Thankfulness despite our circumstances. Some times the Thankfulness comes in a long list. We spout off a litany of things we are grateful for. Almost as an after thought. Food, family, shelter. As if we take them for granted. We expect to be Thankful for them. Yet our basic Thankful list is often the hearts cry of others. Those longing for shelter. The cry of a mom for a child. The basic need of food and water agonizingly not met. Grief amidst war torn areas. Yet gratitude flows. Despite their circumstances. People marginalized yet thanks and joy radiate. How can this be? Our ... View Post
Papa Projects, Day #25 of Thankfulness
Papa projects. They're the best kind. She comes to him needing batteries. The youngest farmette. The Christmas bears won't sing. With good reason. I've had them for over 20 years. They're singing careers over. Not that I've minded. The 12 Days of Christmas on repeat certainly tried my patience. Each child sat with those bears and held them and played with them. Now the youngest farmette has discovered them and wants Papa to make them work. He finds new batteries and. . . nothing. They still wouldn't work. Much to my relief, I walk away thinking the bears will go back to the ... View Post
Day #21 of Thankfulness
Holy. We cross the threshold of the Notre-Dame Basilica. A 2 hour trip taking us 4 hours because of a car repair. Yet fun. Relaxing. Holy. I am awed by the intricacies of the architecture. Who was the designer? How long did the artists work? What were they thinking as they created this work of Art? I sit in that place. I take in all I can. The holy meets my aching, tired, soul. I am in awe. Such gifts of talent given. Candles lit in memories of loved ones. I want to weep. I want to light a candle for my boy. I want to remember. The kids say I need to come see another ... View Post
Be On The Look Out, Day #20 of Thankfulness
Be on the look out. When your day gets so bogged down in the every day it's hard to see very far. A situation we're dealing with here on the farm didn't work out so well My farmer and I were both just searching for why this had to happen. I felt disillusioned with mankind, betrayed, and beaten down. I pulled clothes out of drawers to clean to try to process this event. (I don't usually like to clean, but this helped) I dug into the Ancient Word searching for truth and meaning. Still coming up empty. Be on the look out. Maybe sometimes there isn't an answer. Sometimes the ... View Post
Day #19 of Thankfulness
I'm out of sorts. There was much that happened yesterday that left us feeling rather discouraged. . It's a slippery slope these days. There doesn't seem to be much in our industry to help us shake that feeling. We look for the good. We step into gratitude. But some days are just really awful. I was reminded yesterday of the evil and selfish nature of mankind. I was shocked at the behavior of folks in our town. I was shocked by our reaction. Pushed into a corner sometimes we come out kicking. Life isn't fair. God certainly didn't say it would be. James 1:2-4 Consider it pure ... View Post
Family, Day #18 of Thankfulness
Sometimes family dynamics can be overwhelming. We listen to our kids and try our best. Occasionally, it's not good enough. They're angry and upset about things they can not even understand. We had this day yesterday. It was rough. Emotional. I felt helpless. I want to fix all their worries and pains. Yet, I was part of the problem. Family. The college girl is so wise. She is calm and asks questions that allow an opening in a conversation. The other family members in the discussion work hard to share, to explain. There are tears. There was real. There was love. There was ... View Post
