I can smell the green of the wild grass and see the blue of the clear sky. The sun brings warmth and life to the land around me. I hear an orchestra of birds chirping as they fly through the sky or sit in the trees. There are wide open spaces for miles that are fenced in by mountain ranges on all sides. As I walk across our yard from our spacious hacienda, the presence of livestock floods my senses. I can hear the sheep bleating, waiting for their feed. The horses are snorting in their stalls with impatience. The chickens are walking in a seemingly aimless pattern looking for their fair share of grub.
My children's joyful voices come closer as they chase each other to the stables to start their chores; laughter is a constant in our household. These daily tasks become our entertainment; boring for most, enjoyable for few. On spring afternoons we like to take a family ride on the horses out to a beautiful spot of shade in the middle of God's desert; our pack mule, Lyle, loaded with a feast. On summer evenings we sit on our back porch blanketed by the dark, starry night; the sound of owls lulling us to sleep. During the monsoons we breathe in the sweet smell of the creosote bushes and listen to the Colorado River Toads call out to each other.
As the years go by we use our many blessings to bless others. We volunteer our land, our animals, or ourselves to help those in need. Our children show love to their peers by sharing their knowledge, animals, and time. They have worked with a local organization to develop a program for rehabilitation or habilitation therapy. Jon and I work with at-risk teens and adults who may need someone to encourage them and give them opportunities. These interactions are as much of a blessing to us as we could only hope they'd be for those we work with. We recognize the blessings and pay it forward. The legacy our family builds remains to honor God.
Sure, we have snakes that make their way onto our back porch or spiders that crawl out of a corner in our rooms. There are times where our animals fall victim to an incurable illness or hungry prey. The kids will have a fight which keeps them from speaking to each other for a day or two or even more serious, a family tragedy that will take us away from this peaceful life but we take it all in stride, knowing God has carried us through many a hardships. We know our children will grow up appreciating the gifts God has given us in nature, in animals, through hard work, and in family.
I've always loved the outdoors and have thought it would be fun to have at least a few horses or other livestock animals. Of course I don't really know, I very well could hate it all after the first few days or I could actually enjoy it. The closest I've ever been to experiencing that is owning a few chicks in elementary school from my brother's classroom project. Once they were full grown we had to give them to someone who was actually legally allowed to have them in their yard. Jon and I have talked about the idea of giving our children the opportunity to be in 4-H, but we'll see how God works things out for our future.
All that to say, again, this is just a thought I have every now and then, what if? I love where we are in our life and certainly feel blessed. I know that even if I lived in this life that I described above it wouldn't be all roses.
What would your 'other place' be like?
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