the pumpkin patch

So I went out with one of my leaders to help members of our congregation, Peter and Debbie McCready, who are farmers. They grow produce for markets, as well as raise sheep (yes, they’re shepherds!), beef cattle, pigs, and kittens (no, they don’t milk the cats or eat them… the cats are mousers!). We basically harvested pumpkins all day… hundreds of them, some as small as my head and some as big as my exercise ball (which lies dormant in the darkness somewhere). I hurt the next day. Why did we go help them? Because we wanted to show them the love of Jesus? Because we wanted to set a good example of how to serve people? Because we needed to do penance? Because we required a good work to elevate our self-confidence? No, none of the above. Simply for this reason: they are our friends, and they needed help. We were rewarded: they served me a cold beer, fresh homemade curried squash soup, fresh homemade biscuits, fresh homemade chocolate-chip cookies and hot tea.