Today the word homesteading is more apt to refer to “a lifestyle of greater self-sufficiency characterized by subsistence agriculture, home preservation of food stuffs, and may or may not also involve the small-scale production of textiles, clothing and craftwork for household use or sale.” (Thanks, Wikipedia!)

Now that we have established a context for homesteading, I will acknowledge that my family is pursuing homestead goals. Our families resume currently includes 1,000 sq ft of vegetable gardens [chopping, canning and freezing oh my], a coop of laying hens , two breeds of animal raised for meat [no we do not have pigs or cows], and as of two weeks ago we added tapping sap and making homemade syrup to the list! YUM

This new adventure in sap was not without it's challenges. Pictured on the left is a jar of sap-gone-wrong. Boil for too long and sugary syrup becomes a rock-like substance impenetrable by sharp kitchen tools. After considering my options, I had resigned myself to think disposal was the final option. When all of a sudden I was asked, "can't you melt it down and start again". And guess what? You can! You can take boiling hot water and melt the sweet stone of failure back to a liquid state only to end up with a fresh batch of syrup!

I sat looking at the amber-filled jar, delighted with this act of redemption! I also considered the original fate of this hardened mass. That I was ready to give up so easily and toss aside what I believed to be junk, yet turned out to be just as sweet and beautiful and delicious as the jar next to it. It took extra time, YES! But it was absolutely worth it.

We all find ourselves in an altered state that may appear "less than". Life gets hard, the fire gets hot, and all of a sudden we are different. The self-doubt creeps in..."I'll never be able to do that", "I tried. I can't do it", "no one will ever see me for more than what I am today". But sitting on my counter is a golden jar of syrup that tells me none of those things are true.

Are you the hardened sugar? Is it your co-worker sitting next to you? Perhaps it's a family member or child that you'll see at dinner. Every day is our chance to get better, because every day we will fail. So the next time you see the flaws, the next time you see the failure, remember that this just might be your chance [or their chance] for redemption. Will it take extra work? YES! But it will absolutely be worth it.

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