Spring is in the Air...

Spring on the Farm...I love it...I was meant for this life...

The first few signs of Spring are so subtle...unnoticeable really, if one's not looking. It seems as though (being the geek that I am) I have always been aware of the romanticism that can be found in our unpredictable Indiana weather. I pounce on the few mild days that begin popping up in the midst of winter's end. When the unmistakable scent on Spring arrives, I'm hard pressed to be content with Winter any longer.

Life on a farm has increased my appreciation for all things simple. For as long as I can remember I have wanted to be a farmer's wife...the wife of a man whose hands are never quite clean. I found my prince at OCU, and was ecstatic to learn that this intelligent, deep-thinking man was also a farmer. I remember the first time John brought me to meet his parents and to see his home...I knew that first time that I wanted this man and this life for my own. John took such pride in showing me the shop and the farm, the cows and the horses. I fell in love with this place nearly as quickly as I fell in love with him.

Oh yes, back to Spring! There's just something different about Spring on the farm. As I admitted earlier I have always been revitalized by the changing of seasons, but this, this is something I wish everyone could experience. You can see Spring coming weeks before it actually arrives. The Davidson men begin cleaning and greasing up equipment in preparation for planting time. Fields get ripped and disked. And the smell of dirt! Ah, who would have thought such a smell could bring such gladness into my heart, but alas it does! It is the beginning of long days. My sister-in-law and I jump in the tractors to bring cheer to our husbands who have been sitting in them for 12 hours or more. I don't think I will be able to fit into my little nook in the back of the tractor this year, and it saddens me more than one would think. Cows. My favorite part of farm life! Spring brings sweet little baby calves and the opening of the other pasture. The cows move like clockwork from one end of the pasture to another. Literally in single file, they follow the same path day in and day out. One can find the cows at a particular place in the pasture at a particular hour...no matter what. I like the dependable nature of cows. Spring means long horsback rides. I'm looking forward to this so much that my hands fairly itch to hold the reins. There are few things more romantic than horseback riding at sunset with Prince Charming...and he truly is just that. I have drifted in my thoughts again, forgive me...

Do not let all of my romanticism fool you, it's not an easy life, but it is the most rewarding one that I can imagine. There is a peace and a simplicity here that are hard to find these days, and I think they come from seeing God's creation in it's glory. The coming on Spring fills me with anticipation of all the things I have mentioned...this is my Heaven on Earth.

I hope that wherever you are, in your own piece of Heaven on Earth, that God reaches down and blesses you with the joy of Spring!