I can’t remember the last time I got away for a couple of days at the farm for a little recharge time. Mr. FixIt is doing really well these days and I’m feeling a little braver in going off on my own for a little bit. Not too far, though. I’m only eighteen miles away, so if he needed me, I’d be there in a whipstitch. And, as he said…he has plenty to do to keep himself busy while I’m gone as there is never a shortage of work around the Ponderosa.

I had to run to town this morning, so by the time I did that and a couple of errands, it was after 2:00 when I got to the farm. The big refrigerator out there never worked again after the power was off for several days from the tree falling over the line. I have no idea how old it was, but it had certainly seen its better days. When Mr. FixIt and I went to Sam’s this week, I picked up a small dorm sized fridge to bring out here. All we really need is room to keep enough food and drinks cold to feed the two of us when we stay out here for a few days, so small was better.

It took a good two hours to clean, move the old fridge, and set up the new one. I brought four big baskets of laundry out to do today. I also brought a stack of magazines since I never seem to find the time to just sit and read them. I don’t know how to describe the feeling I get when I come out here. It’s like taking a king-sized step back in time. I connect to that little girl that lives inside me. I touch my grandparents, my mom, my people who have gone before me.

I sleep in the same bed they did, in my grandparents’ room. I look out the same window. It restores something primal in me and heals my heart. This year has been rough all the way around. But it’s been full of opportunities, too. Opportunities to touch people and be touched by them. To practice trusting God. To lean into my relationships…especially with my family. To continue to build on that foundation with Mr. FixIt that will carry us through good times and bad. 

Still, I’ve come to appreciate the introverted aspect of my extroverted personality. I love people, and I thrive on service. Now I recognize…and don’t fault myself for stepping away to recharge. It doesn’t make me selfish. It makes me smart. Because, I know I can give so much more when my cup is full and I have to fill it with peace and quiet. No TV. No noise. No expectations. 

Just me. 

And God.

And the little red house on the farm.

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“Generosity will be rewarded: Give a cup of water, and you will receive a cup of water in return.”

Proverbs 11:25 CEV