The mornings are blessed with sweet, cool air. Thankful for the kiss of the new season (and we are still on this side of Labor Day!), I am relishing the autumn feel. I don't want to rush the seasons, winter here is much too long, but fall is my favorite time of year and I ache for it.
This week has been fruitful. The boys are happily engaged in school work, friends, activities and with the stimulation of activity outside of the norm, they seem fully awake. The oldest is away on a Christian college retreat in the wilds of Wyoming and I happily pray for his renewed energy & joy in his walk with God.
I have been busily pushing forward in my creative journey. Every step is new and asks for bravery. I love every bit of it, as hard as it is, it is always an adventure. I have had delightful emails that keep me going. One lovely girl today sent the verse from Isaiah 40:11,
"He tends his flock like a shepherd:
He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
He leads those that have young."and then was adorably sweet to thank me for my work. It made my whole day!
I also have a crazy sheep friend (she would be honored to be called that) that is emailing me. She is far away in Kentucky but seems to be right next door as we talk about chores, what is coming up next, and what books are being studied and read. She is going to keep me on my toes I can tell! Love it.
The farmers market in the tiny town I visited today was a bit sparse but sincere. The people more than made up for the lack of produce and baked goods. They are a funny bunch. The small-town life being lived out here is hard to get (understand), unless you live here long enough to slow down and learn the language.
Taking time to talk with one another is a precious commodity. During the winter it seems like you live alone in a giant arctic tundra, so the summer chatting is so necessary.
You share space, you lean on old fences, and you laugh at each others funny jokes. You let each other know that you value them, their time, their knowledge. With some neighbors or strangers, it isn't even words. Everyone on the road is someone you know just by the mere fact you are sharing the same road. They wave, tip their head/hat, or just lift one finger off the steering wheel -and you do the same right back.
It is part of the small town package. You wave, you stop and visit, and most importantly you laugh at their silly jokes. I love it.
I am a city and country girl. I love both too much. But on a crisp late summer morning, this is the best. Cheery porches, freshly painted fences, and golden yellow plumbs...
And an adorable freckle faced boy selling his Grandpa's bantam chickens on the side of the road.
Freckle boy and his Grandpa tell me about their brood of hens. These are no ordinary chickens. These are "posing" chickens. No, they don't really lay many eggs, don't eat many bugs or get even get very big, but they are great at poultry shows...they can be taught to pose. These chickens are bred for the runway?
Now how would you ever have met a "posing" chicken and this adorable boy if you hadn't stopped to see, sit, and talk. It is the small town thing-to-do on a Saturday morning.
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We have had company this week, a full-of-life family from Cali are staying at the stonehouse. We have known Tristin for years as a Christian missionary (he typically brings youth groups through here on missions trips), but this time he came for some family fun. They are new to all things small-town and it has been a fun experience. I took them out on a bike ride to the farm and they met the misfit sheep and the neighbors horses, chickens, ducks, and kittens.
Thank you God for sweet fellowship. Thank you for a heart that loves. Thank you for goodness in others that touches me and my family in profoundly good ways. Thank you for teaching us patience, stillness, and the opportunities that come through living in such a tiny place. Thank you God for the cooler weather and markets full of produce. You are good to us...
I hope your holiday weekend is filled with goodness. You are in my thoughts and prayers~
In this beautiful barnyard of life,
may you be blessed,
jj
