zero to sixty
They say time flies when you’re having fun, and I guess that holds true. I’ve been meaning to write this post since early May and here it is August. But honestly we’ve been so busy living and enjoying every minute we’ve had together this summer, that we’ve hardly noticed the pages of the calendar turning, or the candles on my birthday cake growing…
This past April, we made a trip to Texas to be part of a new homesteading conference, just north of Waco. It was similar to the one we hold here on our farm, except the setting there is a good bit bigger and even more special; hundreds of acres filled with demonstrations, craft shops, bookstores, lectures, music, and so much more.
We were blessed to get to see a lot of friends and speakers we already knew from the homesteading world, and also get to make some new ones. During the weekend, I moderated a couple of panels about family and community…
And on Friday evening as things began to wind down, I closed the day by sharing some songs and stories.
That particular day was really special, not only because we were there with so many folks and families that we love, but also because… (Happy birthday)… I think it’s the first time I ever had the audience sing to me at my own concert.
The next morning, Rebecca had arranged a one-on-one woodworking class for me to take part in.
And that evening, a special dinner celebrating my 60th birthday.
It was an incredible weekend, filled with so many wonderful memories for Rebecca, Indiana and me. We already look forward to going back again in the near future.
On the evening of my birthday, we slipped outside to try and take a picture to remember this special day as a family. It turned out to be not only a sweet memory, but one of my favorite photos that Rebecca, Indy and I have taken together.
It has been a time of reflection for me since then. Thinking about how quickly sixty years of my life has gone by in what seems like a short amount of time. I know the young freckle-faced child had no idea of the incredible journey God was going to take him on in the next few decades.
The afternoon before we left Texas , I was also blessed to get to sit down with Asi Adams, one of the main pastors there at Homestead Heritage and have a good long conversation with him about the unique things that they are doing there, and how I came to be part of it.
It was so good, and helpful for me, to sit down and talk through a lot of this with someone who has been having some similar challenges that we’ve been having, but on a larger scale. My hope is that it might also be helpful for others out there who been wondering about the choices my family has been making and why we’ve made them the last year or two..
