Given our newfound source of heat, I’ve developed a new workout and stress reliever. I now split and stack wood. One member of the congregation has a lot of timber on his property that he’s trying to clear to get rid of the fire hazard. So he’s got good solid wood that has already fallen or been felled, and has given it to us in exchange for helping him clear it. And another member is helping me redo our hearth to bring it up to code and has been dropping off a truckload of likewise seasoned logs each time he comes. So now when I have a difficult day I simply go out back, grab the maul, and start swinging. It feels so good when you hit it just right and the log splits in two.
This all has the additional benefit of a direct connection with the things that enable life. It’s something I enjoy about farmer’s markets–or better yet, home gardens. I like being as close to the raw materials as is practicable. There’s just something more enjoyable about a pumpkin pie, for example, made from bringing a pumpkin into your home, seeding it, cooking it, and then making the pie than, for another example, buying the pie from Mega-Lo-Mart or some such thing. The same goes for the wood. It’s been harvested by some friends and me, and I am putting the sweat into splitting it to bring into the house to keep us warm. It gives a first-hand perspective to the First Article ways in which God continues to provide “all that I need to support this body and life.”
