of preparatory work becomes painfully evident, and bluffing our way through isn’t working anymore. It seems the whole world comes crashing down all at the same time, and we can’t “catch a break”. We compare ourselves to others, and fail miserably. And most importantly, we are stressed to the max, and unhappy.
Then the opposite may also be true from time to time. We try our best. We do everything we know how to do, to abide by ‘the rules’ associated with promised blessings. We work tirelessly, we follow the golden rule, we put God first, we pray for help, we teach our children, we show them by example the path we’d like them to follow, . . . and yet it seems, the same problems continue to plague us. We can’t get ahead, the light at the end of the tunnel seems so far away we can’t see it clearly, our kids choose paths we know will bring them misery. I’ve been there, I know how discouraging some of those things can feel. But I have learned that no matter what it looks like now, the promised harvest is absolutely assured. We must carry on, stay the course, do the right thing because IT IS the right thing, having faith that God is in control.
A favourite scripture of mine says: “There is a law irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated – and when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.” (D&C 130:20,21) I have seen it come true time and time again. I have absolute confidence in it. You might say it has become a mantra to me, encouraging me on, trusting that God is in control and that I will receive the promised blessing.
Lesson 3 – Trust that the harvest WILL come, and it will be exactly what we sowed.
We live in an immediate gratification world that sometimes makes us believe everything should happen instantaneously. That’s hard to argue with, when so much around us reinforces it. Infinite information is a only a click away. We talk to anyone we want, practically anytime we want, from wherever we happen to be. New furniture is ours with the click of a mouse, delivered to our door next Monday. There is an app for everything. Instant results. We don’t like to wait, and we don’t see why we should have to. Hey, I live in the same world. I am as guilty as anyone else.
So how do we trust in something that doesn’t seem to be happening quick enough? How do we learn to step back, take a breath and have confidence in something we seemingly have no assurance of? Well, there are some things we DO have assurance of. Some things that we can count on.
“I the Lord am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise.” (D&C 82:10)
“Do what I say.”? . . . I can do that. I want to do that. I will do that. I made a commitment long ago to do that. Sometimes I might have to learn His will on a particular subject, but when I do, I will do whatever is necessary to align myself to it. Why? Because of this assurance: “My words are sure and shall not fail, …. wherefore be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great. Behold the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind; …. ” (D&C 64:31-34)
I decided long ago that there was no one I wanted bound to me, more than God. His counsel here is simple and straight forward, hard to misunderstand: “DO WHAT I SAY”. His promise is equally simple and straight forward: “I THE LORD AM BOUND”. The opposite is true in reverse “when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise.”
~
Someone recently told me that not only was I relying on unsustainable promises regarding the law of the harvest, but that I was encouraging others to put too much stock in harvests that may never come. She pointed out that sometimes a gardener plants and cares for a garden only to lose it through no fault of his or her own. Drought. Disease. Hail. Early frost. Any number of rotten tricks that nature can play on us will affect a harvest. And can even remove a season’s harvest completely from the picture. I know that. I’ve lost seasons’ harvests to unexpected early frosts, to hail and to other things beyond my control. But it has not diminished my testimony of the bigger picture.
Many years ago, we had an experience that taught me a life long lesson, that became the foundation of what would develop into a strong testimony of this principle. It is a lesson that I have seen recur multiple times, not just in my own life, but in the lives of those I love. Dan and I lived in a small Alberta city – Camrose. Our first baby had just been born, Dan was working in a bank there, and we began to set down roots, expecting Camrose to be our home for some time to come. We bought a modest home that we were to take possession of July 1, and since it was empty, we asked if we could plant a garden before we moved in. It was to be our first ‘real’ garden in our very own ‘real’ home. We felt so grown up.
We planted the garden. I have no idea what we planted in it, only that we did. About the middle of June, Dan lost his job. Big surprise, and overnight everything changed. We couldn’t take possession of the house obviously, and we had already put in notice with our landlord. So we packed up and moved into Dan’s mom’s basement while we tried to figure out what we were going to do from there. By September, Dan was back at school upgrading, working on the weekends delivering pizza, and we found a little apartment in our old ward on the west side of Edmonton. Friends in the ward were harvesting their own gardens and we received garden gifts from time to time. Cucumbers here, tomatoes there, lettuce, carrots and beets – it was wonderful. One day I mentioned to my new friend Shirley Clelland, “I didn’t even have a garden this year, and yet I am harvesting probably more than I would have if I had had one .” She offered a perspective I had never considered, with a gospel truth I had not known.
“You may not have harvested your own garden Cindy,” she said “but you DID plant a garden. And it is because of your garden that you are being blessed this way.“ She pointed out the principle of obedience. That promise that when we obey a law, we receive the blessings associated with it. Plain and simple – according to her. The prophet said “plant a garden” – we had. The circumstances surrounding the fact that we didn’t harvest it were incidental. The principle stood. She bore testimony to me in her straight forward way, that I could count on that principle all the days of my life. “There is a law irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated.” she recited, “And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which is is predicated.” (D&C 130:20,21) I didn’t know it then, but my life changed that day.
I had seen the fruit of the principle with my own two eyes. And yes, Shirley was right, I had planted a garden. Pitiful though it might have been, I had been obedient. I had tried my best to obey. That was all that mattered. God is in the details. When we get stuck in expecting the harvest to look exactly how we think it should, we may miss a lot.
Lesson 4 – Don’t discount a harvest simply because it looks different than you expected
Assurance of a harvest doesn’t mean you’re always gonna have a bumper crop of tomatoes. It doesn’t guarantee employment, or freedom from problems. And obeying gospel laws and principles doesn’t protect us from all of life’s trials. But it will frame them differently, and it will make all the difference in the final outcome.
We’ve had our share of unemployment. Along with many others in the economic downturn Alberta experienced in the mid 1980’s, we lost our house. Dan went back to school and worked part time when we had four children. There were many hard things about those years, and in the following years of repaying student loans. And there were great blessings too, although none of them looked much like money. We learned the importance of having a Food Storage, and we relied upon it. We learned to live within our means. We learned the difficult lesson of staying out of debt. Dan got a job he enjoyed with the government, and we got on with the business of raising our children.
In 1996 we bought a failing business that we believed we could turn around. An independent niche Bookstore. It wasn’t a dream we’d always had, it simply presented itself one day, and it felt like the right thing to do. Dan continued to work full time, and I took over the management of it. Our kids all worked there over the years we owned it, and there were many wonderful things that came from those years. But it was very hard too. 60 hour weeks. The first four years of no income from it – every dollar went back into it, paying off the bank loan, overhead, stock, freight, staff, . . . . etc etc etc. About five years later, we had a big surprise. One day Dan went to work as usual, and was home two hours later.
Downsized. It took our breath away. We were stunned. Could hardly speak. It took a few days before we could even tell the kids. We had five children by then, our daughter had just gotten married, our oldest son had recently returned from a mission. Our other boys were aged 11 – 17. While we sat together in a family meeting, our oldest asked the question that was on everybody’s mind: “What does this mean? What is this going to look like on the day-to-day? What’s going to change? What do we do different?”
It was with relief and tremendous gratitude that I could reassure them with “We are in good shape. Other than the house, we don’t have any debt. We own two decent cars, if we have to sell one, we can. Our priority is to not loose the house. Every ounce of energy will go into protecting it, and we will do without what we must do without to keep it safe. ” I reminded them of our Food Storage. “From the outside looking in,” I said “it will appear as if life is going on the same as it ever did. We pay our tithing and the Lord will sustain us. We’ll simply be careful until Dad is back to working fulltime.”
It went on a lot longer than we expected; in fact – Dan never did get back into his field. It was an emotionally difficult time, especially hard on him, as much of his confidence and feelings of self worth, were tied up in being gainfully employed. He picked up part time seasonal work at a local hardware store, then started building fences and decks. He eventually started a maintenance business and gained a contract with a big property company in the city. But that took years. Through it all, we still had our bookstore, which just before his layoff had turned a corner in that we had finally paid it off. So many times in the months and years that went by, I paused and considered “Wow! Who could have imagined that this would go on as long as it has? What would have happened to us if we had had credit card debt?” I had no doubt that had we been in unnecessary debt, we would have lost the house.
Bad things happen. Even to good people. Job loss happens. Illness happens. No one is exempt from trials in this life. And some of the harvests are less than stellar. Sometimes what we worked for ends up being regrettable. As difficult as that episode was for us, it was a first rate lesson in the importance of staying out of debt. Debt would have changed our harvest considerably. It was a tangible, touchable lesson for our whole family. Most of our kids were old enough to understand, and went into their own marriages with a healthy appreciation for living within one’s means. For that alone, I would say it was worth it. Not that I’d ever want to go through it again, but what we gained from those hard years is hard to put a price on. The harvest? Nothing we pictured in the beginning. But as so often happens when the Lord is involved, it turned out much better.
Lesson 5 – Don’t look back.
Every season gardeners learn new lessons about what they’re growing. Sometimes the lesson is what worked beautifully, so that we can repeat it. Sometimes the lesson is what NOT to do next time. But whatever we learned, it took the whole season to finalize the lesson. Nothing can be done to reverse a season, and we only get one chance at it. We may even lose the whole season’s harvest.
There is nothing to do, but to go forward. Next time – simply do better, applying what we learned, gaining confidence along the way with improved skills. Maya Angelou’s counsel is another mantra to me, and I have it written in big letters on a wall I see every day. “Do the BEST you can until you know better. Then when you know better, DO BETTER.” I love it because it doesn’t dwell on past mistakes. It encourages me not to grovel in guilt after I have repented. It motivates me to go forward and do better. It is simple and straight forward – just like the gospel. I do best with “simple-and-straight-forward”.
~
The law of the harvest is as real to me as the sun and the moon. I have seen it implemented year after year, simple and straight forward, and above all dependable. I have confidence in it. I have reaped many harvests – not all of them good, but they were what I sowed. I am currently reaping a harvest I set in motion many years ago. I trust the principle so much that it is a guiding influence in my life. It motivates every decision. Some people refer to serendipity. Some refer to karma. Some refer to luck. Those things imply fickle ‘chance’, and I cannot invest in chance. The law of the harvest is not chance. It is a natural law, as much as gravity is a law of physics, and we can count on it to the same degree. Even more so. And when we do, I pray that it will be the JOY OF HARVEST we experience, as is so beautifully depicted in Simon Dewey’s classic picture above.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on the law of the harvest and how it applies to life outside the garden as well as in it.
President Ezra Taft Benson declared: “There is a power in the book which will begin to flow into your lives the moment you begin a serious study of the book. You will find greater power to resist temptation. You will find the power to avoid deception. You will find the power to stay on the strait and narrow path. The scriptures are called ‘the words of life’ (D&C 84:85), and nowhere is that more true than it is of the Book of Mormon. When you begin to hunger and thirst after those words, you will find life in greater and greater abundance. … [You will also enjoy] increased love and harmony in the home, greater respect between parent and child, [and] increased spirituality and righteousness.” “These promises,” President Benson assured, “are not idle promises, but exactly what the Prophet Joseph Smith meant when he said the Book of Mormon will help us draw nearer to God” (GC, Oct. 1986)
I have found over my life, that these words are true. I have taught that they are true. And one can receive the blessings from that power according to the personal diligence that one gives to the book. I taught my seminary students that if they were to do nothing but carry that book in their arms to and from school, and between classes and lay it beside them during classes, they would receive strength from it. How much more then, could they receive from it, if they opened it up and looked at the pictures now and again? And if so, how much more strength could they receive from it if they actually read from its passages? And then – what if they chose to start at the beginning and read it through? And finally, WHAT COULD BE OUR BLESSING if we seriously engage in an earnest STUDY of it? With a faith filled desire to know and understand its mysteries?
I testify from my own personal experience that the power and strength one receives from the Book of Mormon, will be in direct association to the time and focus one devotes to it. There is, as President Benson promised – “a power in the book which will begin to flow into your lives the moment you begin a serious study of the book.”
Who among us does not want * greater power to resist temptation? * power to avoid deception? * power to stay on the strait and narrow path? * life in greater and greater abundance? * increased love and harmony in the home? * greater respect between parent and child? * increased spirituality and righteousness?
Are you kidding? What would I be willing to give in order to see these promises fulfilled in my life? What would YOU be willing to give to see them fulfilled in your life? As with so many things that come from God, the deal is not complicated. The answer in fact, is deceptively simple. ‘Simple’ does not necessarily mean ‘easy to do’, it just means ‘straightforward’ and ‘uncomplicated’. A prophet of God – Ezra Taft Benson, promised me that “When [I] begin to hunger and thirst after those words . … ” I will see those blessings manifest in my life. I took him at his word. I engaged in the ‘challenge’, and I though I loved the book before, my appreciation for it increased exponentially, and my love deepened.
). And I have realized for years that I am living my dream. Although it hasn’t always been a picnic, and we’ve certainly waded through much struggle over those years, I am indeed growing old with Dan. Ironically, Robert Browning outlived his wife Elizabeth by 28 years, never remarrying. He grew old without her, dying at the age of 77. How very, very sad. But not sadder than the hundreds of similar stories we see unfold all around us. Loving marriages, cut short here on earth by the passing of one. How grateful I am for the promise I have absolute faith in: that families are forever. Because of the atonement of Jesus Christ, families can be sealed together for eternity, and live together in family units forever. 
