Cool Your Jets and Feed the Chickens!

I’ve been rambling on a lot about history and families lately; permit me one more such post—with a twist!

Our generation is living at such lightning speed. Do you ever feel caught in an endless whirlwind of activity? We truly are the busiest generation imaginable. The advent of motorized travel has speeded us up past any era previous. The faster we go, the faster we go, if you know what I mean. We demand everything at a moment’s notice. Our internet must be quick, our car must go from 0 to 60 in just a few seconds, our meals fast enough for a drive-thru (how many of you ate fast food at least once today?!). We are used to everything at our command at the touch of a button.

Communication is faster than ever. I have heard people comment, (wisely, I believe) on what that one tiny portion of our lives will have on the future generations. Consider electronic communication. I love it! We all love it! It’s quick, it’s easy, and it’s convenient. But what will happen to all the words we exchanged? They are for the most part lost unless we make a special effort to save them. Hang up the phone and the conversation is gone forever. Push “Delete” and a letter is gone forever. A handwritten letter expressing our thoughts to someone is nearly a thing of the past. I mentioned a few days ago the stacks of letters I have from WW1 that were exchanged between my grandparents. They are priceless to me. I have learned so much about them and their day and age through these letters. I fear we are not leaving such a legacy to our grandchildren. Even our words and phrases get shortened when we communicate electronically.

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with all this fast communication when used for the right purposes, but it's good to slow down once in a while and write a letter or make a diary entry with a pen so someone in the future can see our actual handwriting. The nicely written letter or diary will stay cherished in a family for a long, long time. So, while we take advantage of the high tech, we also need balance in our lives.

Sometimes, we just need to slow down and put it all in perspective. I have an area on our farm where I like to go to just sit and think. I call it the “thinking rocks.” Several very huge rocks sit at the edge of our woods and their shapes lend perfectly to sitting. It is quiet there and you can actually hear the birds sing.

Sometimes when I’m running around and shopping or bustling with activity, I think, ‘I wish I was just home doing the chores.’ Feeding and caring for animals, chickens in my case, sort of forces you to slow down, get a grip, and realize that life is not meant to be lived at 70 miles per hour 24/7. The chickens depend on me to feed and water them, no matter how busy I may be with other things. Maybe this was a positive thing in the lives of our ancestors. Most were living closer to the land and spent lots of quiet time working outdoors. I think everyone needs something like chickens to slow them down! Sometimes after dark when I go out to close up their coop, I walk back to the house and stare at the stars in the night sky. Would I do that if I didn’t have chores to keep me out there? Probably not; I’d miss all that starry beauty.

Think about doing something today that forces you to slow down, leave a legacy, or experience silence. “Be still, and know that I am God…” from Psalm 46:10

Reading back on my posts, I realize they sound like I'm lecturing. I have to inform you all that that is because I felt led for some time now to write articles. I love to write and desire so much to be used in this way and also to do public speaking. I guess my blogs tend to go that route.

Today it is sunny and beautiful in Michigan. I could wait no longer and decided to prune my raspberries this morning. Even now the sun is beckoning and I look out the large living room windows at the English garden and know I must go out there to check for "progress." Too much to do in one day. So many things want my attention. Before the day is over I intend to do some more writing. I am working on typing the sequel to "The Fields of May"; transferring it from the handwritten journals to the computer. I rarely get a chance to work on the third book in the series, but have much of that written as well. During all this ancestor hunting, I suddenly became excited about the possibilities that unanswered questions in family histories lend to fiction writing! More stories are forming in my mind! Maybe someday! LORI