In the last few weeks, we saw our final horse, Raz,
head down the driveway to his new home.
Actually, he is “going home” to the place where he was born, a
few miles east of us. Our good friend,
who loved him the minute she laid eyes on him as a newborn foal a decade ago,
is thrilled beyond words to have him back.
She still owns his Mama, along with several other horses, some also
related to Raz., so he is very well received.
Every ride he has taken off our property has included a visit to this
home, so he knows it as second nature.
We sent along his groceries too.
150 bales of hay, so the winter won’t be a burden to our good friends.
As for us…I found this quote tucked within my weekly Amish
Newspaper (The Budget), which outlines our life desires to a T. It is by Wendell W. Price. “There are many activities I must cut out
simply because I desire to excel in my pursuit after God and holiness.”
Will we miss Raz? Of
course. But I truly believe God
brought us to this point, for many reasons.
I must say, I was stunned to see my dear friend, Terri at Our Crazy Farm, was also at this point in her walk.
I think we were saying goodbye to our horses at the same time as she and
her family saw their last couple equines leave the farm. She, too, had horses for many years, with
generational ties. She summed up my
feelings upon their departure when she stated “peace dominates the sadness…”. She added, “These earthly treasures and
delights don’t demand our attention like they used to, our satisfaction and joy
is sought elsewhere. We walk along now,
after having tasted of glory and eternities nearness, refusing to be comforted
by anything short of God Himself. It’s a
strange place to be, to live in this world as if we don’t belong here,
strangers and aliens waiting to go home.”
She goes on to state our feelings, as if snatched from our
very thoughts. See for yourself,
HERE. {Thank you dear Terri, for your
ever-comforting words.}
As for our small farm, we still have chickens. We had two batches hatched this summer,
starting on Memorial Day, with the last one in August, with a count of 14
chicks, compliments of our hen, Israel.
What a sight that was! This
summer, we made a new tradition of Sunday dinner being chicken dinner,
compliments of our young roosters who morphed into “manhood” throughout the
summer. They go from the outdoor butcher
table right into the oven. Fresh and
delicious ~ baked chicken with ‘tators and thick gravy and the trimmin’s. Next day or so, it’s Chicken Pot Pie with the
leftovers.
As for me, my travels to the Amish community have increased
tenfold. (I’ll be leaving again on
“Black Friday” to spend the day.) I have
enjoyed so many visits to various homes, being welcomed into the fold by
children and adults. In recent months,
I’ve enjoyed road trips with my Amish friend, traveling to other Amish
communities. I’ve been learning about
living out a Christ-centered life to the fullest extent (I now wear not only
a skirt, but a head covering). At
times, the emotions are so raw, there are tearful conversations as we dig into
revelations of the Word, and such.
Oh friends, I have so much to tell, but hold back. I couldn’t figure it out until I talked with
a dear friend, who also knows the deep roots of the Amish life. She summed it up with one word. INTIMATE.
It is too “intimate”. It’s
SO true…to write any facet about my visits, is truly too intimate. Perhaps someday I can figure out a way to do
so. The Lord will let me know.
As snow continues to fall, my eyes wander to the sled
dogs, all 15 of them. (Zip is in the
cabin by the woodstove, with me.) This
is their time. And they know it. For us, it will be different, as it is the
first year in over a decade that we aren’t open to the public for dog sled
rides. Calls continue to come in. We have already had to turn away two Boy
Scout troops and others. I feel bad in
doing so, but know our musher friends will pick up the slack and provide them
with a wonderful experience.
I have decided I’m going to check in here each week. I’ve missed you, my friends. There is so much to talk about, and we must
advance the Kingdom, as the Lord tarries.
Until next time, Lord willing,
Sherry
