New Beginnings

Why is change rarely welcome for anyone, save the most adventurous? To stand at a crossroad or in front of a brick wall and ask yourself, “now what?” can send shivers down the spine of even the bravest of souls. So here I am.

Life is short, and our days are numbered. This is not a negative thought, but rather a reason to stop and reflect on how we spend our time. I have spent the past decade working in public education. The work is exhausting yet invigorating, tedious yet inspiring, and frustrating yet fulfilling. The negatives have begun to outweigh the positives. I have prayed, cried, laughed, talked, questioned, doubted, and worried. It is time for a new beginning.

I will finish out my year of teaching. I might even teach longer, but not in the same capacity. It will not be the focus of my days, and nights. I guess it never has been by priority, just by necessity. So now it is time for a new start. The focus of my days and nights needs to match the priorities of my life. God. Family. Stewardship of what God has entrusted to me, to us — our family. Change does not necessitate anxiety and fear. It frequently has for me, but perhaps that is because the change did not match my priorities.

So I started this post over a year ago, and I never got farther than those words. They ring more true today than they did a year ago. So, I will begin a fresh start. Am I terrified? Of course. Will this stop me from starting new? I hope not.

My new start began last April. I got chickens, well, chicks to be more accurate. Today they are full grown hens…and one rooster(he might have to go). They lay beautiful eggs and they make me happy. Today I planted 4 types of tomatoes, kale, broccoli, squash, radishes, peppers, and more. My life will change. It will become more simple.

See, I have really no idea of what I am doing…I posted the “take two” post because this one disappeared from my view of my blog because I am inexperienced. I will not be dissuaded.

Join me on my journey of purposeful, God fearing, simple living.


Take two

I started this venture over a year ago and got nothing done. So here I am a year older and , unfortunately, not wiser. My desires remain the same. I want, perhaps need, to change the direction of my life. So even though I should have spent the day grading, instead I planted seeds indoors and out. Our weather has been extra wet this winter. It has also been warm. I don’t trust the past to be any indication of what’s will come next. I started tomatoes and other veggies inside. I have waited this late, I will wait some more. If my plants get a late start it is not the end of the world.

I am the one off to a late start. But it is never too late to change. And so I begin.

What is a steward?

Ten years or so ago, this was the beginning of my garden.

This picture is not glamorous, but I post it as a reminder that stewardship is a process of learning, and gardening and tending the earth are not simple. In Genesis, God tells Adam and Eve to be stewards of the garden He has given to them. “Take care of the earth,” God says. We do not always know how to do this well, or what that even means on a personal level. We are also told in the Bible, “by the sweat of your brow shall you eat,” so the promise of a lush garden without work is ludicrous.

I have always loved to garden. As a child, one of my favorite activities was to help my mother in the garden. I pulled weeds, cultivated, watered, picked vegetables, dead-headed flowers. Taking care of the garden was second nature to me. As I grew older, my mother would task me with preparing the garden area for planting. “Turn over the garden, please.” I would happily go out to the yard with a spade and turn over the rich, New Jersey soil that had sat dormant all winter. I would expand the border just a bit. Surely my mom would not notice I added 10 square feet to the garden. She did. “Susan!,” she would exclaim, “why is the garden so big?!” I would smile and reply that I would take care of it. I would. I did.

Few things in life bring simple joy. Having my hands in the earth is one of them. We are called to be stewards of the earth. We must tend it with care and love. We must be disciplined if we want the earth to yield for us. I want to encourage good stewardship. Everyone can be a good steward. Yes, it is about planting and nourishing the land, but it is also about being a responsible caretaker of all we are given. Make less waste. Consume less. Recycle. Go without. Use what is on hand. The list goes on.

Thank you for visiting my page. I hope you come back often to explore what it means to be a good steward of your time, your talents, and your treasures.