Jerky and Sabbath Rest

My  husband made jerky yesterday for the first time.  Last month we bought a full beef from a fellow here in the valley.  It's not the same as homegrown meat, but buying directly from a local producer is the next best thing.  We've gotten meat from him before and were impressed at how good it was.  I asked him about the breed.   It's Jersey steer!  He said that Jersey is one of the best meats, but because they don't bulk up as much as the meat breeds, they usually aren't raised for meat.  Music to my ears!!  Our little calf, beefy, is a Jersey steer and we'll raise all of Christina's boy calves as Jersey steers.  Praise God!

Making the jerky was pretty easy.  He mixed up hamburger, spices, and cure salts, then loaded them into a "jerky maker," a thing like a caulk gun.  They pressed out into even strips.  You could probably form them into strips without the gun, but the gun made it fast and easy.  We filled our dehydrator and ten hours later pulled out rich jerky.  For each two-pounds of hamburger, we got about a pound of jerky.  My 15-year-old daughter ate several strips before we got them away from her and put away.

Yesterday was a full day of American mom life for me.  Our nine-year-old twins volunteered at Museum Comes to Life with their girl scout troop.  They helped with the children's games and had a good time with their troop.  I've always enjoy the period costumes, activities, and machines, but after four hours on my feet and counting heads a hundred times, I was tired.  I wasn't the only one.  Our weeks are full and by Saturday evening we are ready for Sabbath rest.  We naturally fall into the Jewish tradition of Sabbath beginning at Saturday sundown.

Sabbath rest has taken on new meaning for us.  Most mornings begin with me filling the white board with our to-do list, and then we spend the day methodically erasing items as they get done.  On Sundays, the board is empty.  I still look at it habitually, and remember each time that it is Sabbath.  We still do things, but only as they strike us, not because we *have* to.  This morning my 13-year-old is making crepes for breakfast, something she never has time to do and always enjoys.  We will eat with leisure.  We will read, play, maybe watch a movie, and rest.  Even dinner is left-overs.  How wonderful that God designed our lives to follow this pattern, to value rest as much as we value work.  My Monday morning has new energy after a full day of no "shoulds."