When everything went crazy back in March, I decided that I was going to use the time as a gift. I determined that I was going to make the most of the slower pace of life and soak it all in. Having a terrible attitude about it all wasn’t going to change a thing. If only more people would realize that fact..
2020 has been far from our worst year ever. That is not to say that this year has been all smooth sailing and easy for Scott and me. It hasn’t. We have faced hard questions and struggles. But, we have faced far worse in our years of marriage.
In this quiet time, I’ve asked myself a lot of questions. I realized that I have said yes to SO MANY THINGS just because I felt like I had to say yes. Since the world crashed to a grinding hault, I started thinking “What would I do if I didn’t care what PEOPLE thought of it?” Would I volunteer to do so much when all it does is drain me? Would I go back to that?
Let me clarify something. I care a great deal of what God thinks of me and my choices. We have been praying a lot seeking guidance from the Lord in all of these things. But, PEOPLE… People are judgemental and like to apply pressure if they don’t like what you are doing. This year has shown the true colors of many people, and if I’m honest, my heart is broken by it. But, that is a completely different topic.
When we moved into the country, we were really excited to start living a more simple life. Our goal is to be more self sufficient– to not rely on a grocery store so much. I’ve always cooked most of our food from scratch, but it was still ingredients from a store. Our garden is producing, and it has been so delightful to step outside and grab some cucumbers from the vine. I made marinara sauce last week, and picked the tomatoes and herbs from our garden. We had garlic and onions from a farmer’s market.
The simple life isn’t really simple. It’s a lot of work. It takes a lot of effort and a constant willingness to learn. I laugh when people think that we don’t have anything to do. We have plenty to do. Plenty that brings us immense amounts of joy!
I learned how to water bath can a few years ago, and it’s CANNING SEASON. It’s a lot of work, but rewarding. In the middle of writing this blog post, our landlord (AKA “the farmer”) showed up to reinstall our dishwasher that needed some work. He was showing me the water valves are, and we discovered that some of the jars in the root cellar still had jam and grapes (?) inside. These are from 1988! He said that there used to be a good vineyard around here many years ago.
Just imagining his wife working tirelessly in the kitchen to provide food for her family through the winter months is so special. I love this life. I love the care and thought that go into every decision. I love that we’ve been able to share some with others.. We’ve had others bring us MANY vegetables.
You can’t waste time with a homestead, and I love that. I love being more intentional with how my time is spent. Shaye wrote a really great post that describes exactly how I’ve been feeling lately, so I’m just going to link you to it here. I’m so tired of the over-connectedness of our society. Do you really think we can listen to the Lord’s leading with all of the NOISE around us?
I encourage you to step away today. Find some quiet. Put your phone away and love the people right in front of you!
