Life is Grape

Have you ever grumbled and murmured about something that you were asked to do but didn't want to really do at all? Here's what my latest grumble has been about.

As a stake assignment Atwater 2nd Ward is asked every year (more than once) to go down close to Fresno and harvest the grapes at the Church vineyards. It's not actually just Merced Stake because there are rows for Mariposa, Mercy Springs, Porterville, etc. So it is a huge vineyard for multiple stakes. I have always found a reason not to go. This year I found no reason. And so I found myself dreading the coming weekend and recalling all the bad things I've heard. "It's hot." "There's thousands of spiders." "The dirt is immense." "There's no flushing toilets." All the worst stuff right? Oh yeah and "Get there at 5:30 (a.m.)." All the worst!

But I've been a member of this ward for about 15 years. And even though I spent a good portion of it inactive, I figured nows my time to show that I'm not afraid of work. (except maybe just a little). So Jeff, Ryan, his friend Caleb, and I left at O'dark thirty for the Vineyard on Sept 6. I had gloves which was great because there are a lot of spiders and a lot of dirt. Each person takes a tub and a knife sort of thing and picks a section to start cutting the grapes free and putting them in a tub (there was about 3 tubs per section). When the tub is full, all the grapes have to be laid out on brown paper to dry into raisins. That was Ryan and Caleb's job, to trade people's full tubs for empty ones and dump the grapes onto the paper. The kids really impressed me because they worked. I thought for sure Ryan would just play and distract and pester. Everyone commented that they were good workers and that made me feel good.

The rows are so long. But there were so many workers that it went by so fast. Everyone takes their own section and when your section is done you move down to the next empty section. I think I only moved down 2 times before our row was done and we moved on to another row.

We worked until 11:30 a.m. only, but some people stay all day long. Our ward has only 3 rows, but we also have the best harvest attendance in our stake. So people stay and work other rows too because a lot of other people don't understand the importance of the harvest, like me before I attended my first harvest. When I got home I showered for about 45 minutes and the dirt was coming out from everywhere. It was disgusting, honestly the dirtiest I've ever been. But I felt amazing. Even before my super long shower, I felt so happy and great and I was wondering what was all the grumbling and procrastinating about? I actually had fun there, talking with everyone, making jokes about grapes, being with my ward family was just fun.

Then the grapes dry for a few weeks and then we go back. So last Sat. (9/20) was the day to go back and "roll" the grapes (roll up into the brown paper). But I guess not many people went (including us - plans), so they called around and asked people to go yesterday (9/22) but somehow later when one of the leaders got down there he found out that one of our rows got missed. So he called his wife (also my boss) and told her he needed help.

She got ready and took some of our office staff with her, and I was thinking oh good, I have to hold down the fort and she asked me to stay and get the phones, Yea! Then just as she was leaving she said, "Rebekah do you want to go?"

Well, gosh, no I don't. 5 simple words right? It actually came out as "if you need help I will go".

I shut down my computer and went home and changed. We carpooled, which is way more fun than driving alone (even though I do have XM radio). There were just the 5 of us representing Atwater 2nd last night and it felt so great. I must also mention that rolling the grapes is less dirty and less buggy. (Ward family please don't hate me for posting pictures of you on the WWW without your permission.)

I like working there in the evening. And all these pictures were taken from last nights trip. I never think to take my camera to share pictures with you all but I'm gonna try to start. So I took these with my iPhone. We did 1 row and almost a half in less than two hours. It's not hard work and there is a great sense of accomplishment when you see all the work you have done as you work your way down the row. We worked for as long as we could and there were still many rows to be done, but we were told we could be done and they would call the ward who's rows those were and they would have to come and do some work.

The dread and angst...all for what? All for naught.

Why is it so easy to forget the scriptures that I have learned. I know that the Lord will not ask me to do something that he would not provide a way for me to do it. I'm more caught up with "this too shall pass". Well if it passes and I didn't act on what God asked me to do, then it passes with a sick feeling. If I face it and do what I must do, then it passes with a feeling of love. These grapes go all over the world and feed many people who have very little or have had a major disaster, how much would I be willing to sacrifice for hundreds of people?

Well turns out to be less than a total 8 hours of work in two days (stretched out over almost a month). (and it wasn't really much of a sacrifice I didn't even have to shower for 45 minutes when I got home last night. But I did take a short shower and an hour bath - mmm, lavender.)

So face it, own up to it, do more than your share, and feel your heart fill with love and warmth and compassion - it's worth it!

"And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God". Mosiah 2:17