The Country

I went to a gathering last night at church.  It's a women's ministry designed to help women renew.  We have a meal together and then have music followed by a message.  Cindy, one of our former pastor's, gave the message.  It focused on using God's creation to heal you and nurture you.  I've felt this forever, especially as a little girl on my grandparents' cotton farm.  As long as I can remember my favorite places to be were places I could witness the vastness of creation.  The sky is my favorite thing.  I call it my best friend, because it's always there, it's lovely and it provides light.  I love it and all of its vast beauty and wonder.  Texas skies are breathtaking...especially at sunrise and sunset.  Every week when I am taking Elliot to dance, I ask her to take a picture of the sunset for me.  I have a folder on my phone full of pictures of the sky and one full of clouds.  I have been thinking about making wallpaper out of some of my cloud photos, and one day I'll have a place where the rooms are filled with the sky.  I've wanted to move to the country for a while now, mainly because I long for a simpler life; but also to be more immersed in nature. When I say simpler life, I don't necessarily mean as in "working".  I know having a garden and farm animals would be a lot of work, but it's work I would enjoy.  A place where it didn't cost an arm and a leg to pay your bills, so we could open up our little coffee shop we've been dreaming about (thanks Addi). By simpler, I also mean living in a quiet place where you could see stars every night and lightning bugs too.  A place where stuff didn't accumulate, because there wasn't space for it.  A place where we could walk outside and see the water and sit by the bonfire.  A place where we could see deer in our front yard.  A place where at night, you could hear the sounds of creation; not the sounds of horns honking and sirens.  I am not cut out to be a busy person.  I get very overwhelmed when I'm too busy, wearing too many hats; and I'm not good at multi tasking.  However I am a planner and an organizer, and living in chaos whether it be in my own home or the city causes me such stress.  I honestly believe it's a lot of the reason my health is troubled.  As much as I try to accommodate, I can't seem to do it.   Soon I'm considering renting a cabin on a lake, for a week or so, so I can sit outside and finish writing the book I've started. I cannot imagine a more serene place to focus.  Until then, I'm going to immerse myself in as much nature as I possibly can...a few road trips are in my immediate plans to free my mind.
I think I will start here: