The past nine months have been exhilarating for my mind and soul. The fruition of a lifelong dream. The realization that God’s plans are endlessly in motion even when we are unaware. The knowledge that, at times,  God needs to take us on a roundabout adventure in order to lead us to a place He knows will bring peace to our minds and hearts.

The journey to this house has been long, winding, and even painful at times but, now that I am here, it is worth the faith I placed in the journey itself. At times, God has led me down very dimly lit paths that were difficult to navigate and caused me to merely place one foot in front of the other as He led me along the darkened path. At other times, He has opened doors so widely that I had no hesitation whatsoever in walking through them.  At this current stage in my life, He is revealing the magnificence He has in store for us when we follow Him.

Yesterday, I was scrolling through pictures to find a particular photograph to print for a gift. As I quickly scrolled past thousands of photographs I have taken in the past nine months since we moved to Green Acres, I literally teared up and began weeping at the exquisite beauty that God has placed in my life over the past year alone. The farm. The land. The people. The memories our family has already made in nine short months on our farm. The way our children already feel like this is “home” even though we have been here for such a short time.

I see God’s hand in this. His plan. His blessings. His grace. His love. He knew that my mind and heart have been broken by the fact that I have never felt that my children have had “traditions” and “family memories” because we have always had to share our three children at holidays, birthdays, family get-togethers, and vacations due to our blended families. It has been nearly impossible to establish family traditions or times of year that are predictable and anticipated. This one thing has caused me much heartache and sadness over the years because I grew up with many anticipated holiday gatherings and traditions.

By bringing us to Green Acres,  God has firmly led us out of the chaos of the past 15 years of living in a huge city while balancing the demands of a blended family. We have finally found the peace I have always desired for our family. Our children are drawn to it like moths to a flame. A place to gather, relax, bring friends, go for walks, look at nature, and spend time with one another.  A home that is beautiful in its imperfection.  Perfect in its flaws and idiosyncrasies.

We walk the land almost every night marveling at the beauty and interest of our thirty acres.  Trees. Ponds. Ravines. Pastures. Fences. Gates. Vines. They are all screaming for our attention and time.  We are patiently checking off one thing at a time.  We realize we are home now and there is no hurry.  We have no deadlines to meet.  Just time and memories to make along the way as we build this into our family’s perfect retreat from the rest of the world.  At times, it feels like we are camping at one of the amazing state parks we explored with our children on weekends before busyness overtook our family of five. Except it is permanent.  Our permanent campground.  Green Acres State Park.  That has a nice ring to it.