Post Thanksgiving Gratitude
Post Thanksgiving Gratitude
Hello Dear Friends and Subscribers!
I was unable to write my weekly newsletter the last two weeks but it is never to late to write a note about Thanksgiving!
We hope you had a wonderful day with family and friends and were able to enjoy your basket delivered to you on the Monday before Thanksgiving.
In the future we may take the whole week off, but there were enough volunteers available on Monday to help harvest and deliver so we thought you might enjoy fresh produce for your Thanksgiving celebration! Please be share to share any recipe ideas!
IT IS TIME TO RE-SUBSCRIBE!
If you haven’t already done so, please send your check made out to Wellspring to:
603 West F Street Oakdale, CA 95361
by December 6th to maintain uninterrupted doorstep delivery (or text me ).
Can you believe it, the Fall Harvest will be done this next Thursday.
December begins our Winter Garden.
If you cannot subscribe for the Winter, please consider inviting a friend to take over your basket deliveries and introduce them to Wellspring Charitable Gardens.
WEB-SITE and Facebook Page going live in December. Stay tuned for details about our new web-site and Facebook Page.
Check out page 2 for a Garden Reflection on Thanksgiving and page 3 for this week’s recipe.
Reflection on a Thanksgiving Tradition
There is a tradition among Christians which is commonly called Communion but is also referred to as the Eucharist. It is the time in our church services where we share the bread and the wine (or grape juice) and remember together the suffering and death of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for the remission of our sins. It is a time to remember and to give thanks to God together as a family of believers in Christ.
I have always wondered why communion is also called “The Eucharist”. A friend gave me the book, One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. She tells us that the Greek word “eucharisteo” literally means, “to give thanks.” In Luke 22:19 we read, “And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them…”(Luke 22:19 NIV). The word, Eucharist, is the Latin translation of this Greek word used by Jesus. Interestingly, the root word of eucharisteo is charis, meaning “grace” but the word also holds its derivative, the Greek word chara, meaning “joy”. WOW! I love languages.
The idea that the giving of thanks breaks open the flood gates for God’s grace so that joy can overflow just made powerful sense to me. The fact that Christ looked forward to giving thanks to God and breaking bread together with His disciples on the night He was betrayed — knowing full well what lie ahead for Him — gives me courage to face hardship in my own life. I do not give thanks for the suffering. On the contrary, at times I even despise the shame of it. But I do give thanks to God for what He is doing in the very midst of it.
This insight also helped me to appreciate the liturgical term Eucharist in a way that has changed how I think about communion. It has helped me appreciate the wisdom of ancient Christians who celebrated, “Eucharist.” Now, rather than solely focusing on the bread of His broken body and the wine of His shed blood, I also remember that Jesus GAVE THANKS to God for what His heavenly Father was about to do in the midst of horrific suffering to come.
As I walked about our Charitable Garden these past weeks and have watched the sowing of “dead” seeds that “come alive” and grow into beautiful and nourishing produce, I was also reminded of the words of Jesus when He said, “Truly, truly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (John 12:24). Jesus clearly was able to keep His focus on what God was going to do despite the fact that He, like the wheat, would die. The author of Hebrews sums it up:
“...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:11). May we continue to give thanks each and every day knowing that thanksgiving is the path to both grace and joy.
Fun Facts about this Week’s Chosen Vegetable: Cruciferae Broccoli
Did you know that broccoli is a “crucifix” vegetable? Yes indeed, we are growing mighty spiritual vegetables out here at Wellspring Charitable Gardens! Cruciferous vegetables, (so named after the Latin word Crucifrerae because the four equal-sized petals of its flowers were found to resemble a cross or crucifix) are being renamed brassica vegetables (brassica comes from the Lat-in word Brassicaceae ) which simply translates “cabbage.” Personally, I like the idea of cross veg-etables.
This family of nutritious veggies includes broccoli, radishes, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale, arugula, bok choy, collard greens, turnips, rutabagas and many more. Besides adding flavor to your meals, these vegetables are packed with antioxidants, which may help lower the risk of various conditions such as cancer and coronary heart disease. They are also rich in vitamins such as vitamin C and folic acid, and minerals such as potassium, iron and selenium. Three cups of broccoli contains 7.2 grams of protein as well!
