Saying adieu...

It was Tuesday morning. We started the day off together. We ate together and we worshiped together. Then some of us left home. Those of us that went set out to explore great land beyond our small farm just north of Waco. Those that stayed behind valiantly continued with everyday tasks that farming entails.

Twelve of us made the trip down to the city of Austin for two days filled with farm tours and adventures. Tuesday was overcast and drizzly, but that did not dampen our spirits. We met the much needed rain with a smile as we met with a radical urban farmer intent on changing the ways of the world. Then we explored the wonders of Whole Foods and lost ourselves in a local book shop.

We spent the night at the house of a fellow farmer. Him and his three house mates, people whom we barely knew were more than willing to stretch out a hand in hospitality. A sure sign that the good in this world continues to out shine the bad.

On Wednesday we rose with the sun and started the day off with prayer. The sun had risen and with it came an unseasonable warm day. We visited another radical urban farmer whose enthusiasm and passion brought joy to our hearts. We then visited some more oases in the bustling city: community gardens.

It was time once again to share a meal together, so we took advantage of the sunshine with a picnic lunch in the park. After relaxing under the boughs of a large live oak eating a meal that had been lovingly prepared for the occasion, it was time to depart.


We set off to the airport to bid farewell to a sister, to a friend...

As I stood there watching my family, my friends, my community drive away, I was filled with sadness... Each one of them had become a part of me and yet their lives would go on without me. They would continue to work side-by-side, walk hand-in-hand, live day-by-day... I realize that our lives became intertwined for only a brief moment and that only by the grace of God will we all be together again...

And yet looking back, I have no regrets. The past twenty-one months of my life have been a blessing and an adventure: a blessing full of highs and lows and fasts and slows, an adventure that has taken me up and down and all around. I have learned more than I can even begin realize. I've learned about farming and living and loving and eating and breathing and praying and just being. My eyes have been opened and I have seen the glory of the Lord...

Each day I spent there was beautiful in and of itself. I have physically left that place, that place which I have come to call home, but I will ever be grateful for that time and that place and those people...AMEN!