Spring is Coming…
The birds are chirping and green foliage is starting to reappear every where you look. The days are longer, there is more sunshine and everywhere you go, you can feel that the mood has shifted. You can feel that spring is coming, and some days, it feels as if Spring has already arrived.
For most people, spring is a time to refresh, tackle some spring cleaning and get ready for the sunshine and warmer days ahead. For us, springtime is a time to reflect on what worked well in the past and what areas we could improve on. I am not just talking about homesteading, but in every aspect of our lives.
First, we take time in the spring to reflect on what we would like to get accomplished. Projects, recipes, goals and anything else we may think of, become a focus point in our lives to improve, re-envision and repurpose. As homesteaders, we find anyway we can to repurpose what we already have. Why waste, when we can take a little bit of time and think creatively to repurpose something. This year, we decided to repurpose old, bald car tires that were just sitting outside a shop waiting to be picked up and dropped somewhere else. Trevor and I went to the car shop, loaded our car with as many tires as we could fit, and went back home. We are going to repurpose these tires to grow our Potatoes and Sweet Potatoes this year in our garden.
We have been brainstorming about how we can maximize our fenced-in garden area to get the most fulfillment out of our space. We noticed that we had about 2 feet of walking space between each box, which is the perfect amount of space to stack a couple tires, creating alternative raised beds. The benefit of growing our potatoes in these tires is that it allows us to add a tire (or layer) anytime the plants are getting bigger. The beauty of potatoes: as they grow larger and taller, if they are fed more soil and dirt, they will continue growing taller. This vertical growing allows the plant to produce more, leading to a larger yield to feed our family. (Added bonus- the tires allow for easy harvesting, as you can remove a layer at a time to dig out all of your homegrown potatoes).
The benefit of allowing Spring time to refresh and reset your mind means that you have the entire year to focus on putting your mindset into action. This may be projects to complete like our potato growers, or it may be changing/refreshing your mindset. We all dream and think about what we like and want to do, but turning our thoughts into actions is the most refreshing and invigorating feeling. Then, when you combine that with the knowledge that God has continuously provided for us and has allowed us to turn our dreams into reality, it leaves you in awe.
In awe of our beautiful earth, in awe of the beautiful animals and creatures that live harmoniously with nature, in awe of the plants, fruits and vegetables that God created and provided to each of us. It really is astounding that God has thought of each and every living thing and has placed them perfectly in this world, exactly where they are meant to be. Everything has their place. Our beautiful country and our entire world was hand crafted in the perfect image of God, and He has graciously allowed each of us to benefit from its beauty. Even in the darkest, coldest winter months, God had His hand in creating everything.
Springtime shows us the growth nature makes from being gray and withered to strong and beautiful, just like God always intended. While days and seasons of our lives can be gray and we may feel withered, God is with us, and watching patiently. God has the front row seat to be witness to each of us entering our own season of Spring, where we grow into the strong and beautiful servants of Christ that He always knew we would be. Times can be hard, daunting and intimidating, but the next time you look outside and see all of the gray foliage remember that God is with us always, and those gray, withered plants will soon be strong and beautiful, just like each season of your life that may feel hard. God is intentional with everything He does, and He placed nature around us to remind us, that our Spring is coming too.
“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.”
