Well yes, I know it has been awhile. After I published my last post it seemed as if life hit me like a donkey kick to the head. No, I have never actually had that experience, which I am grateful for but, there are seasons that come at us so hard we may need to check ourselves in the mirror for a hoof print. The Summer of 2023 provided a series of blows that were painful and required time to process and heal. The thing is, despite the challenges that come our way, whatever they may be, life continues on. Gardens grow, babies are born, the sun rises, the harvest comes, the leaves fall, the snow covers the ground and the seasons continue on their cycle.
So many things have happened over the last three years, it would be impossible to share it all at one time, especially since I feel more than a little rusty in the writing department. I am so grateful to have family, friends and the farm to keep me pressing forward, however, sharing my thoughts or feelings about anything in a public forum feels daunting. In 2017, when I began this blog it was with the idea of : “The Smith Farmhouse Experience”… because I was starting a new chapter of my adult life doing something I had dreamed of for so long. Everything was new, I asked myself, ” What happens when you finally begin to live out what you had dreamed of for years?”. My hypothesis was that I would find something new to discover every day and learn to live a deeper, fuller and more abundant life. For the most part this has been true, but to be honest I have learned so much more than I could have imagined. I am looking forward to sharing the progress and insight we have gained and the path forward we hope to forge ahead.
One thing I am so thankful for is the mission statement we created and posted on this website to communicate our purpose for The Smith Farmhouse: Cultivating Effective and Encouraging Experiences Through Farm to Table Hospitality . It has been posted here these past three years communicating our heart even when I couldn’t do it myself…. In actuality though, I get to live it everyday, mostly through my granddaughters who enjoy spending time on the farm with me and all the animals. They constantly inspire me and give me ideas for creating future farm experiences for other children. I am always encouraged by their joy sharing in the life I love so much. During this summer I would try to find creative activities for them to engage in and last week I provided them with supplies to make their own book. I challenged them to forego some tv time to tell their own story and the result is something I will treasure forever. Passing down what we have learned and our love to the next generation is so valuable, and amazing!
I have so many things that I am looking forward to write about, so much has happened and many new things have been added to the farm. I know it will take some time, but there is one important lesson I have learned that I will share now …… You cannot do it all yourself ! We need others, we need encouragement and wisdom from others we can trust and rely on and the willingness to be vulnerable to receive it. I want to give a little shout out and say thank you to my “support squad” whose thoughtful insight and friendships gave me the little push I needed to get this blog post started again. Introducing the next “chapter” in our journey :
THE SMITH FARMHOUSE FROM EXPERIMENT TO EXPERIENCE!
The Smith Farmhouse 