Angels On the Farm?

"Thank you for the beautiful music," her text read. My neighbor sent that text at 12:42 a.m. The next morning when I saw it, I assured her we had been asleep. She said she was just sure it was Danny and the kids singing. She had taken her dogs out late that night, heard the sound and stood outside to listen.  "I thanked God for the beautiful night sky, wonderful neighbors and the music," her text continued.  That was three months ago.

I wondered myself from where the music had come. There is only one house close to ours. I know sound carries and I know it could be explained away.  I laughed it off until she heard it again. Sometimes the boys in my family drag the drum kit outside, plug up the amps and go for it. But we don't do that at night. And they haven't played music outside in a long time anyway. So I reiterated that it wasn't us. But she said:  “Are you sure? I was facing your house and it was coming from your way.” When I assured her that we had already gone to bed about an hour before she heard the music, she said, “Well it was the strangest thing! The minute the music stopped, the lights in your house went out. So I went back inside.  It sounded just like Danny and the songs he sings with your kids.”

This came up again when some gals from our little community got together last week. Another neighbor said she hears the music too. She said if she goes outside late at night she sometimes hears singing. "It's coming from your house!" she insisted. 

I'd like to think there are angels singing over us. That our neighbors are being blessed by something we can't explain. I don't really know because I've never heard it. But I know this: Often in the Bible, God's presence is manifested through visits by angels.  Zephaniah 3:17 says,
"The Lord your God in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.”

Some time ago, Danny called me while on a trip in Australia. The reception was bad and he was kind of shaken up.  All he said was, "Cindy, angels are singing over us." That was six years ago and we are just now beginning to see a glimpse of the vision God was revealing for our family. We have been recording an album over the last 10 months. Much of the vocals were done here on the farm.  These are scripture memory songs.  So I can't help but think that all that scripture being sung in our house, is bringing the presence of the Lord.

One other thing. And I will finish with this. Our youngest son (who is very musical and sings all the time) pulled me aside this summer. With tears in his eyes he said, "Mama, when I sing I can hear angels singing with me. It is so wonderful that it makes me cry." A couple days later, I took this photo. It reminded me that God assigns His angels to watch over us.

So there you have it! I don't know exactly what is going on around here or what my neighbors are hearing. But I know the time on this farm is special. It has been a place for our family to be set apart these three years. We have grown in our love for Christ, for each other and for the people God has placed in our path. So I have no desire to try to explain it away. Much like my neighbor, I'm just saying, "Thank you."

We are not here by chance.

There's a quiet route I like to take when walking near our farm. It meanders past a field of at least 50 donkeys. Though they are curious when I pass by, they are always respectful of my longing for silence.  Because of this, I often wish I had 50 carrots in my pocket to share.

Tonight I am recalling one such walk when the silence paid off.  As my path turned, I saw three of our neighbors with whom I have developed a close friendship.   They were chatting and examining the hooves of a horse.  Just as I glimpsed them, a voice from beyond my own imagination seemed to whisper, “This place is set apart, protected.  It is for healing. And right now it is for them.”  That confidence grabbed my attention and I stopped to consider what I was hearing.  It was as if the veil between heaven and earth opened and I was allowed a glimpse of something rare.  Three very different women, one quiet country pasture, something at work beyond their awareness. I think I felt the peace intended for them.  I have no idea of the hurts they may have. But I am aware that my friendship with them is calling me to more diligent prayer.  As I am woven more tightly to the people of my community, I am beginning to understand why we have been placed here together. 

One of these women later thanked me for the singing she said was coming from our house at a time we were asleep. That will be my next post.

Fertilizer Fieldtrip

"All the manure you can fit in the bed of your truck for 20 bucks," I hear an old farmer say.  Hey that's music to my ears!  I don't have a truck, so I call my friend Lisa and say, "Do you think your husband would let us take his truck today and fill it with poop?" Of course he says yes.  He's a farmer. 

I can hardly contain my excitement as I wait for Lisa to come and get me. We are going to fertilize the organic way. Considering the price of a bag of fertilizer, this is cheap AND good.  I dress in old clothes. But I really don't have a clue what's ahead of me. We jump in the truck and drive to the chicken farm.

When I arrive, I discover that this old farmer is younger than I am.  I tell him why we've come and he takes us to this huge mountain of manure. He says, "OK. If you really want it, I can scoop it into the back of your truck."  He climbs up on his tractor and we are standing there ready to watch when he says, "You might want to get back in your truck and roll up the windows."  Before we can heed this sage wisdom, we are covered in poopy dust. I mean head to toe! Up our noses, between our fingers - it's the nastiest smell I've ever encountered. It's all over us!  We make a mad dash for the cab, rolling up the windows as fast as our fingers will move. We can feel the back of truck sink lower with each scoop.

As we drive away with our treasure, we feel like REAL women. I mean really! Who does this? We stop by the corner gas station for a Coke and a bag of peanuts. We've worked up quite an appetite. But we consider that our hands aren't clean enough to eat with. Should we wait til we get home to wash our hands? Nah...

The moral of this story...Everything washes off. I'd say we cleaned up pretty well.

Write to Your Children

 I love a good one liner. They are easy for me. I love Instagram and Twitter. But they fool me into thinking I am keeping a record of the best moments of my life. Often I need to be reminded to write on paper...with a pen...something that will last.  

My dear friend, Lisa, saw something silly I tweeted this week and reminded me of Isaiah 30:8
Now go and write down these words.
    Write them in a book.
They will stand until the end of time
    as a witness. 

 I keep a different journal for each of my kids where I write down funny things they do, amazing things I see in each of them and just how much I love them. I hope these will be something they treasure one day. I want them to read their book and remember how God's hand has been on them since birth. They are each so different, so unique. I want them to know that I paid attention to the little things, the special things.

On Time and Distraction

Urgent things pile up against the imaginary door in my mind. They disguise themselves as important in an attempt to fool me into letting them in.  If I crack the door just to humor them, they flood the creative dam I’ve constructed to protect my time.  Soon I find that I am wading in distraction, checking off a busy to-do-list, not the agenda of my heart.  My heart calls over the rushing waters of busyness, entreating me not to be swept up in the current.  

I want to do something every day worth writing in my journal.  A small act can have an enduring effect.  Reading a book to my boy when he looks lonely or bored.  Going for a walk with a daughter who needs a break from schoolwork.  Pausing as I rush from one task to the next because I hear in the tone of my teen’s voice that he wants to talk.

Put down what’s in your hand and look them in the eye, my soul tells me. But all the shoulds and musts are vying for my attention, telling me things won’t get done if I don’t do them.  Diversion tries to manipulate me, to steal from me. It grows strength and confronts me, argues that I don’t have enough time. If I will only focus my eyes on the path ahead, priorities float to the top and distractions evaporate. Truth sings out what I know in my heart: I have plenty of time. It’s wisdom I lack. I don’t need more time. I need to use my time more wisely.

Simple Homeschool

Telling you what a typical day looks like puts me in a vulnerable position.  I am tempted instead to tell you what I want my day to look like. But where’s the fun in that? So here goes…

How early I wake up depends on the season, what we have to accomplish and how late I stayed up the night before! I take an hour by myself to prepare for the day. I sit in a quiet place reserved for listening.  It is worthwhile for me to hear from God before I hear from all the people in my house.

I cook breakfast while the kids get moving, have their own quiet times and feed the animals. If the chickens are laying, we eat eggs.  If my farmer friend has killed a pig, we eat sausage.  My mom cleans the kitchen while the kids and I gather around the table to start school. And YES! I do realize how awesome this is!  

This year we are studying the Old Testament and American History together.  I read aloud for these two subjects and the ensuing conversation can last until lunch if the topics are intriguing.  Looking back, I treasure the foundation that reading aloud has established for our family interaction. The kids draw, paint, knit, sculpt clay or work on our timeline while listening.

After we break for lunch, I cover the basics like math, science and grammar with the younger three.  My 10^th grader does the bulk of his work independently.  We write and give oral reports as part of a very small co-op. We have a list of assignments and indoor chores to check off. But I will admit that more often than not, if the weather is inviting, we escape outdoors before indoor tasks are done. When it’s planting time, we are learning in the dirt. Harvest time? Well that’s health and nutrition, as we can homemade salsa and make our own natural medicines for winter colds. 

  

I've shared the basic framework of our homeschool days.  But what I really want to leave you with is this: Don't be afraid to change your schedule to let real life in. No book assignment will ever be as important as a conversation with your child about hurt feelings or his dreams for the future.  If you fill the day with busyness, there won't be time for questions. And by all means, don't judge the day's worth by comparing your day to someone else's.  The earth looks different according to the seasons, and I think our lives should too. 

Simply Family

Our first night in this farmhouse was spent with 6 of us trying to pile onto one air mattress.  We tried to make the most of what we had until the next day when the furniture arrived. Jett woke up crying for Georgia, which made me cry. We didn't have anything to drink and there weren't enough blankets.  But the next morning as the sun rose on our little farm, snow flakes fell like soft reminders that our time with one another is a gift. This was a dream! Unfortunately, there was no outerwear in our dream. 
 

So out I went to buy boots and bread, mittens and milk, and of course the one ugly Christmas tree that's your only option when you're right up against the 25th.   It wasn't until after the snow melted and we had to start scrubbing the toilets that we realized this wasn't a cabin vacation. 

 

Life got simple fast. There's no where to shop around here unless you are looking for fresh eggs or local honey.  And if you want to get out of the house, you go play in the woods, or shovel manure in the barn. Fast food means a lunch the kids can fix for themselves. And date night might mean packing a basket and driving the golf cart over to a neighboring farm. 

My point is that we are home. Alot. We are together. Alot. And the result is we love each other more and more every day. My kids are best friends and they depend on each other.  I think this is normal. They can't wait to finish their school work and build a fort or ride bikes or shoot arrows...with each other!  I don't run to this lesson and that meeting, doing things I used to think I had to do. We don't even take many field trips. We are living the field trip!

My idea of simplifying is saying no to things that swallow up my time so I can fill those precious moments with learning and growing and loving the people around me. I just can't allow the urgent to crowd out the important.  I'm making it my life mission to spend my time with my family first. Time is so limited. I want to treat it like the treasure that it is.

So what do we do all day? I'll tell you that in my next post.