"When I am out with the children doing something like picking berries under the sun surrounded by farm land, I am almost immediately able to lose my hardened “Mean Mommy” exterior. When we are gathered with some common purpose, away from the distractions of a house filled with junk, we get a glimpse of life as it is meant to be. We were just playing at “work”; our survival certainly did not depend on these berries that we picked. However, it reminds me that our family’s goal of becoming more self-sufficient (where the berries ARE something we depend on to add to our food stores). When I read the Little House books, I see such a wonderful picture of a family living and working not for some secondary gain (money, entertainment, and “self-fulfillment”), but because G-d told us that we were to live by the toil of our own hands. The meaning and purpose of life really was about G-d, family and the very simple blessings (and toils) of an authentic life. "
~Wee Dragon
More at http://weedragon.wordpress.com/
Artwork from Elizabeth Adela Stanhope Forbes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Forbes_(artist)
You are so right. I wish the world would wake up and understand this. Blessings sent to you and yours.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for finding my blog, spending the time reading some of it and quoting me! Ironically (or not so ironically), I needed to read this myself this morning. It is amazing to see what God has done in my family's life since writing that a few years ago. We have moved to a beautiful idyllic Vermont Farm, which you can see here: www.quarryhillfarm.wordpress.com
ReplyDeleteWe are living much closer to that ideal of self-sufficiency, raising livestock, growing vegetables, and trying to share a life with others locally. I hope to start writing about my latest thought obsession...a CSE (Community Supported Education...as opposed to agriculture CSA). We have been hosting homeschool programs at the farm, and especially festivals based on the calendar and seasons (ie, we will have a lantern walk in November)...not overly Quakerly, but very waldorf education. I am very interested in the idea of Deep Community, where people share their lies with one another, in a "biblical agrarianism" sense (for lack of a better term)...sharing work, bartering goods and sharing life events and celebrations together in a non-consumerist way. Something sorely needed, and quite seriously nearly lost in my generation, certainly in the next.
You have also reminded me that I keep meaning to write again on my wee dragon blog, so thank you. Hopefully I will get on there in the next week and spew something out! Can't wait to spend some time here on this blog too!
Blessings,
Rebecca
Hello Rebecca,
ReplyDeleteI'm so pleased that you found my quote from your blog. I found it by chance and was captivated by it's range and honesty ~ thank you. I will be following you at Vermont Farm and am looking forward to finding out how you and your family have been moving along. Thanks once again! Ray