The summer of 2022 has been good to us New Yorkers. Hopefully, your family has enjoyed plentiful days relaxing in the sun and embracing friends and family in parks and around campfires, as we have.
My family has also enjoyed the summer thrill of harvesting. We harvested berries in farmers’ fields, treasure hunted at farmers’ markets, and also tended to our own garden. Truth be told, my boys were not always that thrilled to water, weed, or pick, but isn’t that the way of teenagers? They do not always understand the importance of what you put in front of them today, but sometime in the future, the reward will come. It is something I had to remind myself of often when they grumbled as we drove an hour and forty-five minutes past our home to Portland, NY to pick 48.9 lbs. of cherries. And on the days that I longed for them to be next to me picking any of the 23 lbs. of blueberries I picked alone (because sometimes, you just have to pick your battles!). So has the harvesting started – the preserving of fruits and thoughts meshed as one. And I’ve realized that my future desires, for them and myself, are not always going to align. Yet, there are pieces of us together that will never go away, and those are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These bonds are constantly growing within our family. They may take on new shapes as the years go by, but the core will always be the same, and for that I am grateful. So, as the last of the summer slips into fall, curriculum choices are decided upon, and routines form, let’s remember that although another year of challenges and successes emerges, there is some amazing fruit growing within the hearts of our families.
I hope you will join me in the days, weeks, and months ahead and become a part of the community that I hope TisTheSeasonNY.com will become. As with life and my current summer reflection, I realize that everything must be molded, shaped, and have the freedom to grow in its own time. Therefore, I hope you will choose to be an active part of the journey with words of encouragement and suggestions through comments, feedback, and reviews on Facebook, Instagram, or my newly formed Google Profile. Or, if you live within Erie County, I hope you will find me at one of the events I will be attending to try a free sample (a full list of meet and greet opportunities is listed toward the bottom of my website). Lastly, if you do end up shopping and finding something you like on my website, TisTheSeasonNY.com, please accept my “thank you” for doing so with a FREE shipping offer on any order placed in the amount of $25 or more between now and Sep. 5, 2022 using promo code: FRUITS… and do not forget to request a Scripture bracelet with your order.
