There is something about writing that feels a lot like an invasive surgery. Bit by bit you peel back the layers to expose the inner workings of the body (mind). This is sometimes scary. This is sometimes messy. This is why, for quite some time now, I have not written anything. Here’s to changing that.
I used to write a lot, mostly poems. Some of them I was (and still am) quite proud of. I may share some of them here. Over the past 2 years, I stepped away from the land I love to do other things for a time. I lived in NYC. There I saw humanity at its best and its worst, often side by side but very little of nature that so compels me to write. After that, I worked at building with wood for a bit. I learned much about careful craftsmanship. But now, after an interlude, I am back farming the land I love so much, immersed in nature and early mornings, watching the sun rise and set, watching things grow and blossom and die. Being surrounded by this day after day is again what is compelling me to write, to share the beauty of the countryside and the lessons one can and does learn from mother nature, to share some of the lessons of love and prosperity and loss while endeavoring to create a life and a living with the work of my hands.
I love to work. I love to work with my hands. There is hardly a better morning than when someone pulls a piece of equipment into the shop that needs immediate repair. The feeling of satisfaction, of grease on the hands, a smile on the face, and a little pride of accomplishment when, an hour or day, or even a week later, they drive it out again is worth the skinned knuckles and banged heads from working in tight, unforgiving spaces.
Here I will for the next year, try to write a post once a week sharing the bits and pieces that keep life interesting while at times stepping back and reflecting on the work of our hands, knowing that no matter what I can build or accomplish on this earth, ultimately “I approach the throne of glory, nothing in my hands I bring, but the promise of acceptance, from a Good and Gracious King.” 1
Quote from “Good and Gracious King” song by CityAlight