Saturday, we traveled through the rolling hills of the Willamette Valley stopping to admire the colors of fall and the beauty of the harvested vineyards.  
It’s a tradition we have every year right before Thanksgiving.  We get up early  and head down to the rolling countryside to enjoy the day.

We stopped in Dundee, Oregon for an amazing meal at the Dundee Bistro.  We had duck to be exact, as this seemed appropriate for Oregon.

But the dessert of Bread Pudding brought tears to my eyes and three pounds to my waist.  But it was worth it!

I loved our day!

As I looked at the grapevines recently harvested I couldn’t help but think….

I am the Vine and you are the branches….

“I am the Vine and you are the branches.”  What does this mean?

I was reminded of a woman I met in the Dominican Republic this last year.  Everyday she is faced with a choice to either buy medicine for her son’s heart condition, or buy food for her family.  Many times she goes hungry.  In the world’s standards we would say she is poor, and none of us would choose to live in her shoes.  However, what struck me about her was her lack of self-pity and sorrow.  Her hope, her joy, her gratitude was overwhelming.  Why?  Why such joy?

When we asked her about her joy she looked at us with confusion.  “Why not? For I have everything I need, in Christ alone.”

“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.”  (New Living Version).

She clings to the Vine, and even through the difficulties of life, she finds her dependence in something much greater than herself.

In the Vine she finds everything she need, and the Vine makes her beautiful and rich with fruit.

Oh the colors of fall and the harvested fields……  remind me of how plentiful and beautiful this life can be.  Yet, apart from the Vine what does it matter?

What do we depend on when life goes astray?  What do we cling to when the winter comes with harshness of the rain and cold?

When we cling to the Vine we shall find life and our joy can be complete in every circumstance.

This is Thanksgiving.