The Accepted Time
The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved. Jeremiah 8:20
Date of original journal entry: Friday, November 11, 2011
One of Stephen’s favorites is salmon macaroni salad; this one has both cucumber and carrots making it a special treat.
One mainstay of good, safe protein in our diet is canned salmon which is available in the city. Stephen will buy several cans on every supply run and I keep it well stocked in my pantry. Using a little creative ingenuity, I’ve learned how to get two meals out of one can of salmon. Today’s menu is one of Stephen’s favorites: Salmon macaroni salad. But I really wanted one more item to stretch the meal a bit further.
As Stephen set off to join Joseph for regular Friday evangelism, I tagged along, walking into town with him. My strategy was to enlist Elisabeth’s help; if something is available in our little village, she knows where to find it. So at the main junction Stephen and I parted company; he to search for souls, I to search for – – kukoombay, cucumbers.
Elisabeth and I scoured the regular places as well as the market but to no avail. “Mummy Lolla, de time done pass,” Elisabeth finally declared. Being American it can be difficult to think of eating foods only in their appointed seasons; I can always get cucumber, in fact, any one of several varieties will be available whenever I want them.
At the main junction in our village.
Meanwhile, Stephen and Joseph are also searching for fruit in its season. “De time be short, judgment de come, hell fire de come,” I could hear Joseph proclaim with the bull horn. “Today is the accepted time, behold today is the day of salvation. Soon de time done pass.”
One last stop for onions from my friend Mohmee at a kiosk behind the market. One last time Elisabeth asked, “kukoombay?” From under the table in her stall, hidden from my view, Mohmee produced a cucumber; undoubtedly the last one in town, and it was a big beauty.
Walking home with my hard-won treasure, I found myself wondering if Stephen would likewise find precious hidden treasure today, fruit in its season and ripe unto harvest.
