Good Summer

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)

          This is one of those verses that people love to quote at the wrong time. They wait until you’re in the middle of a crisis that is devastating your life, and pounce on you with it. Most of them mean well, but I suspect at least some of them are hoping that by quoting the passage, their responsibility to you is done. Everything will be all better now.

          This morning, someone asked a question about what good has come out of the pandemic. I said that my initial reaction was “Well, duh, none!” But immediately, things started coming to mind. If it weren’t for the pandemic, I probably wouldn’t have gone into my “I’m not prepared for emergencies” phase. I’ve made a few purchases that I think wise moves. Things like fire extinguishers. And when there’s an emergency, we need to be resourceful, so I’ve tried to learn a little. My original thought was to learn household repair, but what I’ve gotten stuck on is growing, harvesting, and storing food. That’s going to take a long time, but I’ve made a beginning. Over the last couple days, I’ve found myself thinking that I should start to make small changes in my diet. I doubt I could live on what I forage, but which is healthier, a bowl of oatmeal or two slices of toast? To which can I best add things that will make them even healthier? Which cheeses are healthiest? How can I add more vegetables to my regimen?

          I feel like I write about this every couple weeks, but it’s so easy for us to get caught up in the negative. I assume that I’m not capable of handling a crisis, but I’ve been coping. I’ve been learning. And one of the things that I’ve been learning is that a crisis is like being in the military. You run from point A to point B as if the world will end if you’re not there in the next ten seconds but then you stand in line for an hour. The hurry is exciting. The wait requires patience.

Another thing I’m learning is that it’s all part of a process. Next year, I won’t be planting as much lettuce. I won’t be planting any kale. I do want to plant rhubarb, lamb’s quarters, and Swiss chard. The lilies in my Moonlight garden are pink, not white. After I’ve enjoyed them, they’ll either be rehomed or tossed, and that’s OK.

A third thing I’m trying to learn is how to weave together several characters’ stories intentionally. The interesting insight I’m on the edge of gaining is that plotlines are like fruits. Some combine into jams that taste like heaven. Some, I suspect, wouldn’t do so well. Now I need to figure out what causes those, and what that looks like in a story.

God is good. He causes all things to work together for good. Sometimes, just what that good is isn’t apparent because we’ve decided what we think it should look like. But when it comes down to it (and I’m thinking) this summer has been a good summer. And just think, in about 5 to 8 weeks, it will start to cool down and close down. And then another set of lessons will arrive to be learned.