Summer Farming

In the spring the fields are full of tractors plowing up the ground and planting seed. In the fall, bring the tractors back to harvest and prep the ground for winter. But the summer takes farming to the skies as the crop dusters make their way field by field. While we may debate the hazards of such a practice at another time, I enjoy taking the opportunity to photograph the planes! They are so low to the ground and close to the house that I have some really great photo ops.

Start Your Engines!

Casey's night at the races provides free tickets so we took the opportunity to take the family. The boys love the fast cars and the girls enjoy the excitement of the crowd. It was a fun way to spend an evening and we all enjoyed so many precious moments makin' memories together!

*Photo credit to the children.

Day Camp

The children once again enjoyed participating in day camp at the local Lutheran church. On the last night, the parents are treated to a program where the kids share the bible stories and songs they have been learning all week. Little Miss was not old enough this year to participate, but enjoyed singing along from her seat. This has become a wonderful tradition in the community.

Independance Day Memories

Joy with family, memories made and life celebrated. We started the day with a parade, enjoyed a bbq, lots of yummy food, birthday celebration and ended the night with a beautiful firework display.

A Village

I have been very absent on here this summer/fall. I have been facing a busy chapter in my life, as well as some emotional and spiritual stretching. I still hope to meet my goal of 52 posts for the year, so I am apologizing now for the multi-post weeks that are to come. I have much to share and write, but still so much to process. I will post as coherently as I can as I have reached a point of simply needing to share these thoughts.

Today, I am starting with something very personal that is specifically for my family...

"It takes a village" is a phrase I have always had great distaste for. Growing up, my village was not nurturing but often emotionally, verbally and spiritually harmful. I do not hold negative feelings for these people, this post is not about what they should or shouldn't have done or what my parents could have done to protect me. This post is simply acknowledging the reality that I came to fear what the "village" would say to me or think of me. I learned to be quiet, keep to myself and not trust them.

After having children I kept them close, desperately protecting them from the damage of the "village" that I had experienced as best I knew how. As time has past and I have matured and grown (hopefully), I have taken the opportunity to view different villages and have found many much more harmful than the one I grew up in...but I have also found that some are actually very nurturing and offer great benefits to the children growing up in them.

I don't know that I have found the answers, but I believe I have found a key to identifying a healthy village ~ each member grows and changes as they face their mistakes and misunderstandings and seek to learn from them. I have also realized that I can shape my children's village by nurturing relationships with those that are good for my kids and creating boundaries for those relationships that are not good for them, thus cultivating an environment for my kids that reaps the benefits of the village while limited the potential for harm.

Seeking to protect my kids from our village as a whole limited the benefits that they could reap. I have had to undo a lot over the past few years as I have rethought my stance on the place our village should play in our kids' lives and part of my grieves for the experiences they have lost out on because of my fear. But then I remember the key...and I give myself the grace to learn from my own mistakes and misunderstandings and free the family to cultivate our village.

I was really struck by this after we faced the loss of our home three years ago and it became so clear those that were really there for not only me, but for my children, nurturing, loving and caring for them (maybe different from how I would, but not harmful...and that is huge). I have spent a lot of time processing these thoughts and beginning to reshape and place trust in our village. I am not there yet, but I am content to say I am moving forward, not content to stay stuck in the past.

This past ten weeks, though, has probably been the biggest evidence that viewing all villages through the lens of my childhood experiences limited the reality that I could accept. My two year old nephew was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes and was in the hospital for four days, very sick. He was released needing special care and monitoring. I'm not sure there are words to describe the rallying this village has done. Training and educating ourselves to care for Little Man, even my children learning about the pancreas and insulin and helping with his care. Surrounding the family with love and prayers and meals and cleaning and sometimes just hugs and a smile.

This week Little Man turned three while in my care as his mamma was in the hospital delivering Little Brother (yes, they share their birth date!). His parents are trusting this village, and that includes me, with the care of their Little Man and that brings me to tears. This village sometimes looks messy and feels complicated, but there is real love here and I am beyond honored to be a part of this "village"...because this, both this specific village and the process of changing structures, is becoming part of my legacy and is something I am eager to pass down to future generations.

 

My daughter holding Little Brother (3 hours old) while Little Man gets a good look.