Spending the last evening on the farm and in disbelief at how quickly the week has passed. This afternoon Jess, the boys & I went for lunch at a little place in Farmville nestled atop a hill overlooking a babbling brook. As Gabe was stuffing himself with oyster crackers and Tristan slurping down his red pepper crab soup all I could think was, there is nowhere else I would rather be right now. With all my adventures over my past 32 years that consist of camping with Beduoins in the Jordanian desert, hanging with Fijians on a small island in the middle of the Pacific, racing an Arabian horse around the pyramids in Egypt and planting cyprus trees on a farm in the middle of Tuscany; all of these pale in comparison to the moments I have with them. They bring a sense of peace and wholeness that my passport just can't match up to.

So as we roll into another year there will be more stamps on the passport, new experiences with friends, but nothing will ever supercede the times with the ones who make my heart the happiest: my little dudes. So I'm signing off to roast a few more marshmallows over the fire place. Below is a pic of Tristan, gloves and all, eating one of his ever so crispy toasted marshmallows. We do it with style : )

A little recap of one of my favorite conversations with Tristan:
Tristan:"E, you livin' the dream?" Me:"Yes Tristan I am are you?" Tristan:"Not yet E,not til' I'm an adult & then I'm coming w/ you." Me:"Where we going buddy?" Tristan:"We gotta go somewhere you've never been yet,E." Me:"Ok Tristan, what are ya thinking?" Tristan:"China.." Me:"I've actually never been there buddy." Tristan:"I know that E, that's why we're goin' & I'm bringing the snacks.."

A few days ago I was in Jersey a midst a whirl wind of frenzied shoppers, coffee infused tailgaters and the endless exchanges of, 'Happy Holidays.' On the farm, feeling removed from all the wrapping paper, tinsel and commercialization I've found more plenty in morning coffee chats with my mom, seeking out a tree in the middle of a pasture with the nephew & hauling in wood for the house with my dad. The other stuff is just a distraction and detracts from what this time of year is about...Christ's birth and the hope found through His birth. Santa, re-gifted candles & glittering Christmas trees pale in comparison to the truth that is so often placed on the back burner.

The next few days I hope to continue hitting the pause button & savoring the moments I have with the family. I love the baby cow prancing across the front yard, hacking down a tree in the middle of the forest & hearing 'E' all day long from my little buddy. Enjoying the moment, because time goes so by so quickly. Lovin' it, livin' it, doin' it : )


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Snow, snow & a little side of snow

I pulled into Faith Farm around 4:30 am after a very long, traffic laden trek from Jersey. It feels very good to be here and hopefully have some time to recharge and spend time with some of my favorite people on the planet. The past week was a little quirky and after a few days of being snow bound and having way too much time to think my heart and spirit were very ready to be with my family the next week. I consider myself very independent, but sometimes good friends just aren't the same. Maybe it's the time of year, weather and a combination of things. But the past week the longing to be with family has been acute. So here I am...

I must also say, that I also do realize how profoundly blessed I am for not only family, but friends. In moments of the potential 'pity party,' it is then that you are dragged out to frolic in the snow or have a much needed chat on the cell to put things in perspective. I am grateful and blessed, but also feeling very at peace being on Faith Farm right now. So, the boys are running in circles (it's genetic:) in the living room with the crooked Christmas tree we chopped down a few hours ago with the smell of freshly baked apples filling the house. Lovin' it...


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Jingle bell rock ... or roll

The Christmas Season set in for me this weekend with Christmas trees propped in empty parking lots, lights on houses, chaos in every store within a thirty mile radius and the seemingly endless source of cookies that are in every planning center at Seneca. With a week and a half remaining before break it is during this time that so many people really struggle with the holidays. For many, it is a reminder of someone that they once loved who is no longer with them or salt in the wound for mom or dad who may have lost their job or the reality that they have 11 days home where someone under their roof is struggling with addiction. I don't mean to fix a dark cloud over head, but even as I bobb my head to Bing Crosby in the back of my mind there is the reality that now, more than ever, it's so important to bring out the empathy card.
I feel blessed, profoundly and very undeserving of what I have. With that we prep for pulling another fifty plus Christmas baskets together for local families. In my heart I hope the sense of passing on a little 'goodness' will alleviate a little sadness and allow many to know that they are indeed cared about. So if you have the chance to really look someone in the eyes and wish a very sincere, heart felt, 'Merry Christmas' I can bet after a few pupil to pupil connections there is a lifting of spirits and hearts. I dig it.

This weekend was the first of a flurry of Christmas parties that lie ahead in the next few weeks. Although it becomes a little overwhelming having to be in seven and a half places at once it is also a time of year that I so enjoy spending time with friends that I don't see nearly as much as I'd like. There is just something about being in the presence of good people that a gift card, fluffy slippers or good tunes just pales in comparison.

It also in these next few weeks that life seems to kick into crazy train status and in that how easy it is to get sucked into the realm of insanity distracting us from the meaning of this holiday season: Christ's birth. He is, in all sense of the word, the reason for the Season. I thank God for sending His Son, for providing the ultimate definition of love, sacrifice, forgiveness and healing. Our God is a great, loving and profoundly epic creator that I am continually in awe of.

Make sure to not let the tinsel, ribbons and santa hats over shadow what this time of year is actually about. Fight the distractions and take some time to soak in how epic the meaning for the season really is. Dig it.


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Post dia de Thanx

This week seems to have flown by, but one that has left me fairly tired. With Friday approaching and the weekend at my fingertips I look forward to a little 'down time' to catch my breathe after a rather crazy train week. This time last week I was breaking bread with the family and soaking in some very precious time with the nephews.

Even with the national day of thanks being in past tense, there is so much to be thankful for. As I spoke with Tristan today talking a million miles an hour about transformers I found myself closing my eyes and just feeling an overwhelming sense of goodness, love and peace that brought a smile to my face. Even on a yellow bus with twenty teenagers heading to the bowling alley, peace and tranquility can be attained. It is so often, a matter of the mind and a realization that there is really so much to be thankful for.

As the weekend approaches I shall take time to reflect, chill and tell those little dudes how much I love them. It's not just a faith farm vacation thing, aiming for a 365 thing. Totally attainable.



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