Equipped

Though the growing season never officially ended (I have spinach plants that have survived our less than harsh winter w/o any protection, and spinach & salad greens that germinated in the hot box-turned-cold frame last November, that have baby leaves almost ready for harvesting), this week marked the exciting start (continuation?) of a new growing season.

Seed starting equipment has been rolling in, and I'm now equipped with enough trays to grow up to 1000 transplants this spring.

To accommodate the increase in the seeds being started I also added more grow lights.

After finally settling on a recipe, I was able to mix up my own seed starting mix (shredded sphagnum, vermicompost - from my worm bin, vermiculite, perilite, with a bit of lime and manure), and yesterday I planted my first seeds; two varieties of cabbage.

Tonight I made a trip out to pick up maple sugaring supplies, and this weekend I'll be tapping the sugarbush.  This will be the second earliest I've tapped, but I'm still quite late getting into the game with the warm February we've had.

I've got a half dozen maple sugaring seasons under my belt now, and my seed starting experiment worked pretty well last year, so it was fairly easy to know how to get equipped for success this spring.  However, it's not always so easy...

Although I've worked extensively educating children and running successful programming for them, the GRACE After School program this year has really tested me.  It has left me at times feeling unequipped to deal with the depth and breadth of the issues facing the kids, their families, our staff, and the Church.  Behavioral issues and conflict stemming from disturbing family situations have left me completely baffled and feeling like I don't have the tools to successfully handle everything; and I don't...

However, others in the Church do have the tools.  There are folks that I can turn to as volunteers, just helping give the kids the attention and love they so crave.  There are friends that live in the neighborhood and are invested in the kids lives.  When we've had a particularly rough day, I can go to them and ask them for help working with the kids through this rough spot.  There's even folks at the church that work with social service agencies that can get the kids additional professional help to deal with severe issues they face.  

How humbling it is to know that only together are we fully equipped to deal with the challenges facing us.  How encouraging it is to be around people who are using what God's equipped them with. How inspiring it is being around people who step into the roles they've been equipped for.  May we all respond and use what we've been equipped with to be a blessing!

Day One

Genesis 1: In the beginning, the first day, there was light and there was darkness. God saw that the light was good.

John 1: In the beginning was the Word, who became flesh; a light in the darkness, but the darkness did not understand it.

Yesterday was the beginning of the after school program at House of Grace, our first day with kids. I'd like to say it is the church's attempt to be light, but there's so much we still don't understand. We're working out the kinks, and we'll try to teach literacy, how to live healthy lifestyles, and life skills that can translate into job skills. However, I know that the kids we work with - the situations they live with, the grace they will require us to have, the perfectly laid plans they will cause us to chuck out the window - have so much to teach us too. They have so much light to bring to us, our church, and their community. I look forward to learning along side them.

May we all enjoy this journey of discovery!

After School

With the help of AmeriCorps members starting this week, our after school program is expanding to a full week program. Check out the presentation below:

House of Grace After School Program on Prezi