It's a Wonderful Life!

It was a little hard to write that title, but let me explain.  I home-school my two boys (ages 6 and 8) and many days I do NOT feel even slightly like my life is wonderful.  This started as one of those weeks.  We are a beekeeping family.  Yes, the technical term would be apiarists, but who uses that term?  We’re beekeepers.  Okay, so I use the term “we” very loosely here.  But I digress.  I was writing about our wonderful life. 

So, here’s how it came about (the title, that is).  I sit here with aching back, sore muscles, wax coated feet (yes, I wear flip-flops even in the honey house—we DO live in Florida!), bruised leg and arm and slightly blistered hands after just a couple of days of working in the honey house.  And while I must admit that I do not exactly enjoy working out there, I have come to realize how blessed I am to be able to work out there (the honey house is in our front yard, by the way).  Don’t let me get too far off base and not mention how blessed I am for the countless times I’ve NOT had to work out there (thanks to a hard working husband, son and brother-in-law!).

How many people today can stay home with their family all day long in the middle of the week when it’s not spring break, Christmas break or summer time?  How many people can work with their husband and school-aged kids all day with Christian music in the background and just enjoy each other’s company even though we’re not really talking (doesn’t do a lot of good to talk with all the noise from the extracting equipment).  The simple joys of looking out the window and seeing your sons playing with their cousin and just enjoying being kids; watching proudly as your older son works (if only for part of the day) to help the family get ahead;  knowing that Grandma is just inside your house (or on the porch) making sure all the kids are fed and taken care of;  knowing your husband’s brother will soon be here to add to this “family affair” (well, that may not be quite as pleasant of a thought since he’ll be bringing more boxes of frames loaded with honey to be extracted); these are all priceless, precious things that God has allowed me to humbly be a part of. 

And while my husband and I are not known for “playing” we do enjoy our family and would like to believe that ALL our time together is quality time and not just a day or two here and there or a week in a special location.  You’ll have a hard time convincing Jake that anything short of this verse is Biblical, Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD. (Exodus 31:15).  He is a hard worker and rarely takes a break, but it’s for the right reasons I honestly believe.

So, while I recover from my hard labor (okay, so now I have to repent for the misleading of THAT statement), I’ll relish in the fact that I’m a blessed woman to have all, or part of my family with me almost all the time.  Instead of complaining about the work (which is seldom mine to complain about), I’ll be thankful that we are all able to work.  Rather than constantly looking ahead to the time when this will end, I’ll take the time to soak up the goodness while it’s here.  We may not totally agree with the “theology” behind, The family who plays together, stays together, but we are firm believers in If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. (2 Thessalonians 3:10).  And we’ve all grown rather accustomed to eating around hereJ.