Garden & Thanksgiving

Putting in a fall garden is a new experience for me. Had freeze temps one night already, but it didn't hurt the collards, spinach, radishes, beets and bit of lettuce. Enjoyed our first bunch of collard greens for dinner and pulled half the radishes for salad. Radishes go a long way, I discovered, so strongly flavored! Our area got a good rain beginning of October but now back to watering the garden most of the time. Have been following the twice a week watering-yards and car-wash rationing schedule of our town.

Thanksgiving is family and reflection time. Still have the impressive list I made of things I was thankful for last Thanksgiving. Don't think it has changed much over the past year, just gotten better. Spiritual blessings just keep piling up: my eternal salvation in Christ, so undeserved yet mine; good Bible study alone and with others; experience of rich, growing biblical community. Material blessings? nem se fala, as we say in Portuguese! (very obvious!) Nice, comfortable home, car to drive, computer, mobile phones, HD TV (yes, even that!), sufficent income. And a great wife and family. Some near, some farther away, but all close enough to see periodically.

And, so there you have it for now. Grandkids and garden experiment. Gratefulness for all God's blessings. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. James 1.17-18