Lesson from the Peaches

The peaches Ted brought from Kelowna, B.C. were ripe.  He had lovingly wrapped each one in a square of newspaper, and arranged them in single layers so they wouldn't bruise. Before we knew it, they were ready and needed immediate attention..  It was rather ironic that I'd given Annie most of my canning jars, leaving me only a small box full.  Off to the store to buy more.

Our assembly line was soon set up, and we chose our jobs.  Terry put several  peaches at a time into a pot of  hot water to loosen their skins, and got the water boiling in the big canner.  Ted slipped the skins off the peaches, and I cut the "naked" fruit and packed it into jars, arranging the wedges neatly to show off their outer edge.  We worked in companionable silence at our respective stations. I only commented to give the guys instructions.  After so many years of not canning, I actually remembered what to do.  What was different from those days was that there was no frenzied running back and forth, trying single-handedly to coordinate each step.
When we were done, we had 5 quarts and 19 pints.  It was satisfying to hear each lid give a soft "ping" as its lid sealed.
Terry commented, " We did that faster than I expected!"  It only took two hours and with everyone helping,  was a pleasant job.  Another wonderful example of teamwork!
 I remembered another time when the children were young.  Terry was busy elsewhere, so I enlisted the help of Christopher, 13, Stephen, 10, and Nicholas 8.  For three hours the boys slipped off skins, cut up, and stuffed 29 quart sealers.  Up to that point I hadn't realized what a great source of labour I had at home.  I tended to do things myself.  It was an eye-opener, born out of desperation.  As a reward, they each got to buy a sub (submarine sandwich) from the store, which was a huge treat at the time. 

Our reward: glowing jars of peaches cooling on the table.

Now you [collectively] are Christ's body and [individually] you are members of it, each part...with his own place and function.
I Corinthians 12: 27