| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| JimBobAndLarry |
Posted - May 28 2005 : 12:31:28 PM
I wrote this about 4 years ago when I was just getting started...
Eggs in my Pocket
Today I learned not to put raw eggs in my coat pocket. I knew it was a bad idea as soon as I dropped the fifth egg in and heard that dreaded cracking sound. My husband’s yellow rain coat, and two less eggs for the carton. Today I also learned not to leave the lid off the goat feed, especially when rain clouds are on the horizon, and then I learned that I need to shut the barn yard gate just a little faster. There I was trying to pull a stubborn goat out of a garbage can full of wet feed… with eggs in my pocket.
I didn’t grow up in the country, but I must have read a few to many pioneer love stories in my early teens. I had never even spent more than 3 minutes with a goat or chicken, until we were riding home together in the mini van to our little house by the corn field. As I looked back at my three pregnant LaMancha Does, then smiled at my sweet husband –He would have never imagined the adventures in our path when he married me. I knew that my little girl dreams were really coming true. My life seems to be full of these moments.
Three years ago Josh and I were newlyweds living on the beach in New Smyrna Beach Florida and Aunt Joan came to visit. Y2K was coming she said and we needed to learn how to survive without technology because life as we knew it was coming to an end. Sounded like fun to me, and I began to do a little research on pioneer living and pondered putting a chicken coop up on the roof top balcony. Then came Hurricane Floyd and we decided that chicken coop on roof deck wouldn’t be such a good idea... besides that their were neighbors and zoning laws…
For a few months I was content to just know that we had a few cans of potatoes in the pantry. But then a friend gave me a pile of Magazines depicting country life in the Midwest. I had visions of a white cottage with wood floors, homegrown tomatoes, clucking hens, fruit trees and fresh herbs in my window boxes. I dreamed of seasons and porch swings and the state fair.
At this time in our life my husband ,Josh, was a flight instructor at Embry Riddle, he had just gotten a 30% pay raise, and was having success in starting a new business called “Need-A-Nerd? Computer Service” We had been married a year and a half, with our second baby on the way. I called him on his cell phone and told him about my big dreams and that I had even found a few houses near Indianapolis, on some website, that would be almost perfect.
Well, Hurricane Floyd had two brothers, we even had to evacuate… we evacuated all the way to Indianapolis for a few days. During our visit we took a few drives out in the country. Then came back to Florida to a beach house with a little less siding and a few missing shingles. One month later we were closing on our little white house in Indiana, and moved in just one week before Christmas. My little girl dreams were starting to come true on the three most beautiful acres in Indiana. Y2K came and went before we built our barn and chicken coop, and the spring came with the scent of cherry and apple blossoms. We watched the tulips bloom from our porch swing. We discovered a strawberry patch and a creek in our back yard, and wood floors under the carpet.
We’ve lived in Indiana for 2 years now, I love life and I love living it here. My Husband has lived in Indianapolis most of his life and I have been visiting him in Indianapolis since we were 15 and 16 years old. (We met in Cincinnati when we were 13 and 14… 10 years ago.) We now live just east of Geist, out in the country a little bit. I’m a full time mom of three children under 3, and my husband is “THE NERD” of NEED-A-NERD? Computer Service, he also leads worship at our Church- Horizon Christian Fellowship. I may take a couple jobs a month just for fun- painting murals or arranging wedding flowers. I also teach homemaking classes at my house, and host a mother- daughter gardening group here in the growing season. My own walls and rooms have become an Artist’s playground. And I’ve become a master of getting the most out of our budget as I bring each room in this house to life. We enjoy life and like to keep it simple and fun, peaceful and pure. Our home is full of music, art and books, there is no T.V. here, but there are always so many things to watch, to discover, to create and clean up.
As I write my three little children are asleep upstairs, I have fresh eggs and milk in the fridge, and Josh is still out fixing computers- I think he must be the most popular computer nerd in town today… but tomorrow he’ll be home with the kids for the day, and he’ll have the joy of milking the goat and collecting eggs while I read a library book at Starbucks. Oh, there was one other thing I learned today- never leave green paint on the kitchen counter if you have a two year old who likes to paint murals just like mommy.
"Jim-Bob&Larry is the name of my daughter's new laying hen. My little girl is three and she came up with the name all by herself. I'm Sarah." |
| 19 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Libbie |
Posted - Mar 24 2006 : 08:40:55 AM
That IS lovely. Thank you for sharing your stories with us...I was needing a little inspiration this morning, and WOW - I found it! Thank you.
XOXO, Libbie
"Nothing is worth more than this day." - Goethe |
| sqrl |
Posted - Mar 23 2006 : 09:35:43 AM
Beautiful words, thanks for sharing.
Blessed Be
www.sqrlbee.com
www.smallsqrl.blogspot.com
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| TejasFarmgirl |
Posted - Mar 22 2006 : 6:11:05 PM
Lovely Sarah! |
| JanO |
Posted - Mar 22 2006 : 2:10:59 PM
Sarah I love the last story. You are a gifted writer and your insight is remarkable. Thank you so much for sharing.
Jan |
| JimBobAndLarry |
Posted - Mar 22 2006 : 1:35:06 PM
Conversation with a Dream
Sarah Janisse Brown
sara@ruralvillage.org
“You are crazy, outlandish! Why are you still here?”
“I’m yours.” My dream replies, “I am your calling, your vision, your future, and your legacy. It is not for yourself but for others that you must persevere.”
“I know, but why do you have to be so impossible?” I ask.
“ I was thinking the same thing about you!” My dream laughs, “I’m not impossible, it’s your fear that keeps me out of reality.”
“Fear?" I say, "What do you mean?"
"You are afraid of failure and disappointment." My dream assures me.
"But can't you see why?" I reply.
"But can’t you see!" My dream responds "You haven’t failed. You have just gone through some really practical learning experiences. Honestly, you had a lot to learn!"
“Silly dream," I respond "Every time it seems like you are ready to burst into reality, you just kind of burst. I'm going to start calling you a water balloon. I’ve poured my heart and soul into you, then you just pop. Look at the years of labor, toil, prayer, faith, hope and fearlessness. But I’m tired, and frankly I am disappointed. Even when we do win on battle there is always one more. We climb a mountain just to face a dozen more. At this point it would be easier to give up, move on and… ”
“Live a life of mediocrity and regret? To walk away now would prove you a failure. Is that what you want?” My dream asks.
“No, I was just hoping to trade you in for a nice little dream, easy, realistic, less risky, more practical.”
I explained.
“A dream that seems realistic it not a dream at all. A real dream takes a visionary, a pioneer, an explorer and a conqueror to bring it to life.” My dream replies.
“How will I ever become a pioneer? A conqueror? A visionary?” I ask.
“It’s a long process, you must work hard, you must keep pouring out your heart and soul. You must preserver through trials and disappointment. Get dirtier, take risks, pray a lot more. Lose sight of yourself for the sake of others. Press on toward your goal, for the sake of a higher calling. Be willing to live a live a sacrifice and hardship with faith and hope. And one more thing: You must never forget, what I think you must have forgotten.”
“Could you remind me please? I can’t remember what I’ve forgotten.” I ask.
“Remember were you were when you first set your heart upon me. Now look and the mountains in our history! Look at the battles we have won! Look at the bridges we have built! Look at the faces of those who have labored by our side! Look at the enemies who are at peace with us now! Look at the plans we have made! Look at the miracles that came trough when everything seemed so impossible! Look at who you have become along the way.”
Memories and renewed vision begins to wash away my fear and doubt. Once again my dream speaks up. “You are becoming a visionary, a pioneer, and an explorer. But you will never be a conqueror, if you give up now.”
“Give up? We can’t give up!” I exclaim “Look how far we’ve come! we are closer than ever! What’s one more mountain... or a dozen? You are my calling, my vision, my future. You are my legacy. I must persevere, I will lay my life down, not for my own victory but for the sake of the others.”
And so in time a world is discovered, a war is won, a town is revitalized, a marriage is saved, a book is written, a child comes home, a cure is found, reconciliation is made, a constitution is signed, a nation is founded, a village is built, a promise is kept, a soul is saved, and a dream is born. Why? Because someone didn't give up.
"Jim-Bob&Larry is the name of my daughter's new laying hen. My little girl is three and she came up with the name all by herself. I'm Sarah." |
| CabinCreek-Kentucky |
Posted - Mar 22 2006 : 10:09:42 AM
SARAH .. what a dear song and what a precious experience. thanks for sharing
michelle, darlin' .. you just spread that sunshine around the rock you sit upon! xoxo
True Friends, Frannie |
| MichelleTN |
Posted - Mar 22 2006 : 06:58:15 AM
Beautiful words that have touched my heart this morning, I too felt the call to "serve" at 19 and did that in the Blue Ridge Mountains of VA in a Mentally/physically Handicap Children home, the lessons I learned from those children changed my life forever. I will for ever be gratefully for those experiences, I wanted to change the world and then...I got married.....that pretty much grounded me to a 8-5 job....Sometimes I wish things turned out different but I am trying to simplify my life right now so I can "serve" again. But how true the ones that are in need are all around us right where we are. Thanks for the reminder!!!
Michelle
http://tangledthreadsandknottedyarn.blogspot.com/ |
| TejasFarmgirl |
Posted - Mar 21 2006 : 7:19:09 PM
Yeah-she's back! Thank you for sharing your wonderful words with us! You are truly gifted. Bless you.
D. |
| JimBobAndLarry |
Posted - Mar 21 2006 : 5:17:30 PM
Here's a new little Story...
Blessings!
Beans, Rice… or a Cabbage Head?
( Sarah Brown)
When I was 15 years old I spent 8 days in Mexico. It was my first mission trip. I spent my days helping on a ranch that was an orphanage and school for deaf children. It was eight days of intense heat, hard work, dirt floors, beans and rice, beans and rice, and more beans and rice. But I’ll never forget the faces of the children.
I don’t think I had enough time to touch the children’s lives like I wanted too. But my own life was transformed, and I have never been the same. My parents must have been surprised to meet me when I came home, I left Sarah in Mexico, I was someone new. I had a new perspective on life. All the things that were important to me before Mexico seemed so trivial when I got home. I didn’t even mind sharing a room with my little sister after that, or eating beans and rice. But the change in my heart was much deeper than I realized.
After I got home from that first mission trip my heart could not be content with normal American life… the materialism, the pursuit of money and entertainment, the time wasted in front of the TV… these things became distasteful to me. Oh but I came to love our freedom in a whole new way. I longed for the simplicity of serving God in Mexico, I had nothing, but I had everything, because I had Jesus, Jesus had me, and I had hope to share. As an American I was free to live my calling and go serve God in other lands.
For years I thought I had to be a foreign missionary to serve God with purpose and simplicity. I went all over the globe from the moment I turned 18, for the sake of a call that I first heard in Mexico. But once I settled down and started a family I lost the freedom to go out into the world… until I discovered the world around me, the people around me, the great need in my own neighborhood. That was only 10 months ago.
Our yellow house on Main Street, was just to big for a family of seven. But I knew that we had this house for a reason, a really special reason. So last May we transformed the first floor of our home into a gathering place for local youth. When we opened our doors to the kids on the streets we didn’t know if they would come. We didn’t have much to offer but games, music, ice-cream… but we shared the love and acceptance that only comes from God. We call our house "The Cabbage Head", and every weekend our home is filled up with children, teens… kids in need of hope… just as much hope as the orphans in Mexico.
Here are the words to a song I wrote for the orphans and the “Cabbage Patch Kids”…
I would eat beans and rice for a lifetime, and goat cheese would be just fine
If I could bring hope to your world, I’d leave mine.
I would walk your dusty roads, and wear the same old clothes.
If I could hold your hand and bring you hope.
I just don’t mind the hard dirt floors, and I’ll sleep on the wooden boards.
If I could bring peace to your orphaned heart.
I just began to recognize your smile, and I wish that I could stay for a while.
I’ve just begun to bare the heat, I’ve got some callous on my feet.
When I left home, I didn’t know that it would be so hard to go, leaving Mexico.
To the orphans and young mothers, the children in the streets,
Food and clothes are not enough to meet your needs.
But if it’s Jesus that I bring, I’ll leave you a song to sing,
But part of my heart isn’t coming home, I didn’t know my tears would flow, leaving Mexico.
I see my life in a whole new light, when I came home I missed the beans and rice.
I can’t get those smiles out of my mind, how could I have been so blind?
My arms ache to hold the orphans close, I didn’t know I’d be so hard to go, leaving Mexico.
My big house feels so empty now, I’d fill it with children if I knew how.
I want to fill my life with those in need, I want to offer shelter, hope and peace.
Yes, there are children here, who live in pain and fear, And I have hope to bring and grace to share.
So I’ll open wide my doors, they can track mud on my floors
They can come in from the street and talk with me.
I’ll turn my porch light on, I’ll teach them a new song,
But games and ice-cream are not enough to meet their needs.
But if it’s Jesus that I bring, they will have a song to sing.
Part of my heart is finally coming home, When I live my life, like I did in Mexico.
So I’ll open wide my doors, you can track mud on my floors
If you’ll come in from the rain, the streets, the tears.
And I’ll open up my heart, I’ll let you have a part.
I’m sorry it has taken all these years.
Come in from the rain, the heart break and the pain
I know our lives will never be the same.
I’ll turn my porch light on, I’ll teach you a new song,
I’ll tell you stories of how God met my needs.
And if it’s Jesus that I bring, You will have a song to sing.
My heart is home because you’re here with me.
"Jim-Bob&Larry is the name of my daughter's new laying hen. My little girl is three and she came up with the name all by herself. I'm Sarah." |
| sqrl |
Posted - Mar 20 2006 : 11:24:44 AM
Thank you for sharing, I really enjoyed your story. I could picutre it all in my head. It all sounds so delicious. You are truely blessed!
Blessed Be
www.sqrlbee.com
www.smallsqrl.blogspot.com
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| goatgal |
Posted - Mar 19 2006 : 11:08:01 AM
I loved your story, you truly have a wonderful way with words. May the rest of your days be filled with the same beautifulness. |
| CabinCreek-Kentucky |
Posted - Mar 19 2006 : 09:19:13 AM
sarah ... sweet sweet story .. keep on journaling all the moments of your life .. and keep sharing them with us. xoxo, frannie
True Friends, Frannie |
| Libbie |
Posted - Mar 19 2006 : 08:47:46 AM
Oh, Sarah - it sounds just like a dream come true...
XOXO, Libbie
"Nothing is worth more than this day." - Goethe |
| Julia |
Posted - Mar 18 2006 : 6:58:23 PM
Sarah, what a delightful, fun read! Can I come with you to Starbuck's? I would like to get to know you better. I am a SAHM,have been for 25 years. Only one more to raise, she is 14. ALso have a 21 and 23 year old, all girls. My oldest is married and hoping to make me a Nana soon.
I home school our youngest,as did the other two. My Dh is a pastor and sometimes is a nerd.We don't have a farm but I do have a big veggie garden and small berry patch. Just thought I would introduce myself and welcome you to the forum. I look forward to more of your stories.
Julia V.
"...the setting sun is like going into the very presence of God." Elizabeth Von Arnim |
| TejasFarmgirl |
Posted - Mar 18 2006 : 6:04:24 PM
Sarah -
I was reading old post and came across your story. Would love to hear more from you. Please post and let us know what is going on with your life and your story.
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| BamaSuzy |
Posted - May 31 2005 : 9:05:27 PM
I say it again....you have a wonderful gift with words AND a delightful family! Enjoy EVERY minute! Live is meant to be LIVED and you've discovered that!
You can bury a lot of troubles digging in the dirt! |
| caitlinsmom |
Posted - May 30 2005 : 8:27:58 PM
What a great story. :) |
| mollymae |
Posted - May 29 2005 : 08:55:13 AM
What a beautiful story!!!!!
Molly
"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." --Henry David Thoreau
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| Eileen |
Posted - May 28 2005 : 2:09:15 PM
Sarah,
What a sweet story. Yours sounds a lot like mine only mine happened in the 70s. All those wonderful lessons to look at, learn from and laugh about. You are in the right place here.
Eileen
songbird; singing joy to the earth |
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