The Gift

Typical fall in Alabama

The leaves just made their journey to cover and protect for the cold and it's a warm 70's.

We hustled and did school and made banana nut bread and they scattered outside.

The house quiet, 

My soul thirsty for quiet.

Needing to think through some things.

Ended up crying out thank you to the Lord for all of the precious gifts in my life. When you get older you will do this often..

I'm so thankful to walk out on on the porch and not be able to see them but to hear their voices

as they were finding worms for their brother.

"Cooper, I found you a worm and a grasshopper"

Joe comes running across careful not to slip to retrieve the small bait.

My heart bursting with each click of my camera. What makes them so close?

For one I think or I guess I know, it's the farm.

We have no neighbors so they have each other.

Their days spent exploring and fishing together.

They cut down trees that get in their way and share hot fresh banana bread.

They sit on our church pew on Sunday mornings all dressed up squeaky clean listening and learning about God.They get muddy together. They also get in trouble together for not finishing a job or for making the whole house shake playing football. They get in trouble for wearing their good jeans to play tackle football in. Their knees stained with grass and little holes wearing in them. They share a small space and all their stuff gets all mixed up. They get in trouble for being sharp and for fighting over the front seat. They share the same big bed, my bed, when they're sick. 

I call them to the table by yelling come on girls it's time to eat. Guys put that football up..{I guess you can tell they really love football.}

I can lump all of them together with just one word.

For a brief season I get them 

So often we miss this season with the busy-ness of raising a family or forgetting that they're getting taller every day. They stand in your doorway after just eight hours of sleep and you notice but you try not to...They're taller.
 You buy new clothes that are one size bigger and you don't flinch. 

Each day is one step closer

remember this:

Childhood the great gift from our Lord...

It all passes so quickly

Cooper is on the edge of letting childhood go and I have watched two other of my babies make the same passage and well it just hurts. When you're so overwhelmed with littles you think to yourself the day will never come and when it does you feel it. Except now I anticipate it and it makes me stop and enjoy them and to teach them to enjoy where they are and not try to and rush one single moment of their childhood. 

But it still comes I can feel it and well the day this land is quiet with no rubber boots 

 hitting dirt or no voices to be heard when I walk out on the front porch.....

What will that be like? Will I sit in a rocking chair hair gray and think of the times when this land held all of them safely here..

There is a pull, an open invitation from the world calling for our children and I will not give them up one second before it's time.

Once they leave, the magic of their childhood vanishes with them.

They come back to visit but it's never the same.

So enjoy your gift

Thank God for these sweet moments that you get to call all of them to the table with just one word.

Love from the Farm,