Tend and Keep

Earlier this summer, I received a bread machine as a gift.  I was intrigued by the concept of tossing in the ingredients and then walking away.   On the first run-through, my curiosity kept me peeking at the dough to see what was happening.  Sure enough, when the timer beeped for the last time, I opened the lid to find a completely baked loaf of bread that I had not touched once, just as advertised.  It smelled amazing as I popped it out of the pan.  It tasted delicious after we cut into it.  But, we all agreed, there was something off.  The loaf was a perfect rectangular prism, browned evenly on each side, utilitarian and efficient.  It was ugly. What this loaf of bread was missing was, quite simply,  beauty .   And, it turns out, beauty is an important part of life.  I love to plant flower gardens and watch them grow into a riot of color.  I delight in braiding my daughter's hair and fastening it with a ribbon.  The...

When farm life is overwhelming, the practice of taking photos helps me to notice beauty and fight back against the urge to throw my hands up in defeat.  Here are a few of the good ones.

A few years ago, I was lying in a hospital bed for a few days.  During that time, I felt an overpowering longing to be home, standing in the kitchen with my hands in soapy water and my children playing around me.  That's right, when my often-chaotic and overwhelming life was disrupted and all I had to do was lie in bed and read a book, what I wanted more than anything was to be  doing the dishes. What this experienced confirmed for me is something that I carry forward: that joy is found in the everyday work of life.  We don't work toward joy, we work with joy.  Our daily rhythms and routines, tasks and chores, reports and preparations, these liturgies , that is where we find satisfaction and meaning.  It is all good.  We work in service of God and others, building the Kingdom, and to remember that brings joy.