Vision

From our new home, we can see a very long way. We see mountains that look like they are just at the edge of the field-- like we could walk to them. Some of those mountain ranges are at least 45 miles away. We can see in all directions-- plains or mountains or both.

Remember that I mentioned it gets a little windy here? The blustering, beating, beastly blows of the wind returned yesterday and our views changed. The amount of dust picked up and tossed about, clouded the landscape to the point that entire mountain ranges seemed to have disappeared. If I looked really closely I could see a faint outline of the peaks. Our entire world looked different because of dust and wind.

About the same time the winds started up, we got a call from the water man. Bad news-- the cistern work and pump placement have to been postponed from now until late next week. We should have our system up and running by NEXT Friday. I must admit, I was more than a little disappointed. I had already conjured images in my head of clean running water, laundry, a dishwasher, and a long hot shower in which I could shave by legs at my leisure. Those images were changed into the laundromat, heating water on the stove, and water jug showers.

After the news broke, I took the kids to town for the afternoon for a bit of city-normalcy. We went to the food court, played indoor lunar mini-golf, and went shopping at the farm and garden store to look at the baby chicks, ducks, and rabbits and to buy kids' boots and mouse traps---(well...almost normalcy).

Have you ever been singing along with a song in the car without even thinking? That happened to me on the way to town, and I knew every word. I stopped and listened to what I was singing--- "Be thou by vision, oh Lord of my heart. Naught be all else to me, save that thou art. Thou my best thought by day or by night; waking or sleeping thy presence my light. ... High King of heaven, my victory won. May I reach heaven's shores, Oh bright heaven's sun! Heart of my own heart, whatever befall, still be my vision, O ruler of all."-- and then I began singing it like I mean it.

Our vision of the mountains was clouded, and my vision of things that matter can be clouded by circumstances and discomforts. My disappointment turned back into a clear view of who I am and the blessings I have. My groaning turned to thankfulness. I am thankful for the wind. I am thankful for the views the lack thereof. I am thankful for the small lessons that God teaches me every day.

I will not have a long, hot shower tonight in which to shave my legs at my leisure, but honestly, who cares? Maybe next Friday.

2 Corinthians 5:7 "We live by faith, not by sight."