A Very Blessed and Happy Thanksgiving

[Raychel A Watkins]

Aloha All

David H said we haven't read our thankful posts we wrote in 2010 so I thought we should post our 2011 thoughts on thankfulness.  I have wanted to write a blog on how I feel for some time but never seem to get the time to do it.  I want to say that I am very thankful this Thanksgiving for many things,

I reached my 71 st year if life this month and discounting a few aches and pains am halthy.  I do wish my body felt as young as my mind.  I have the most wonderful friends in the world.  Good friends are the greatest blessing in the world. I live in beautiful Hawaii.  By the way which has as many problems as any other place but as I tell my mainland friends it is too beautiful to care about those things.  I feel that I am one of the few persons who has found the space they were meant to be in.  My body and spirit are in tune with the rythums of Hawaii.  The aina (land) and I are one.

I am thankful for having an acre of land to do all the things I like to do in Aquaponics and growing plants.  I am thankful for my passion for aquaponics that keeps me going.  So many people my age have nothing to keep them busy.  They retire and die.  I get 2 retirement checks and SS and hold 2 part time jobs and my aquaponics.  It is a wonderful world.  

I have two wonderful grown children, 4 grandchildren, and 8 great grandchildren.  Wow that makes me seem old.  They all live on the mainland but I am blessed that at least 2 of them spend their summer with me.  I was blest that this summer my son in law spent 4 months working on the farm.  He made so many wonderful things on the aquaponic farm side and made me a wonderful new bed that is at the height I need.  It proved my theory that aquaponics was healing as it did wonders for him.  He had a very large tumor removed from his frontal lobe area of his brain 2 years ago.  He need some therapy  and the aquaponics provided that.  He improved greatly from the stresses that plagued him.  Because of his being here I was able to attend the aquaponics conference.

That is a blessing that keeps on giving.  I was so thrilled to be in Florida and meet so many of you.  It helped me understand that a few of us are not in this alone.  I was overwhelmed by the number of people there.  The fact that we were an overwhelming source of energy all headed in the same direction even though are purposes were very different.  There were commercial, humanitarian, self sustaining, back yard people, hobbyist, and people like me who have several of those interest in mind.

I had the idea that I would do something commercial after I got out of my first class on the Big Island.  I ordered 3 times the fish I needed.  I started building rafts like crazy.  Then God pulled me up short real fast.  That was not the waay I should gol   I would never be able to keep up with it.  About that time in walked my first 2 WWOOFers and it has been a blast ever since.  I have has one year of WWOOFers with great success.  Those that didn't fit left with no problems and no hard feelings.  But most stayed way beyond what they had planned.  I have benefitted in many ways.  They help me with all the work.  They provide a wonderful cultural exchange for me who doesn't travel much.  They have restored my faith in human beings.  Here are considerate, happy, young people who are enjoying life and visiting the world.  They are expanding their concept of other countries.  They well know first hand what is happening in the world not just the propaganda put out by governments.  Most take a genuine interest in aquaponics and self sustainability.  My first WWOOLFers are back in France and building there own system .  I am reminded of them every time I look at system 19 as they designed and built it.  It is running beautiful after over a year.  

So I found my niche in aquaponics.  I am to show the average backyard person how he or she can build a system on what they have laying around and have fresh fish and vegetables.  They appreciate that I will spend hours with them talking, explaing, and showing them my systems and telling them why and how to get one of their own.  I can not believe the number of people that come by.  I put a big colorful sign on the road ( made by a WWOOFer from Switserland ) and they just keep comming.  I am able to sell a few fish for people to eat and even sold some to The U of H for a kids school project.  Every one is so happy because I share so freely, they just do not know how pumped up I get.  My blessing is probably 2 times theirs if not more.  2 men came last week they live here but are originally from the south.  I see them at the beach when I do my exercising.  They stayed 3 hours and I wasn't even here.  They bought fish to eat and killed them here and just spent time looking at all the systems.  I got home and they were still here I have never seen such excited people.  I am blessed.

I am so thankfull for and blessed by this site.  I give everyone who comes the address for I trully believe that one cain gain so much knowledge and energy from this site.  I actually get a few people to join.  One those will be here today.  She came by to visit with a friend and caught the addition and now has a small system but wants to go commercial.  She also shares my passion for finding a way to get this to brain injured veterans.  There are many out there and we have the thearpy to help them restore their mind.  I actually believe that anything you need to know about aquaponics you can find on this site.  You can contact the people that know and get all the advise you need.  We are all blessed.  I feel like I have over 3100 friends of very high intelligence and with the same passion as mine.

I am thankful that I started a BSF bin and it is working thanks to my friend Kirsten who started a worm composting bucket and produces a BSF bucket instead.  So i got some larvae built a bin and  now have my  own BSF bin.  "Build it and they will come" I took another line from that movie and changed it a bit.  When they say "Is this Iowa"  I say no this is Paradise.  

I am blessed by a very big God who loves me and gives me the courage to go on.  Without Him I would be nothing.  He has giving me all I have and believe me that is a lot.  It may not be monetary but that is mostly my fault as I have had the opportunity but it is far beyond monetary it is hope.  Hope in all that I do, hope in tomorrow, hope in today, hope that it will all be ok.  Hope that aquaponiscs will spread around the world and it will solve a lot of hunger problems.  Hope that it will show people a love for our mother earth and how to give back to it.

So everyone what are you thankful for or how have you been blessed this year and what do you expect for the coming year with aquaponics.

To steal Sahib's phrase " God Bless You all Richly"

 

[George]

Thanks Rachel.  It sounds like a good life you have and I've very thankful that mine is too, with many blessings.

Did you have a look at the Taro photo I commented to your page?  I'm still uncertain whether or not it's an edible variety.

[Sahib Punjabi]

Wonderful...so meaningful :-)

 

You know Raychel, we never really got to spend any time when you visited us in Florida in September. I read that you may be visiting Florida next year so God willing, we will spend some quality time together...you know, Aquaponics Therapy :-)

 

God bless,