Our first few months in Oklahoma hit all the highs and lows. Part of me wants to say it was the hardest of our lives, but it wasn't. We were drained of everything while simultaneously filled up again, and all in much different ways than we expected. Like wearing a piece of clothing never worn before. New and fun, yet stiff in uncomfortable places.
We found a trailer to rent on seven acres in a suburb of a small town. Not sure if that's a thing. LOL! It's very rural and people think we are in the boonies, but I say, if there's a Walmart seven miles away it's not the boonies. However, I have taken a gas tank with me at times because the nearest gas station is four miles away and I'm used to draining my tank to the dregs. ;)
The property we are renting is equipped with an ancient dairy barn, a three stall loafing shed and a lot of existent fencing. We were so anxious to fill it with something we drove three hours in the first month to pick up two goats to put in it. At the time the grass in the pen was six feet tall, but by December it looked mowed.
Since then we have accumulated three pigs, one hundred chicks and three dogs. In a month we are acquiring two more pigs, and at the end of this week we should have three baby goat bottle babies. More on all that in upcoming posts. :)
I'm learning to rest and to take care of myself, then to take care of my family. I think all I did most of last year was work on a house. I was exhausted and ready for, well, anything restful. And wonderful.
I realized yesterday that the key to an abundant life is joy. What does that mean practically? I know that Jesus should be my source...but then what? I realized how little of day to day life I enjoyed before. But I'm adding in little things that I really love doing; campfires, bike rides, raising livestock, brewing kombucha. A little sprinkled through out my day keeps my energy up, my joy tank full and overflowing. A little, all the time.
I enjoyed it!
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