Day Eighteen
I’m thankful to be able to feed my family.
Yesterday my family went grocery shopping. We were crunched on time this weekend, and the best spot available was yesterday afternoon on our way home from viewing another house. Because of the items on our list, we had to make 2 stops.
At the first stop, we unloaded our two youngest from their car seats and laid them in the front seat to change diapers. Hubby with one and me with the other – we do diaper changes in the car like pros now. Haha! We didn’t even have a kid out of the car before one was crying, and we laughed about how bad the trip was starting.
We made it through our short list for that store (of course forgetting two important items!) and at the check out my husband grabbed drinks out of the cooler for a treat for us. Back in the car, he mentioned how he sometimes feels guilty for the frivolous spending that goes on in our country, ourselves included, and so many think nothing of it, ever. I agreed. We certainly didn’t need $3 worth of sugary drinks. We are just as guilty as the rest of this country’s population.
This isn’t a new topic of discussion for us either. With a growing family, we know the importance of stretching a dollar. I meal plan, budget our finances, and cook mostly from scratch just to stretch our food bill (and keep my family healthier). Some paychecks we have to stretch more than others, but even then, you’ll find items in our pantry that others would consider unnecessary and a huge treat. On just about any given day I have the ingredients to whip up oatmeal cookies with chocolate chips. Nearly every week I purchase or make an extra dish to take to our Wednesday night small group.
At our second stop, I pulled put my long list of items needed for the next week or two. I had planned out a menu of meals for our family, double checked the kitchen for what we had and what I needed for each recipe, made a list and hoped it would all be within the amount I budgeted for groceries. Thankfully it ended up under our budgeted amount, but after we made it home with 3 sleepy kids and I put everything away, I opened one of the freezers (Yes, we use two! So many in this world will never own one!) to squeeze in one last bag of green beans and felt so very grateful to be able to feed my family – to live in a country of abundant food. Even with so many struggling financially, there are churches and food banks and non-profits handing out free food every day to those in need. There are people out in the woods and fields across the country right now harvesting wild game for their families and others. We are blessed with a basic necessity that we so often don’t stop to recognize or appreciate. This morning I’ll be filling my crockpot with the ingredients of a potato soup, and I’m thankful for the opportunity to cook another meal for my husband and children.
