Gone Pickin'

Walking up the road by our house the berries hang by bunches begging you

to pick them. Not quite ready and we have to wait a day or so before we

can fill buckets of these black beauties. She ends up eating alot of our profit before we even get

home. Her eyes begging for just one more she says "yumm those are so good."

We bring them home and all the kids run for the bowl and a lot of my cobbler berries are gone.

I pull my black skillet out and the girls and I start to work on our first black berry cobbler of the summer. We have to tell her to stop eating them or we won't have enough.. she can't help it..and I can't blame her. We had just enough: 2 cups after 8 kids and 1 mama got through robbing the blackberry bucket. It was hot and bubbly and irresistible. Daddy brought home ice-cream and we celebrated these beauties that are found in hard places,arms scratched from hitting thorns but so worth the out come.. kinda like love

thinking all the work is just too much work and wondering, no praying, that at the end of this day I have loved more than I did yesterday. I'm living in my mission field. No, I'm not in Africa or some third world country but I'm sitting in the middle of a small modest 40 acre farm and pouring myself into the lives that He has surrounded me with. Providing daily food and reminding myself everyone has a mission field it's just whether you live your mission field out or not. Sometimes I'm so tired at the end of a day that I wonder if only to myself, and God, if I can possibly give again tomorrow and I always do. He always gives me what I need. He knows me. I cringe when people say "your family is just special" and to that I say "no, our family is nothing special, we just love each other. As imperfect as we are,  we try and love those that for whatever reason end up in our life." Loving is an art though. Choosing to base all your decisions on love is hard. Kinda like picking blackberries in the summer time. It's hot and there are thorns but in the end it's a true masterpiece and the work was worth it.

Live out your mission field

Love much

and pick some berries..

Our family is headed West

Stars at night are big and bright

deep in the heart of Texas.

You might see us out on the road

this crazy family or ours and as always

honk if you do.