Friends

When we lived in the city we were surrounded by people, yet we hardly ever saw or talked to our neighbors. They lived only FEET from our house and we were almost perfect strangers. Not all our neighbors were strangers, some were good friends, but it seems odd to me now to think about being so close, yet so "far away" from people.

You would think that living in the country would be much of the same...not so! It's the strangest thing. We live in the middle of "nowhere", and there are people everywhere! I looked at the calendar and we have had people at our house seventeen days out of the thirty days in June! Of the thirteen days that we did not have company, nine of those days we were either at someone's house, or with people somewhere.

I always used to dream of the "old-fashioned" neighbors visiting neighbors scene, and wish I could make that a reality in my life. But unexpected company would always stress me out! Well, the Lord really felt I needed to grow in this area, and last summer He just started sending people to my house. Over time I've adjusted to the idea, and now it almost feels normal.

People stop over for all kinds of reasons. Some are invited guests that stay for a meal, others come for our "Friday on the Farm", some stop over to bring a "dead" lawnmower for Brandon to fix, others are dropping off/picking up something, some are just coming for a cup of coffee and a chat. All are welcome, and usually a welcome break from work (some days it takes a few minutes to adjust.......just being honest). :)

Today was a day I was hoping for NO company. I woke up knowing it was going to be a challenging day. Mike would be gone, on business, all day, and the list of jobs to get done was long! I started out my day full of ambition and determination, but it didn't take long for the discouragement to set in. By 9:00am I was calling Mike for advice. At about 10:00am the phone rang..... "Hi Mindy, I am bringing my family over today...." I held my breath, and thought that I may be changing my plans for the day. "....we want to help you do whatever you need to get done today. If you want us to pick strawberries, we"ll do that. Whatever you need done. We will be there for an hour or two." I couldn't believe it! I just about burst into tears right on the phone! What a blessing!

So our precious friends came over, and we worked together in the garden. We got so much done in such a short time. Many hands make light work! And it was so much fun to work together! Then we had lunch together, and they went home. I was so blessed by their deeds that it just made me want to go out and do the same thing for someone else.


Having people in our lives is such a blessing. What is life without relationships? That is life! Our relationship with Jesus Christ and our relationships with each other are all we have to take from this life. And what a blessing it is when we can lift each others burdens! Thank God for friends!