Since Bessie died and her babies were left alone. Tootlebug has picked up mothering these two. The three of them sleep together in a nest. Bessie would be so proud!

I canned 6 jars of beets Friday. Canning time has arrived and looking forward to putting up as much as I can to eat for the winter months.

Is there strife in your family? Maybe get-togethers are awkward or always end in an argument. Or perhaps you have stopped talking to each other altogether. Many things can stand in the way of true reconciliation: pride, bitterness, anger, resentment and miscommunication.

We can’t overcome these in our humanness, but instead we can cry out to God and tell Him we need His help.

It is only then that we can “get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:31-32, NLT).

The Lord created us to be in community with one another, including our families. To do this, we often need extra doses of grace and kindness! Some issues are tough and will take a lot of prayer and great discernment to work through. We can’t control what others think, do or say, but we can be responsible for ourselves.

Let’s take some time today to examine our hearts for bitterness, rage, anger and harsh words and determine if we’ve misunderstood the intentions of family members we are feuding with.

Lastly, let’s ask the Lord to clean our hearts so we can be kind, tenderhearted and forgiving. I think we’ll be surprised how different get-togethers, celebrations and family reunions are after God has cleansed our hearts!