Reflections of life in the USA

Lately I've been thinking about our life back home. This time of year usually found me canning peaches, pears, salsa, and tomatoes--thanks to my dad's green thumb and my ability to only grow enough tomatoes to fill one measly jar. During those busy canning years, I'm sure there were times when it wasn't convenient--like when I was in the 3rd trimester--a couple of times. I remember having sore feet and aching muscles, but at the end it was all worth it. I loved lining up the beautifully filled jars in my storage room and knowing that we had enough fruit to last at least the year ahead. Waffles with pear sauce--Yum! Peaches on peanut butter toast--Yum, Yum! And then the salsa--Wow! So much better than in the stores. (It never lasted a year.)

I miss not being able to do that for the last couple of autumn seasons. Our life in Belgium has been different in a lot of ways. Some of the things have been down- right painful. But in the end, I hope it will be like the canning jars. That we look at it with a feeling of accomplishment and memories to last us well over a year.