This afternoon as I was finishing up my lunch, my daughter rushed in breathlessly to report that the new baby calf was stuck in the mud.  We have had an exceptional amount of rain here in the last 7 days and there is water on top of the ground just about everywhere.

So, in a flurry, we all jumped to our feet (me and the kids) threw on our shoes and headed out the door on a rescue mission.  Upon arriving on the scene it was evident that our little guy had been stuck for awhile.  Shoulder deep in the dark, black, soupy mud from the rain the night before, no mother to be found, he looked pretty beat.  Not without a bit of struggle and a lot of tugging and pushing, we finally managed to get him to high ground and to a place of peace and rest in the rich green grass of the pasture.                                                                       What a relief for him and for us.

Interesting enough, as I was standing there watching him rest in the clean green grass with the calm breeze blowing and the sun giving off just the right amount of warmth it dawned on me that in this experience God was speaking to me.

How many times in life do we end up wandering off the path that God has placed in front of us and end up horribly stuck in the mud.  And as we sink and struggle and wrestle with the mud we just end up more stuck.  Pretty soon, just like the little calf, we give up, exhausted, frustrated and depressed.  And even though we can see the green pasture intended for us, just a few feet away, we don’t know how we will ever reach it.

It is in that moment of complete exhaustion and surrender that God will come along, if we ask, pluck us out of the mud, and drag our tired soul to the green pastures.  His place of rest. Psalm 23 says “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.  He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters.  He restores my soul.”

The moral of the story is don’t wander off and get stuck!  Stay in that place of rest, wait on Him and He will make your path straight.  I have been stuck for awhile, and in that moment of physical rescue for the baby calf, God opened my eyes to see His will for my life.  He brought me to the green pasture, gave me rest.  He restored my soul.

If you have been wandering too as I suspect many of us have, look up.  Let the Almighty lead you to your place of rest.  He will if you let Him.

With all the crazy stuff going on our there in our world today and the questions I have as a middle-aged patriot, I feel encouraged to see such a great group of young men, proud to stand tall, together.

What most of you may not realize is that ALL of them are polite, respectful handsome young men.  I am so thankful for my son, his choices and his friends.  Based on this photo, America is in good hands.

Been away for a while…..looking for myself.  It happens that way sometimes for everyone I believe.  I have wanted to write but had nothing to say.  Writing for nothing seems pointless and a waste of time.  So I waited.

During this time of year I find myself in a constant state of reflection.  What have I accomplished, have I met my goals, am I a complete failure, what can I do better, and most importantly, what am I thankful for.

So today, on the last day of the Thanksgiving weekend I return from a long absence to write and reflect and resume communication with all of you who have become part of my life through technology.  And what has my time of reflection given me you might wonder????

What I have determined is, that regardless of our state of mind or what is occurring day in and day out, God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.  That even when we take time off from Him, He patiently waits for our return.  That His constancy is the only thing in this crazy world we can depend on no matter what.  God is dependable.  God is loyal.  God is loving. God is my strength.  God is my deliverer, and everything else is just a distraction from the truth.

It is good to be back………..

So, my four year old son and I are sitting in the dining room this morning listening to some new christian music through itunes ( he loves music) and all of the sudden he says to me, “Mamma, are you going to take out your hair bra or leave it in?”  After I picked myself up off the floor from laughing so hard, I confirmed with him that he was referring to my pony tail rubber band.  But,  when you think about it bras are ment to hold “things” up right? So I think I am going to stick with hair bra from now on.  Make it a great day!

Just some random thoughts today…….I have been school shopping with my children for the last two days with one day and one child left to go.  I take them individually as my mother did in hopes of giving them that one on one time that they never get with four children in the house.  We shop, eat and talk, I love it.  It gives me time to chat with them about the things on their mind that I hardly ever get to hear.  I learn some amazing things about who they are during those brief shopping sprees.

But I have observed something rather interesting during the process this year.  As I spend time cashing out visiting with cashiers or other moms, many have commented on how they can’t wait for the kids to go back to school.  I had one cashier say,  ” I bet you are looking forward to school starting?”  To her shocking surprise I responded, “No,  I’m not ready.  I love having my kids home and I miss them when they go back.”  Her response,  “That is soooo sweet!”  And the way she said it made me think that my response was unusual.

Now I don’t want to pick on anybody and I openly admit that there are times during the summer when I send the kids outside with directions to stay out and find something to do for a while.  But the deafening silence that ensues when school begins makes me sad. Fact is I miss them.  When my “Man of the North” and I had children it was intentional.  We like being around them.

Time passes so fast here on earth.  My children are by far the greatest gift besides my husband that God has given me.  I truly treasure my gift.  And with the beginning of another school year comes new milestones.  My oldest son is starting middle school and my daughter is in her last year of middle school on the cusp of high school.  My youngest turned four, three weeks ago and will start kindergarten next year.

My dad said to me once, “I turned around twice and you were gone.”  I am planning to enjoy the turns.

So it’s Monday…………..What does that mean exactly?  I have been conditioned to dread it.  It is the day after the “Day of Rest”  and yet at times I get caught up in the whole overwhelming process of life and every day is the same. 

So I decided this morning as I peeked out from under the covers at 5am to get the kids up for swim practice and find the “Man Of The North” some work clothes from the pile of clean laundry I did not fold this weekend that I am going to try something new.  “PRAISE THE LORD!!!!!” it’s Monday!

The slate is clean, the day is fresh, and I can’t wait to see what God has in store for me.  Who can I serve this week.  Who needs help, who is discouraged, who just needs a friendly smile?  I mean, I have tried the approach of dreading every moment of the new day and that isn’t really working for me.

So whose with me??? Have a blessed day and don’t forget to bless someone else, it will make you smile(on the inside).

When I first thought about the idea of a blog I really struggled with the idea of randomly dumping my thoughts onto a computer page for all the world to read and form an opinion on.  My first thought was WHY? Why subject oneself to that scrutiny and coarse examination.  Why waste my time when I have a husband, children and business that are in dire need of attention continually.  And I didn’t even comment on the mountain of laundary that I climb each and everyday with great hope of reaching the summit.

Then I thought, why not?  If nothing else my life is full of adventure, humor, spirit and endless love.  As a women, I have had the opportunity of  growing up in a happy well adjusted home, studying in college, traveling the world, falling in love, owning and operating a business and kowing the Lord Jesus Christ intimately.  And with the exception of my relationship with Christ, the honor of raising my children along side my handsome man of the North is by far my most important call on my life.

It is with a humble heart I begin this venture to share my thoughts, feelings and opinions about faith family and the farm.