Lessons Learned (and learning)

(Began this post on the 16th)

Weather Report - Partly Cloudy, High of 68, 20% chance of rain. (I've come to learn that most days there is a 20% chance of rain :-)

Some things I have learned in this remote place we have come to call home. Some things have been pressed upon me and some things I have stumbled across.

The sun rises around 7:45 a.m. here....
Almost an hour later than in Nevada where we just came. The kids', or I should say my girls have begun school. Cole has stomach flu just in time to not begin school so he's home with me in the quiet. I wake the girls up by 6:30 which gives us just enough time to get dressed, wash and brush hair and teeth and put something hearty in their tummies for breakfast. I've never been a morning person so I didn't like getting them up that early in the dark, but they have risen with an energy and day embracing attitude I haven't seen before. Prayerfully it will last :-)

The sun sets around 8 p.m. Still....
Even this late into Autumn. I welcome the longer days as it seems to slow the pace.

Do not go anywhere without your car charger for your phone....
Yesterday we had to make a run into Minot because of Cole's nonstop vomiting. Run is a loose word as it is 45 minutes into "town", as we call it, along two lane road through acres and acres of farmland. I only had about 1/2 of battery service left and we didn't know how long we would be. This lesson will be very necessary when the weather turns bad. (Or I will just choose to stay home :-)

Always have your gas tank filled at least 1/2 to full....
Gas stations are miles apart and there is not much recourse if you run out.

Planning is necessary....
No longer can you think just a day at a time for life's necessities. Trips into the little next town grocery are long so don't waste time and monies by not planning ahead. Truly make a list and prepare.

Slippers are wonderful. Enough said :-)....

Clothing choices are based on warmth and comfort first, style second :-)....

Mail is wonderful to send and receive....

Kids are strong, when foundations are laid well....
I do not take credit for being the only contribution to my kids' grounding. Extended family and friends. Church and school have invested well. And God has them deeper and more surely than I have prayed for. I can see the fruit of all of it now as we have moved them far away from all that they are comfortable with. They have embraced our little farmhouse choosing to find joy in the little cubbies that lead to the attic instead of seeing the dated carpet. They have already explored the nearby farm fields and rode their quads freely instead of focusing on our little TV in the family room. They have smiled and made friends at a school that only sees new kids once a year or so. They have shown a courage and joy I have hoped for.

People are vital and essential....
I've always known this but I have been tempted at low times in my life to withdraw. To not be present. But people and relationships are supreme. Not just in this rural place but whereever life leads us all. In storms, both figurative and literal, community is our survival. Laughter and love given freely. Kindnesses of an invitation to dinner or Halloween party. Picking up an item at the store or a smile on the street. Conversations that flow freely without pretense or competition. With the reality that communities can be miles apart from one another, the truth that we are reliant and dependent upon one another has become glaringly apparant and not to be dismissed.

Long car rides are good....
Living miles from school and town leaves us a lot of time in the car. Remember road trips as a kid? What did we do? We talked and played games and told stories. These are everyday moments now as we travel the long country roads to our destination. Yes, the kids get antsy at times and arguments over where someone's feet can be do occur. But we look out the window and look for pheasant or old farm houses we challenge Matt to restore. We tell stories of school happenings. Matt and I get to talk. Really talk, like when we were dating. In the distance and lack of traffic, we all are confined together relating and listening. And it is good.

Welcome the quiet....
The quiet is rich and heavy here. At another season of my life I may have found it boring or unstimulating. But quietness whether we create it or it is all around us is purposeful and necessary. We live on the edge of town and so our backyard faces the miles of farmland behind us. Very little traffic flows through here except for the school bus or the mailman who drives a small station wagon with yellow caution lights on top, Very little noise except for the elements outside or Molly, our yellow lab, barking to come inside to say she's had enough of the wind. Admist this quiet, my heart is resting. The necessary soul processes are finding room and time to sort and settle. I am finding I was not that great at daily creating this quiet place in my life in all the places I've lived. I have allowed demands and my own tendency to ignore vital callings of my soul in place of busyness and false sense of purpose to squeeze it out. Now I am here and quiet is forced upon me and I have welcomed it. I believe that God has lead me to the quiet. More on this later but I have come to embrace and see no matter where we live, this is necessary and good.


These are just the beginnings of my lessons learned from this first week in Ryder. I want to commit to this journey to see the depth and meaning and mostly the very Hand of God in our lives. That is my prayer. To have the eyes and time to drink deeply of His moving and presence.

In this most unexpected place, I want to find Him in ways I couldn't or didn't before.

I'm learning :-)