At the end of a busy summer day on our farm, my husband reported that the sweet corn in the back garden was ripe and ready for harvesting. We had to pick about 25 dozen ears to deliver to the food co-op in the morning. It was a hot, sticky evening, the air was even stuffier in the corn patch, and I was tired and had a pounding headache. I have to say I was not a very willing worker in the harvest! But as I got my picking instructions, I began noticing the incredible yield in this modest garden. A stanza from a favorite hymn came to mind: 

Our gratitude is riches,
Complaint is poverty,
Our trials bloom in blessings,
They test our constancy.
O, life from joy is minted,
An everlasting gold,
True gladness is the treasure
That grateful hearts will hold.
(V. Burnett, Christian Science Hymnal, No. 249 © CSBD)

Thinking of God’s abundance reflected in this beautiful crop that would nourish and bless so many families helped turn my thought away from the fatigue and pain to appreciation for the deeper meaning and purpose of my task.