I hear them before I see them. The sound of change. Cattle trucks. The rumble. One. Two. Three. Four. A farmer up the road is selling one of his herds of cows. One of the three surviving dairy farms on our road. Now two. A sob catches in my throat. We were that farm last Spring. We tried to sell. But the market was so bad, we couldn't get out. I call my farmer. I ask if he saw the trailers. He softly says yes. It is hard to be in an industry that you watch slowly die. It's painful. All those cows. Generations of working the land. Hauling rocks, smoothing out space for hay ... View Post
First Snow! 30 Days of Thankfulness, Day #14
First Snow! I pour my coffee and turn on the fire. It is then that I notice the quiet hush. The first snow. Flakes fall in slow, purposeful motion: As if they understand the beauty and wonder of the first snow. There isn't a sound. These moments. I hold them close. The wonder. I watch for a while. Snow laden branches. My mom loved the snow. She would call me with excitement in her voice. She loved the unmarked landscape. As kids she wouldn't let us brush the snow off the railings are walk on the lawn. She loved the beauty. I stand for a few more minutes thanking God for ... View Post
Day #22 of Thankfulness
The Season of Thanksgiving is drawing to a close. Soon to enter Advent. A Season of Waiting and Preparation. That we spend time before Advent in deep gratitude seems only fitting. A time to prepare our hearts to wait; spent time in gratitude. As I look for the gift in Thanksgiving. I am changed. I am hopeful. It is not easy. Aren't we as a people so easily frustrated. Grocery lines. Gas lines. Slow drivers. Drivers that drive too fast. Mistakes. Returns. All producing frustration and a lack of gratitude. How many of us say, "Oh, I am so excited that the line at the grocery ... View Post
