A Wonderfully Full Day

Yesterday was a nicely full day. I started the day by going to the Tedesco's house, a couple that has a "food ministry" for the Pastors College families. Every Tuesday they have groceries in their garage that are donated by Trader Joe's, and we can take home what we can use for the week. It's kind of hit or miss, but yesterday I came home with a whole bag full of food (most of the stuff is "sell-by" that day, so it's still good, but Trader Joe's just can't sell it.) Then I headed to Wal-Mart to stock up on some household items. From there I headed over to Butler's Orchard, via a beautiful drive through a bright canopy of leaves on a tiny country road. The orchard is not far from us, but it feels very secluded. I was hoping to get some more apples, but it turns out the apple picking season peaked early this year. So I headed for the raspberry bushes instead. I have only gone raspberry picking one other time, and that was 10 years ago (!). I think now I know why they are so expensive in the grocery store! Granted, they were kind of picked over already, so it was hard to find the ripe ones. I did manage to come home with 2 lbs. of raspberries, with only a few scratches on my arms from the thorns. In the afternoon I had a doctor's appointment (baby is growing right on schedule!), and then I came home to try my hand at making raspberry jam. I was delighted to find that it was much easier and less time-consuming than apple butter. The jam turned out great! I popped some bread in the oven so that we could try it out on fresh bread as a bed-time snack. Needless to say, I was a bit tired at the end of the day last night. But it was a nice kind of tiredness. I am greatful for sleep, for knowing that it is a gift from the Lord, to refresh my body for a new day. I think I fell asleep the minute (literally) that my head hit the pillow. And now I'm looking at a new day, eager to see what the Lord has for me today.