The Man Who Farms Water

I just finished reading Volume 1 of Rain Water Harvesting for Dry lands and Beyond.  It tells about Zephaniah Phiri Maseko, who lived in Zimbabwe's driest region.  It is very similar to southern Arizona, lots of rocks, dry grass and very few trees.  In 1964 he was fired from his job on the railway for his political views.  The government said he would never work again.  He turned to the only things he had to support his family of eight, an over grazed, eroding piece of land and the Bible.  Over 30 years he developed many rain harvesting systems and now it provides all the water his family needs.  Mr Maseko teaches abundance and generosity.  He does not seek to keep all the water to himself but to use it and return it to the ground where it can be shared with all. He uses the soil as one of his catchment tanks.  He explains, "These wells are those of an unselfish man.  The water comes and goes as it pleases, for you see, in my land it is everywhere."  His efforts have come to the attention of the national organization CARE and they have started teaching his methods to others and importing less water and food supplies.  He started a organization called the Zvishavane Water Resources Project.  He is joyful when he sees his neighbors making changes to better their land, their lives and the lives of those around them.  You might think that his farm is vast but it only 7 acres.
I, like him believe that God created a world in which there is enough.  That we should be fruitful and multiply and be good stewards over the land and animals, not the other way around.  He believes that the earth is a garden of Eden where he states, "Remember, children are our flowers: give them rain and they will grow and bloom."
I love the rain.  Michael and I are looking into catching some of the rain that falls on our roof and reusing it before returning it to the ground.  I can hardly wait for Volume 2 to be returned to the library for further study.

Lessons from the apple trees

When we first moved into this area, we found the Bucklers and became friends.  Kami is amazing.  She had apple trees, flourishing garden and a huge strawberry patch, all growing outside their mobile home in this dry parched soil.  She gave me hope.  I had been killing and then pulling various trees off of our property and nothing seemed to grow for me but weeds and pine trees.  I asked her lots of questions and then Michael and I set out to purchase apple trees.

Her advice was sound.  We planted on the east side of the house.  That way when there is snow on the Superstition Mountains and the wind rushes down it offers enough chill hours.  We pointed the little graft stub on the bottom to the east also and made sure it was above the soil level.  We've watered and tended to them for a few years now.  There were a few lessons along the way though that I have pondered and compared to being a parent.

Apple trees are like children in that they learn and are influenced when they are calm and relaxed.  Apple branches should be pruned in December or January when the tree is most dormant.

Making all their choices for them limits their confidence in making choices on their own. In the beginning this little tree tended to lean towards the house so I staked it and put a small string on it, unfortunately I left it on too long and now the tree leans slightly to the street.

Surrounding them with uplifting music, pictures, conversation, encouragement, and love helps them to reach for more light.  Trim the tree so that the branches are growing up, and that light and air can circulate freely.

Keeping things simple and staying away from do as I say, not as I do keeps their thoughts about what could be a good choice or a bad one from being criss crossed.  Remove any dead branches or branches that cross.

Saying no just because the spirit tells you to, not because you have a justifiable reason can be very uncomfortable.  Prune the tree a little more than you are comfortable with.

Stepping back and looking at the whole person, 

not just as your child, but as a child of God and their surroundings can help you better understand. 

Step back and look at the tree from all angles to find the best shape.

 

I have been parenting for 33 years and pruning apple trees for about 8.  My heart has grown, been broken, repaired, and has grown some more.  I am definitely not the best parent.  I have learned to forgive myself and my children.  I have learned to trust the Holy Ghost and follow his promptings better.  I have learned to love and appreciate my own parents and grandparents more and more.  I still make mistakes, but most of all these experiences and relationships have taught me how to love more and better.  I still have a long way to go. 

Genes, enviroment, or just the will to choose?

At first when I saw this I thought the children were pulling out the lettuce.  After looking closer I realized that I had spilled some of the seed outside of the bucket.  This is a small sample of my experimental garden.  The ground this bucket sets on is hard like rock,  even weeds find it hard to grow here.  The bucket is to keep the rabbits from eating what I want to save for myself. 

I like to watch people, read, and contemplate where I am in the scheme of things.  I've seen pictures of trees growing out of the side of rocky cliffs. I've read about war refuges who use their will  to enable their minds and heart to find peace and comfort.   I've known people who make good choices in bad circumstances ,turn to their Heavenly Father and are strengthened.  My reading lately has brought me to ponder on the instant between when something happens to us and when we decide our response.  Do I do what first pops into my head or stop, look for options and consider consequences before acting.  When I was a teenager, teachers at church taught that we should contemplate situations we might find ourselves in and choose our reaction before hand.  I did find this to be helpful when the  time came to make a choice.  When I'm emotional I don't always take long enough to think about options or their consequences. 

Back to the seeds.  I'm sure some of the seeds spilled continue sleeping.  Then there are the few pictured here that chose to take what little was offered in soil, water and sun shine and grow as much as possible.  They are not as large as the plants in the buckets, but they are just a beautiful. 

Independent vs Interdependent

During my reading I have found in myself a certain amount of fear.  I seem to have always been seeking to be independent, physically, mentally, emotionally, and financially.  In growing up I think we all seek these same things so we can set out on our journey away from our childhood homes.  There I was dependent for everything until learning skills to be out and about.

I sometimes view interdependence as a step back to allowing others to control, define, use or manipulate me.  I had to reread a statement that was very similar to this several times.  I recognized in it my fear of losing the independence I have gained.  It goes on to explain that to be truly interdependent we must be a mature independent person, knowing when to say no, how to listen and understand others, and not be threatened by the changes that happen when we interact and influence each other. I see in myself the need to have control. I  see the need to seek balance for control and interdependence.  Steven Covey states that when good interdependence happens success can be multiplied instead of just added upon.  It's a lot to roll around in my head.  Maybe I'll just let it ferment in my brain a few days.

What Am I?

I believe that what you do speaks louder than what you say.  I also believe that before someone can really hear what you have to say, that you need to have heard and sincerely wanted to listen to what they have to say. Taking this a step further, does what you are, your character, speak louder than your actions?  There is a maxim that goes, "Sow  a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny,"

I finished reading "The Seven Habits of Effective Teens"  written by the son, and have started reading "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" this one written by the father, Steven Covey.  This one is definitely a little more to the point.  So far I'm only on the second chapter.  It covers being dependent, independent, and interdependent.  It points out that the development of character is shaped by the habits that we choose to implement in our lives.  It also points out that not making the effort to form  better habits, could be just choosing  less desirable habits.

In belonging to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints we are taught to love our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ with all our hearts, obey and live the commandments, listen to the whisperings of the Holy Ghost, seek to love and serve those around us, and to develop talents and skills to become the best we can be.  All of these develop character. All of these become habits and I guess when they become easy to do, they are who we are.  The goal is to become a true disciple of Jesus Christ.

Nimrod

The past few months I've been studying the old testament. I came across Nimrod, grand son of Ham, great grand son of Noah.  You know, the one with the ark.  Well he wanted to persuade men not to believe in Christ or of God.  He also wanted to convince men that happiness was not found by keeping the commandments but by men's own courage.  He established his own cities and changed the government to one that produced an atmosphere where the people were brought under constant dependence on the government for everything.  Doing this he set himself up as their hero, or savior.  He was the one that instituted the building of the tower of Babel.  "Now the multitude were very ready to follow the determination of Nimrod, and to esteem it as a piece of cowardice to submit to God, and they built a tower, neither sparing any pains, nor being in any degree negligent about the work, and by  reason of the multitude of hands employed in it, it grew very high, sooner than anyone would expect, but the thickness of it was so great, and it was so strongly built, that thereby its great height seemed, upon the view, to be less than it really was.  It was built of burnt brick, cemented together with mortar, made of bitumen, that it might not be liable to admit water."

These things brought to mind where we are in this world today.  Are we living in a day when believing in God and Jesus Christ is thought of as a weakness?  Are we beginning to believe that we are not capable of caring for ourselves but that we should allow the government or laws to make more of our decisions?  Do we really believe that keeping the ten commandments leads to happiness or do we believe it restricts us? Are we humble enough to attribute all that we have as being a blessing from God or do we attribute it to the works of our hands?  Hopefully we stand firm in the belief in our Father In Heaven and in His son and that we are truly his children, capable of using our free agency to choose happiness.

Do our buildings reflect the general consensus?  During the 1800's churches were the largest buildings in a town, in the 1900's government buildings became the largest, and now towering over our government buildings are tall financial institutions.

Questions/Statements to Ponder

I've been reading Sean Covey's book "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens".  In it he asks that they answer the following questions/statements.

1-Think of a person who made a positive difference in your life.  What qualities does that person have that you would like to develop?

2-Imagine 20 years from now, you are surrounded by the most important people in your life.  Who are they and what are you doing?

3-If a steel beam (6 inches wide) were placed across two skyscrapers, for what would you be willing to cross?  A Million dollars?  Your pet? Your brother? Fame? Think carefully....

4-If you could spend one day in a great library studying anything you wanted, what would you study?

5-List 10 things you love to do.  It could be singing, dancing, looking at magazines, drawing, reading, daydreaming, anything you absolutely love to do!

6-Describe a time when you were deeply inspired.

7-Five years from now, your local paper does a story about you and they want to interview three people, a parent, a brother or sister and a friend.  What would you want them to say about you?

8-Think of something that represents you... a rose, a song, an animal... Why does it represent you?

9-If you could spend an hour with any person who ever lived, who would that be?  Why that person? What would you ask?

10-Everyone has one or more talents.  Write down some of yours, being a good friend, making things happen, mechanical, accepting others, humorous, music, ect...

11-What are the three most important skills I need for my career?

12-Would I want to marry someone like me?

13-What is the key crossroad I am facing in my life right now?  In the long run, what is the best path to take?

14-Identify a negative label others may have given you.  Think up a few things you can do to change that label.

I filled out each of these questions/statements and discovered I was traveling on the path that I wanted to be on.  I only needed to tweak a few things to straighten out my path. Even at age 50 these were thought provoking, for me at least.