Caught off guard.

We are having unusually cold weather for this time of year. It really caught me off guard. Usually we don' t get this cold until January or February. Normally we spend a lot of time in November and December gathering wood for our two wood stoves. We have one in our house and one in the greenhouse. We also supply a lot of wood for my mother in law who heats her house with a wood stove. The reason we wait until this time of year (other than me being a procrastinator) is that the cool weather gets rid of snakes and spiders and makes it easier to work.


This year, the cold just kind of slipped in and was upon us before we knew it. One day it was warm and the next it was cold. It was cold at the market yesterday too but I was prepared for it. I wore my long underwear and brought along a heavy coat. I also didn't bring very much stuff because I knew the crowd would be sparse because of the cold. It was a good thing I packed light too because I was hit with another obstacle when I arrived. It seems there was a festival the night before and some of the setup equipment was left behind. They had to move me to another location but it was not a big deal since I had so little stuff.


Even though it was an inconvenience to move, I didn't complain. I just went where they told me to and made the best of it. Several other people that had to move did nothing but complain. In the end I sold just as much in this location as I did in the other location. When I went to leave at the end of the day, the director stopped me and thanked me for not complaining. It seems I was the only one who accepted the change without complaining. Because I was in a new location, I got to meet several new people who I normally wouldn't see or talk to. See there was a positive side to this.


The day started out a little slow though because it was 32 degrees. I used the slow time to walk around and meet some of the people in the area. I did a little window shopping too. I wasn't there to buy anything so I just looked. One of the booths had some nice paintings. I noticed that there weren't any prices on his art though. Do you know that saying "If you have to ask, you probably can't afford it?" Well it is true at the market. If the prices aren't on the items, chances are they are expensive. If you have to ask, don't bother asking. Good advice for many things in life.


They changed the service time on me today. Caught off guard yet again. I hate getting caught off guard. I forgot about the change so we will just be spending the day together at home. Good thing I made that nice warm fire. If only I could get warnings or advance notice for things like this I wouldn't get caught off guard again.


This morning I was reading Matthew 25 about the coming of the Son of man. Lots of people are worried about this. People are worried because there is no tag that says "this is it, the end is near" The Bible says "you will know without a doubt. Just like asking what the price was for those expensive items, if you have to ask, you already know the answer...... This isn't it. He isn't going to slip in and just be here. It will be so spectacular that we will know. There will be no doubt.

I do want to be ready though. He will come when we least expect it and without warning. Like a thief in the night. I am sure if we knew the exact moment He would arrive everyone would be ready. But we don't so we better get ready now. Tomorrow may be too late. Now I have to go out into the cold and chop some wood. I wasn't ready but I am getting there. And as for chopping wood on Sunday........ Didn't someone say; If your mule is in the ditch, get him out? I wish I could remember where I read that.




Have a great Sunday,

Greg