Guest post by Shellie Hochstetler of Screen Doors & Porch Swings.
August 12, 2019
The sound of chain saws, weed eaters (weed whackers for you northern folk:), and tractors bounced off trees and made their way back to where I stood in the driveway at Mom’s! It’s not just a dream or a thought or even an idea now.
It’s real!
And really hot!
We have begun to clear fence rows and fields for new things to come.
I had no idea that over the last few years while mom was taking care of dad as his health got worse, that nature decided to take back what was hers! We just weren’t paying attention to that! The weeds had grown taller than me and the thorns on the locust trees grew to lengths that made us think twice before we entered its domain!
Overwhelmed doesn’t even come close to how I felt, as I struggled to organize my thoughts on where to start first! Which field first? Which piece of equipment would be the most useful? Why the heck am I doing this on one of the hottest days of the year?? How could I even begin???
And then they came. The ones who put their arms around you to remind you that you don’t have to do this alone! My oldest daughter, Kris, strapped on my 10 month old grandson, Oliver, while her 2 yr old daughter, Charlie, decided to be our foreman for the day!
My youngest son, Chase, found 4 other friends to help that day!
And my mom… my brave, strong, just 3 months past quadruple bypass surgery mom…grabbed the hedge trimmers and raked and began to strip away years of growth in that field!
I stood there for a moment and listened and watched. And you know what I saw and heard?
Promise… and possibilities… and future!
The chicken yard has been cleared and the ground has been prepared for the barn foundation to be repaired! The field has almost been cleared where the shed is going to be moved (including all of the horrific honey locust tree thorns)!
I am so excited about all of the memories that will continue to be made on that farm! And it dawned on me that day that memories aren’t always the soft fluffy kind! Some of the best memories are made with sweat streaming down your face while you work next to those you love!
CLICK HERE FOR THE NEXT POST FROM SHELLIE!