Water spews from the line. Like a geyser. A hole. Probably the size of a pin. Undetectable. Unless water flows. The droplets cascading in an arc. Grass glistening. I stare at the beauty. I haven't traveled. My Old Faithful is this phenomenon on the flats. The water line that brings nourishment to our girls. A necessity to make milk. Some girls drinking close to 40 gallons a day. So much work. Yet so much beauty. I pull myself from the daze. I want to always see the beauty around. I ... View Post
We Yield, He Works, We Rest
Do you stumble out of bed? Is there a longing to pull the sheets over your head and wish the day would go away? I do. The desire to sink into quiet, no schedules, sleep past 5:30, rise to greet me. I always feel the need to be moving. I have to be accomplishing something. Yet somehow I feel as if nothing is ever done. I am just treading water. I stare into the fog this morning wanting to roll over and just shut it all out. I don't want to feel, or work through the day. I have an early morning meeting, the kids school ... View Post
When Mother’s Day Isn’t About Getting What You Want
I say good night to the kids. The farm house is quieting down. I pause, in the doorway to his room, as I do each evening before I head down the stairs. I can't stay for long because the feeling is so overwhelming. I think over the day. Mother's Day; it was so beautiful. We cooked on the grill and ate outside. We talked and felt the warmth of the sun on our faces. It felt good to just enjoy the creation around us. I turn and head down the stairs. The day was not what I expected. At some point I was told I needed to be ready ... View Post
The Cost Of The Cross
Snow. In April. Poor man's fertilizer. The temperature has dropped 30 degrees. The water has traveled outside it's boundaries. Warm air has given way to a bitter wind. Reminding us that winter has not had it's final say. It is Holy Week. For some, this means nothing. For me. It is everything. The journey Jesus took to the cross is the defining piece of my faith. He came into Jerusalem Hailed as King and left Jerusalem via the cross. He took on the dirty and broken; so that we might live. He died to save a wretch like me; when He himself was sinless. And as we ... View Post
A Recipe To Lighten Anyone’s Load
They ask me to please let them go. I know I am in for a day of it if I say yes. And I know the memories will be lost forever if I say no. My little princess girls want to help their daddy in the wee hours. When the darkness is the deepest. And the Joy Thief can be relentless. When the mundane is elevated. But the farmer isn't himself and that which was once fun for him; now produces anxiety. Once there was joy when the kids wanted to get up to milk. An adventure; counting stars. Sometimes the Northern ... View Post
Chin Up, Shoulders Straight. . .Advice From My Dad
Chin up Shoulders straight Fly right My father's advice through the years. There were many other colorful pieces of advice he would share that I won't mention here. But these. These have stayed with me. I don't know where he got this. His father died when he was 12. So I am not thinking it was fatherly wisdom. My dad is a man of few words. (not always appropriate either, insert wink) Now he is a man who has the memory thief as a constant companion. But he spoke these words to me often enough that they have stuck. This morning ... View Post
