It’s September on the Farm. As we turn over our summer garden beds, sowing seeds for fall and waiting on the sun, the rain and God to brush His hand across them to germinate. The last of the meat birds have been processed but the Thanksgiving Turkeys are still growing. The pasture is still hanging on, but we have started supplementing a little hay to keep the cow’s nutrition at its peak. The variety of trees in the Apple Orchard are ripening and we planted new trees for next year. The canning, drying, and preserving is almost done. I will make Gardinia (the last of the garden) pickles and Grape Juice Today.
The birds are bouncing from massive sunflowers to massive flowers, sweet harbingers of fall. As I type this the rain is subtly soaking into the garden and I feel mostly content in this season of waiting. Some things are just beyond our control; the garden starts so simply and small then bursts forth. The harvest list feels endless until one day it's finished. The fall garden is smaller, grows slower and has less variety, mostly greens. In January I will plan and in March I will plant again.
In the meantime, babies turn to toddlers, then to teenagers, then to world changers (if we do our job right). The waiting in between these moments is cherished these most. The vibrant memories of a mountain peak, a massive harvest, a baby’s first steps these are all wonderful and easy to remember. The day-to-day moments, however, set the tone of our memory box. It’s the, ‘I can’t put my finger on it’ or ‘can’t remember every detail’ moments that we feel. They urged us forward up the next mountain until we finally hit that peak again.
So long sweet summer and all your glory. Subtle autumn comes in like a loyal friend. She brings earthen colors of comfort, the last hugs of sun rays, cozy moments and spices that will warm you from the inside out. I am here to bask in every moment.
In our Farm Store we have also hit the waiting season. It seems like over the last year and a half everything exploded. We went from spreading leftover milk on our fields to a waitlist larger than our 380 Family CSA Membership. We went from just two of us working at the store to eight employees. We put so many procedures in place, brought in so many new items and have given so much of ourselves.
We have dreams for more, but these things take time, and money. We want to provide more people with access to Raw Milk but our farm needs time to catch its breath. We need to let things coast for a few weeks. We need to evaluate our systems and give our brains time to think. I don’t ever want to get caught up in the busy, in the growth and miss the calling!
My heart has such a burden for the lonely, I believe our farm could be a place for those that seek refuge and stability. I am not sure what it will 100% look like yet, but we are in the planning stages. If you are a praying soul, we ask you to lift them up for us.
In this season of waiting, it is when I discover more about the heart of God. Every day I wake up and seek His face. He shows up every time to comfort and encourage me in His word but also in the beauty of the farm; the leaves changing and the friends new and old that visit us each day.
I am excited for the big dreams, the mountain peaks that are coming. I am also content to sit right here with a cup full of gratitude, the sounds of morning and the comforts of Fall. What are you waiting for friends? How can we pray for you?
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