It takes a village

 Today from the sanctuary: I’ve been advocating all week for children! How village life is so important. How having a village helps balance and teach and grow and strengthen. I’ve been able to meet people from across the pond and land and work on a greater goal. More than anything I could accomplish alone. Today, I was reminded that sometimes it takes a village for the adults as well. I was gifted more gifts today than I’ve received in the past three years and as I saw them on my table, I was reminded, it’s ok to live in the village. As I walked through the field and pulled up a lawn chair to watch the sunset with my village people, I thought, wouldn’t this be a great way to end every day? My heart waits for the day when we all live together in our village. Some fish, some cook, some clean, some entertain, some organize and some care. Thanks Ethan Kafton, for gifting me your plate. Now I won’t have to order chicken nuggets just for the frisbee. Thanks Jill Rasmussen for some Aggie swag, I bleed blue because of you. Thanks Matt Israelsen for noodle dinner in between work and religious duties. Thanks Hilary Groutage for making me smile and now I have an official pack to take to weekend brunch at Ruth’s. Thanks Rick Weible for a beauty of a trout, cleaned and refrigerated and I didn’t have to do anything for it. My village is feeling pretty amazing tonight.

Cowboy Rendezvous

Friday I picked up the littles, who I’ll have you know, are growing at the rate of weeds, to attend a cowboy rendezvous. We talked about traders, and goings on and kids games. When we pulled into the fair grounds and went inside, their faces held bewilderment. M where are the tents? Then I realized, they thought we were going to rendezvous!!! Last time at a rendezvous, we had a sleep over in M’s hut. We brought in tomorrow around the fire, and our sleep placement was determined by the order in which we slept. We missed the camp fire, but we had a sleep over and we talked about grandpa a lot. I’m sure he’s pretty proud when we are together and enjoying some part of the world he enjoyed. Tonight we’re hoping he’s getting our ponies and pastures ready and he’ll have waffles and chicken ready for us when we see him next. We talked about the wagon ride we took 5 years ago and how we joked that we hoped baby Maisee didn’t get bounced out or grandpa break his back…little did we know, what was just around the next bend for gramps. We found small pieces of grandpa all day long. Songs, words, chips and ice cream.

Watching young poets that we have enjoyed for years, that John was so happy to rub shoulders with and share stories and smiles with, grow into fine young men, makes me wonder, what “old man” will cross the paths of my littles. Who will inspire them to chase their dreams and conquer their world? Who will make them want to keep hearing these stories? Who will pick them up when they find a bump along the life path? Who will be the village? I spent a few minutes tucking us all into bed and asked about the best part of the day, to hear that everyone enjoyed the day, we all just wish we were folding into bed rolls in the hut tonight with a fire in the box and marshmallows to roast. I can hear grandpa laugh and see him throw his head back as we walked in the house tonight and lined up at the door were boots and neck rags waiting for one more day of being cowboys.