Who doesn’t love to get a big, brightly wrapped package with a big bow?  In it is something just for me (you).  Or, as I have learned in my many years of living, small, brightly wrapped packages can also contain something wonderful.  I’ll admit that I really enjoy getting gifts.  Over the years Greg has learned how to be a great gift giver.  I often must tell him what I would like to get, but then he takes the bull by the horns and usually does very well.  He had to be taught this art, it didn’t come naturally to him.  I grew up in a home where giving gifts was a big deal.  Christmas always involved lots of presents and excitement.  Greg grew up differently.  His mother made most of the gifts that she gave her family. It is honest to say that she often didn’t finish the gifts in time for the actual holiday though.  After his parents died, we found several shirts that had been started but never completed. 

God gives gifts, did you know that?  Have you heard of people – all ages of people – who just sit down at a piano and begin playing at concert level without even one lesson?  This is a God given gift. In today’s Daily Bread devotional, he talks about God-given gifts and the need for us to use them to God’s glory and honor.  I can’t agree more.  What about those of us who don’t feel particularly gifted?  I’m not a great scholar.  I’m not especially intelligent.  I’m not drop dead gorgeous, or even very pretty.  I’m not a gifted athlete.  After years of piano and flute lessons I’m not good at either of those.  I’m not very funny, but I think that I do have a fairly good sense of humor. I have not been a very good daughter, sister, wife or mother.  I do have some good qualities that I do use to honor God and serve others.  I have a passion for seeing others learn about Jesus and all that He did for them; sharing the gospel.  I am a good nurse and, for the most part, my patients are very grateful for my help. 

 Here’s the thing, I have had to grow and learn how to be better at the things that I feel that I lack.  I’ve become a good wife for my husband, it’s taken years to achieve. I’ve worked at and continue to work at being a better parent for my children.  I have had to learn how to be a good co-worker.  I am now working on being a healthier person. I guess the point that I want to make is that just because we don’t receive an obvious, outstanding, marvelous gift that came naturally, we can achieve many things in our life that are very good and important.  It takes perseverance and determination.  We can achieve things that are important to us.  In the process of improving, we strengthen ourselves and grow in ways that make us stronger and wiser.  I’m no expert, but I really feel that those who are not trying to improve themselves and their situation miss out on the best that life has to offer.

Today involved more shopping for fruit and vegetables to use for juicing.  I’m going to need a 2^nd refrigerator in my new house.  We have an upright freezer but that won’t be very helpful for juicing stuff.  I’m getting used to the juice that we are making and developing a taste for it.  We occasionally mix it up for different flavors or have a smoothie, but our main juice recipe is spinach, kale, beet, beet greens, 1 small apple, 1/3 large naval orange, 1/3 large lemon, cucumber, celery and lots of carrots. We juice up 32oz for each of us.  It takes an hour to an hour and a half to produce that much juice.  That does not include the time it takes to clean and trim up the veggies/fruit.  For many years I had one of those plastic Tupperware citrus peelers in my kitchen drawer.  I had never used it.  A few years ago, Greg got it out and used it to peel an orange.  Those are some handy gadgets!  I use mine faithfully.  When we got here Hannah didn’t have one so peeling this citrus fruit daily was becoming a burden.  When we last went to the Farmers Market there was a Tupperware lady there and I was telling her about it – she gave me one for free.  I continue to be amazed at how well those things – that piece of plastic – peels off citrus skin.

The end of today will mark 3 full weeks that we have been here and on this plan.  We will weigh in later today to see how the weight part of our progress is going.  Our blood pressures are much improved, and Tiff’s medication was lowered by her Provider because her BP went too low.

Day 21 is done, Day 22 is on the way.  “Every good gift, and every perfect gift is from above coming down from the Father of lights…”  James 1:17