Contentment, simplicity and acceptance...

 

I have lately been pondering the physical changes which have come to pass these past few years, or perhaps across the past decade. For a long while it was a frustrating struggle to accept the increasing number of limitations my body enforced upon me, and too much time was spent lamenting the days of yore when my man and I were off exploring every weekend, driving to rugged places, hiking mountains to see a waterfall, trekking through the rainforest, all with a large picnic hamper, a thermos of tea, water bottles, ground blanket and cameras in hand, and no time restraints on ending our day. 

And then in September 2018 we bought our quarter acre and set up this home as our 'landing space' for however long the Lord keeps us here, or until Jesus returns. It was the first time we'd had a home of our own, after decades of renting, and was an old home in need of many repairs, but all we saw at the time was a blank slate and the opportunity to build gardens, to grow food, to do to it whatever we wanted in order to create a home which truly reflected us - a home which would be our very own sanctuary now and into the future. 

(harvesting young radishes, basil, and garlic chives)

We were in our late 50's at the time, and had no concept of what this new and exciting change would require of us - but after the first few years, we realised the change was in fact an enormous challenge, one that would weary us commensurate with natural physical aging. But after a few more years, and with a good number of modules in various God-designed reality lessons, all we feel now is gratitude and acceptance for what has become for us, a simpler style of life. It's an honest hardworking life, without excess and living within our means, and much richer in reward than we could have imagined, even with bodies that continue to age.

Throughout these years the seeds of contenment grew as well, and to be honest, I believe that may be the very root of how acceptance sprouts in the heart. Once that happened for us, it became clear the Lord had been using a number of trials and challenges to show how 'our' perceived dreams often do not match up with reality. 

(pesto made from fresh radish tops and basil - delicous!)

I was recently thinking of the old saying  - "If only I knew then what I know now" - and I asked myself even if that were possible, would I have changed anything about this journey? I asked my husband as well. Both of us had the same answer. No. How can we regret learning what we did not know, with the Lord right by our side all the way, gently imparting His wisdom when our own had failed. 

(this morning's sourdough loaf, baked at 6am in a dutch oven after proving overnight, and made from two flours - rye and wheat)

There are many 'dreams' we have in life, or perhaps some were more like wishful thinking or hoping for the best outcome?  I'll be honest with you, apart from home ownership, motherhood was not what I imagined, neither was marriage or homeschooling. These 'dreams' ended up having a very loose resemblance to how they truly were. But looking back, the realities held far more wonders and were much richer than the dreams ever promised to be!

(baby beet tops for adding to salads)

So now when I have my hands in the soil, preparing more area for planting food crops, I get so excited about the process of building a garden, planting seeds, growing food, and later enjoying an abundant harvest. Its a slow thing, a time consuming act working with the climate here so that we plant things which will grow and not waste time or money on plants which are known to fail (often that knowledge came from our own mistakes)...but oh how marvellous it is to the heart being in the garden, and acknowledging that here in our 8th autumn, we can see the result of those years before and give thanks to the Lord for the abundance we have today. 

(my April UFO finish, fingerless mittens with embroidered motifs)

The truth is, no experience in life is wasted. In God's economy, all we have done before, and all we are doing now, can be looked at as a kind of investment in our character if we simply allow Him to correct, refresh and guide us forward. My husband and I are not the same people we were the day we moved into this home back in 2018. God has whittled away a number of sharp edges in our character, built our faith even higher through various trials and outcomes (some not at all what we'd hoped for), shown us over and over that disappointments will come but He is still walking with us and He will see us through them. It is one thing to hope God is with you, but quite another to have no doubt whatsoever...and that's us. We believe, we accept, we have no doubt, we love Him so much, and we worship Him alone. 

No regrets. Even now with a very painful physical condition that restricts many activities, we hope for my healing, but we also accept the situation as it is right now - after all, there are a number of spiritual insights which have come from this, such as a deeper compassion for others who experience chronic pain, debilitating conditions, isolation, or enforced slowing for example. 

(hand quilting my Bird in Pot block - I shared the free pattern HERE)

I do not know where you are on this journey of gentle homemaking (see HERE for that blog post), or in your walk with the Lord, but as a woman who is still learning new life skills and spiritual insights at 67 years of age, let me encourage you to seek the good things around you, and not focus on the valley you may be walking through. God will walk with you through the valleys, and if you trust that is true, just allow acceptance to bring you peace. Then lift your eyes to notice the joys which nest around your life, joys which you may have overlooked or not searched for. 

 Between homemaking and garden tasks I need to rest my leg for a few hours, and during that time I may have a play with my photos using the Midjourney membership Blossom and Ross gifted me. The photo above is one I took last week in our kitchen, and then transformed it into a watercolour painting. I had recently cleaned out the walk-in pantry shelving and made this kitchen entrance area of repurposed book cases more functional by adding the everyday pantry items. Previously they have held jars of various food items, but this time I chose only items which are cooking staples. It's lovely to stand at the kitchen counter and look over at this area! It inspires me every day to create in the kitchen. These two watercolour pictures will be printed up and framed in the kitchen and pantry as soon as I can drive again and visit the op-shops for good frames. :-)

(the watercolour version of this photo above, using the AI feature in Midjourney, added a little drawer beneath the two top shelves, rather than the almond milks which sit on the shelf below, but I love it and thought how lovely it would be to have real drawers there)

Well, its time for a herbal tea and some freshly baked sourdough with hummus, pesto and avocado. One of my favourite lunches! Later on I may roast a pumpkin, one of the many still growing in our front yard, for soup tonight. But first, lunch and a rest with the leg up. 

God bless, I will write again soon, and in the meantime I'd love to read your own stories in the comments...

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