The picture is of various greens that I just harvested out of our garden today. It's the 11th of January with 41 degrees temp., which feels like a tropical heat wave considering the -9 degrees this past week. I have a cloth over 2 4x8 beds and the other beds are various sizes with different amount of Remay over them. Some have only 1 layer while others had up to 4 layers. What I noticed that each were producing well! All but the 2 4x8 beds had snow piled on top of them and yet they are growing and thriving. Amazing! It's so inspiring to know that I can and will continue to grow various greens, onions, lettuce for my family, so that we can have the most nutritious foods throughout the winter months.

Gardening is a metaphor for life, teaching you to nourish new life and weed out that which cannot succeed.” —Nelson Mandela

         Chick'n Style Seasoning (Vegan)                                                


2 cups nutritional yeast flakes
1/3 c. salt
1/3 c. onion powder
1/4 c. Italian seasoning
1/4 c. parsley
1/8 c. raw sugar such as: sucanat or cane juice crystals
1 1/2 Tlb. garlic powder
3/4 tsp. celery seed
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1. Blend all ingredients in a blender to a fine powder.
2. Store in an air tight container

Can be used in place of  bouillon. Add 1 tablespoon of Chick'n style seasoning to 1 cup of water. You can double this recipe easily and it stores very well as long as you keep it dry.

This morning while I was preparing breakfast I heard the familiar sound of a bird hitting the window. This one sounded particularly hard and I went to see about the creature. I lifted the shade and there was a Cedar Waxwing laying on the porch with his mouth open gasping for air and the bird could not sit up and its feet were drawn tight and unable to support its weight. . I quickly went out to see if I could make this birds last few moments more comfortable and as I picked it up it defecated which could be another sign this its life was passing. I stroked the bird gently and begin to implore God to heal this tiny creature. I took the bird and placed it on the dogs pillow outside and moved the pillow into the sunshine. I returned back into the house and began talking with God how he had shown me many miracles in my life and that I never tire of seeing them and that I wasn't a person who chased after so-called miracles. I then ask him to heal this tiny bird and that I knew that he loved this creature and wanted to heal it...so , I ask him once again to heal him because I knew He could. I would look out from time to time to see if there was any change in the birds  condition and each time i looked out the birds breathing was less laborious and he began to look around!  Eric and I discussed giving him some water and Eric reminded me we had an eyedropper that would be useful, so I went and found the eyedropper. I filled the eyedropper with filtered water and went out to see if the bird would take some water and he looked at me and the eye dropper and flew away...What Joy!! Miracles are evidence that God is Creator of all living creatures, and let no man steal away the preciousness of this truth. Keep Awake! Your Miracle today is just waiting for you to see it.

Love,

Sheila

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In my devotions this morning I was blessed by reading this :

In the lesson of faith that Christ taught on the mount, are revealed the principles of true religion. Religion brings man into personal relation with God, but not exclusively; for the principles of heaven are to be lived out, that they may help and bless humanity. A true child of God will love Him with all his heart, and his neighbor as himself. He will have an interest for his fellow-men. True religion is the work of grace upon the heart, that causes the life to flow out in good works, like a fountain fed from living streams. Religion does not consist merely in meditation and prayer. The Christian’s light is displayed in good works, and is thus recognized by others. Religion is not to be divorced from the business life. It is to pervade and sanctify its engagements and enterprises. If a man is truly connected with God and heaven, the spirit that dwells in heaven will influence all his words and actions. He will glorify God in his works, and will lead others to honor Him.

From Devotional: Our Father Cares, p. 35..

“There are two spiritual dangers in not owning a farm. One is the danger of supposing that breakfast comes from the grocery and the other that heat comes from the furnace.” - Aldo Leopold

Paradigms power perception and perceptions power emotions. Most emotions are responses to perception----what you think is true about a given situation. If your perception is false, then you emotional response to it will be false too. So check you perceptions, and beyond that check the truthfulness of your paradigms---what you believe. Just because you believe something firmly doesn't make it true. Be willing to reexamine what you believe. The more you live in the truth, the more your emotions will help you see clearly. But even then, you don't want to trust them more than me".

Sarayu to Mackenzie-The Shack p. 127 William P. Young