The days move along. Time has no respect for the heart. Maybe it was designed that way. The beat steady. Unwavering. 10 months of a cadence that is unfamiliar. A longing each day for what can not be. Reaching deep for strength. The earth a glow with spring color. Matchless in it's wonder. A palette stretched with colors unimaginable. The magnitude of loss so great; it mars the beauty. So I work. I step to see. Breathe. Listen. 10 months. I remember when you were 10 ... View Post
A new addition to the Dairy. . . And It’s Not A Cow
We're beginning to head back up in milk. The cows are calving. The milk is flowing. The pastures are still behind. Many farmers in the same boat. Limited grass for pasture. The guys spent part of the day collecting wood from the river spills last fall and this spring. Chipping slowly away at the list. We've added a member to our dairy. And it's not a cow! He and his family, followers of Christ; desiring to serve. It's been so nice having him here. A fresh perspective. Funny thing is. He's so much like ... View Post
He Will Renew Our Strength
A wife loses her husband and 2 children in a tornado. Just like that. 3 members of their family gone. How does a mom grieve for 2 children and her husband? Her soul-mate. I am familiar with the loss of a child. I know the searing pain. The overwhelming grief. I know the knee bruising prayer of pleas to spare my husbands life. To lose them all at once? My heart snaps. There is so much pain. I read the comments one of the daughter places on Facebook. The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of ... View Post
1 Bag, 2 bag, 3 bag, 4
A bag a day. Go me. I start out strong. 3 full size garbage bags. Off to Goodwill and a few second hand stores. Maybe I can earn a little something. I got this; It's easy peasy. Day 4. I move to a smaller bag. I still got this. I clean out drawers. I decide a bag of trash counts. I still have this. I move to a grocery bag size. But I still got this. I am in it for the long haul. I may have started out with gusto, but I am at my pace now. Even a grocery size bag is something. But something ... View Post
When The Wind Howls, How Will Your Structure Stand?
The temperatures have warmed. The wind howls, creating a recipe for an icy landscape. With each gust, shutters pull from the house, the tin loosens on the barn's rafters. I wonder just how long it will be before they are torn from their structures. The constant berating; weakening the structure unless careful attention is taken. These needs have been set aside as flooding, death and cancer cry for the immediate. The effects of neglect apparent. Integrity of structure compromised. Sometimes the end doesn't seem in sight. It ... View Post
The Things We Could Learn From A Farmer
It's the last day of radiation for my farmer. He needs some hydration after the treatment. He hasn't needed hydration at all except during treatment. How did they know he would need it now? I am so grateful. You can tell he needs it. He just perseveres. He never complains. He has been amazing through these treatments. There are so many lessons learned from the generations of farmers. If we all lived a little more like them, I think this world would be a much better place. I could be biased. I married one. Here are some lessons I have learned in the last 24 years from my ... View Post