It is hard to believe, but we have been in "the valley" for a whole year. March 13 marked one year of country living, and I can report that we are different people than the city slickers who pulled up naively in the moving truck last year.
There are a few hurdles we have had to get over this year that we would not have chosen. It's that way in anyone's life. If we could see the things to come, we would likely lock ourselves inside our houses and never come out. We certainly would not be willing to head out on adventures that involve change. But we have found that change has been a challenging treat for the Cason five.
We are still overwhelmed by the beauty of the mountains, the fiery brilliance of the sunrise, and the diamond-like sparkling blanket of stars in the pitch black night. We all still watch closely for wildlife and see deer, hawks, coyotes, and antelopes almost daily.
Our hope when we moved here was for a new kind of existence-- one that is a little slower, a little more outdoorsy, and a little simpler. I am very aware that a move to the country is not necessary for those changes, but it certainly has helped us. We are better at cooking at home, for example, when forced to do it. Actually, I have found that I am better at lots of things when I am forced to do them. I never dreamed I could shoot a snake, chop a gopher in half, kill mice, bail out 250 gallons of water from an overflowing cistern, haul wood, start a fire, keep a fire going, have pets, mow the grass...... the list goes on and on.
I am sitting at the dining room table now and watching out the window as I type. I see eight pronghorn antelope running. There are two hawks gliding over the fields back and forth up and down like waves on a beach. The serene and the savage are mixed beautifully.
Serene and savage--- that may just sum up the past year. Adapting and yet still awed--- that would be our hope for the next year. There are so many more things to learn and things to learn to enjoy. That rings true of each person's life underneath the mundane and the familiar that seems to trap us in ruts. May we all allow our next year to be an adventure and may our hearts be filled with thankfulness for whatever we face.
Psalm 18:32-35 "It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me too stand on the heights. He trains my hand for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me."
