A Gray Day on the Farm

Gray is not always dreary, and sometimes it can be quite a poem all of its own. I went to the farm on one such gray day, and I went purposefully looking for the beauty of the atmosphere. I found so much glory in the gray. I like to look at things close up. You'll find a lot of hidden gems when you stop and pear into the face of a tiny patch of grass. 

There's nothing quite like lush green moss after a good rain. This is actually on our property, but it's just a bit of what you can find in the gloominess.

Kind of nostalgic.

I don't know why, but ever since I was a kid, I've had a fascination with power-lines. 

A lot of these pictures show the little droplets of water from the rain. 

This is that clump of grass I was talking about. Isn't it kind of amazing?

There is always some kind of flower in bloom in NC.

A lot of people call these things spikey balls, but I guess being the tree nerd that I am, I just call them sweet gum balls because they come from sweet gum trees. 

Old fence posts growing stuff are pretty cool.

Some red on the old farm road. 

So calm and peaceful. 

Barbed wire is strangely intriguing to me. 

A million tiny little drops of rain shimmering on a weed. 

A little pop of yellow all curled up in a dandelion. 

So, try to look for the poem in the next gray day you come across.

✌

Travel

I was on the phone with a friend, and she asked me what I do with my time outside of work. I realized that lately, a lot of my time has been in traveling. When your favorite person lives 5 hours away, you kind of have to travel to see him. Also, I went to MN for a couple days. 

Yep, I went with Jacob and his 2 younger brothers, so I had the full experience. We drove the whole 15ish hours in one day. Before that, I drove five hours to get to the same leaving point as them. It was a good time. You learn to put up with people when you have to. Although, I didn't personally feel like I was putting up with anything: I genuinely had a great time. Maybe it stems from the fact that I have 4 brothers and kind of miss that brother interaction. 

Anyway, I got to stay with Priscilla and Justus, and I had such a great time with Quinn. She was bit shy at first, but then she was so much fun. It was nice to be able to have some sister time with Priscilla. We also saw Gabriel and Emily and Addison, which was really nice. 

We hung out a lot and did sledding both days we were there. There were a couple different spots that were good for sledding, and it was quite thrilling. So thrilling, in fact, that I am still reaping the consequences of over a week ago. Oh, well. Who needs a rear end anyway?

Traveling is good. I guess I've gotten accustomed to it. It can be tiring though. However, there is something to being reminded that this isn't our home. I guess I feel like some people never go anywhere. They're so settle here in their little spot. Besides the fun of seeing new places, traveling reminds me that I ain't really supposed to be settled here. Random thoughts for you.

Anyway, so yeah. That's my life. 

Blue and White

 

Blue behind white

Glowing in the light

Sparkle and shine

A bumpety line

Winter light and shimmer

Pure white and glimmer

🌼

Light and Warmth

 

Didn't Know My Abilities

*Note: I started this post a long time ago, hence the reference to foot problems. 

I went in for another post-operation appointment this morning. When my doctor/family-friend-for-about-20-years saw me hobbling in on crutches, he said, "Why aren't you walking?"

I was confused. I didn't understand from my last appointment that I was supposed to start walking. There was a bit of disappointment as I thought how much I would have loved to walk. Anyway, it's really no big deal, and I'm on the long and slightly painful road of teaching myself to walk again. I know, I've been through something like this before.

Well, the situation made me think about my life in general. I often do not know of my abilities so I shrink back and do nothing because I'm afraid of hurting myself. Thing is, God has given me His own Son. He has given me life through Him. I should be afraid of nothing. As far as my abilities go, I should believe that He has designed me for a purpose. That purpose, put simply, is to glorify Him, and He will give me the power to carry out whatever it is He wants me to do. 

So, I'm thinking about my abilities and how I can put the gifts God has given me into practice. I don't know all He has for me, but I'm excited to find out each step of the way. I don't want my fears to stop me. I want to take risks. I don't expect to live a safe, comfortable life, but I think I can live a good life if I follow God wherever He leads me.

Anyway, don't underestimate the power of God in you.

"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." ~Romans 8:37

Photo by Dad

Tennessee

Tennessee is OK. I like the people there. Well, I like the people I know that are there. I was in TN for New Years with some friends. I actually stayed up till midnight for the entering of this year, which was probably the first time I did that. I was a little crazy that night; sometimes very tired but sometimes very obnoxious. 

I had a great time while I was there. I haven't gone on many trips by myself. Once in the summer of 2019, I went to SC for Tyler's brother's wedding. That was a big deal for me and lots of fun. However, I think this most recent trip by myself was even more fun because I was with my favorite person. 

We did lots of interesting things, but what I remember is just being with those people. They are new friends, but I feel like I have known them for a while. 

Football in the dark is scary, by the way. I am not good at tennis. Lego people can be crazy. All animated films are basically the same. "Jurassic Park" is not my favorite movie. I am very stubborn. Knoxville has a bigger mall than Asheboro. There are other facts that I learned while in Tennessee, but I think you'd get bored if I kept telling you about them. 

Fact is, I had a great time. Now I have to go back to work and all the other things I love NC.

Basically, I miss you.