an opportunity

The strawberries are ripe now; we picked a bunch Sunday. And Heather's also starting to distribute the earliest vegetables from the new community garden. That's something I'm really happy to see. There wasn't enough help to run the CSA (shares of vegetables to customers in Chicago) this year, and Heather was hoping to be pregnant this season (and still may be) so she couldn't run that garden. And proposed the idea of a community garden instead. Where she (and a few helpers) could grow food to give to families here on the farm, and maybe some extra to give to others.

I really like the shift from having to grow enough to fill fifty shares each week (which customers had already paid for), to growing what people here like and being able to hand it to them. Lots less pressure, and a more personal approach. It adds to the community spirit here too.

It also is a good example of a shift away from survival mode, scraping by, and towards a spirit of generous giving. That's one of the most important shifts needed here. And it's important in any community (or family or individual). The spirit of generous giving is the spirit of the body of Christ, always. If we find ourselves falling back into fear, focused on our own survival, protecting ourselves from others rather than giving, then we can know we've gotten away from the spirit of Christ. In a community, it can be very hard to turn that around. But we can be sure that God wants us to turn it around, so can look for the opportunities God offers us (if we're not too afraid to see them). Heather's community garden is one of those opportunities, I'm convinced.