The Return of Autumn

True, autumn hasn't arrived yet, but it is on the way.  The shadows are getting longer, sunrise is getting earlier.  Schools have started back and the young people, though they complain, I think they are secretly glad to have their days filled with socializing with friends and having plenty to do rather than face those endless days of summer.

Preschool has started back also.  The building that was so silent all summer is now alive with giggles, princesses with toenails color coordinated with their outfits, rambunctious boys and happy, excited teachers. The hallway has a rack of drying paintings, the floor has slices of pizza and the children are busy getting to know one another and the organization of the world around them.  Suddenly there are lines outside the bathroom doors.

Wednesday Evening Fellowship and choir practice will begin tonight after the summer hiatus.  Those delicious meals and tempting desserts will help to break up the long week and we will have one less meal to prepare each week.  The Fellowship is a great chance to catch up with everyone that you barely see over the summer and it feels because we all become more like a tight knit little family again as the holidays start to approach.

Church business and busy-ness will begin again as well.  Committee meetings, putting together committees for next year, reviewing and compiling budgets... have we achieved our goals?  Have we reached out to others?  Are we saving for a rainy day, meeting our obligations or is God providing what we need?  Have we shared what we have? Both our gifts and talents?  Or have we just written a check instead of participating?

It is just as important to actively participate as to passively donate and you CAN do both!  You can volunteer to serve!  Pray about what is close to your heart and find a way to contribute your time and talent to that committee or to supporting that committee's work.

Maybe you can't knit, but I'll bet you could deliver a shawl or lap robe and spend a half hour with someone who is home bound and lonely and needs to feel loved.  Maybe you can't teach Sunday School, but you could help trim shrubbery, rake leaves, or mow the lawn for one of the church members whose health doesn't allow them to do it.  Maybe you can't cook a meal for the sick but you could help a widow with some simple house repairs or give someone a ride to the grocery store.  Your help is needed and can make a difference in someone's life!

Look around you.... look at your brothers and sisters.  Get to know them and ask... "could I help you with that?"   There are many opportunities to serve and if you have some free time and don't know where to spend it, call your friendly church office... I'll bet they can offer some suggestions for you.

A Hazardous Road

We got married 3 days before we moved here.  As a new wife, I wanted to be sure to feed my new husband properly and being a Southern Woman, that means biscuits, gravy, mashed potatoes, roasts... all those things that should be taken in moderation.  I soon found out that church people love to share what they have and they love to cook.  Since they love their preacher, one of the ways they show their love is to share the produce from their garden with him.  I LOVE this part of it!  Fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, corn, beans, squash and best of all, collards!  There are times when I almost feel that I've died and gone to heaven.  Right now, as I sit here, I have a drawer full of cucumbers in the fridge just waiting to be peeled and sliced into a salad.  Just a few days ago I finished off a drawer full squash.

Our church has Wednesday Evening Fellowship during the school months.  Usually various people or groups in the church will come in and prepare the meal with the proceeds going either back into the church's fund or it might be designated to one of the church groups or missions.  Usually those attending will bring the dessert.  Or if no one volunteers to cook the meal we will have a potluck.  Sometimes we'll have some theme such as Favorite Casserole, Favorite Fall Fare, Favorite Soup or even a Chili Cook Off.  The food is always delicious and the desserts are to die for.  The preacher and I do our best to eat in moderation at these things, but man is it hard.  The desserts are especially hard to resist because these people are the BEST at cooking!  


So... since we've been doing all of this fine eating and enjoying our blessings, we've gained a wee bit of weight.  They say (whoever "they" is) that it isn't what you do occasionally that hurts you, it's what you do every day.  Well, we don't eat desserts every day and when the summer months roll around we almost starve ourselves trying to get that weight off that built up over the fall, winter and spring months.  Fortunately, we eat lots of vegetables with no gravies, no biscuits, no mashed potatoes, and no desserts.  We have watermelon for dessert (unless we get snookered into making homemade ice cream and get stuck with the leftovers).  

There was a time when I would eat anything I wanted, as much as I wanted and didn't gain an ounce.  Those days are gone.  Now I feel as if I'm constantly fighting to keep the weight off and when I do have something good, I can't decide if the guilt I feel for having it is worth it.

Maybe I could cut back to eating just one meal a week... on Wednesday Evening.  Maybe then I could have the dessert.