Dear 2017

Dear 2017,

Wow, what a journey this has been. Moving to a new town, into the woods and living in a camper has been quite the experience or I should say...an eye opener, for sure. I've learned a whole lot about myself. And we've learned a whole lot about each other, my husband and I. We knew quickly that this would be a make or break situation for us. You learn things about someone living in a 25 x 8 (or so) that you never knew, no matter how long you have been married. And speaking of small spaces... it's definitely the bathroom. I don't like to close the door because I get a little claustrophobic, but if you don't...well, let me just say, your business becomes everyone's business. I knew that I had to get organized and fast. It's funny to hear me say that. Organization is not my forte. My husband is the organized one. He built us a walk-in closet. Now my clothes are neatly hung up. Even separated into seasons. We love our tiny bedroom with our little comfy, cozy bed. And my kitchen.. an open floor plan for sure; the kitchen and den are one. I have a small oven in my kitchen. My oven and I have  become pretty good friends though.  It's funny how I've cooked things on it that I never cooked before when I had a larger oven. I made my first sweet potato pie ever. In fact didn't even know I liked it. It was always my mamas and sisters favorite. Made my first batch of tea cake cookies. Always loved my granny's. And can't begin to tell you how many egg custard pies I've made. My absolute favorite. I have even found myself washing, cutting, and cooking turnip greens.  I guess I have returned to my roots, enjoying now all the things that I had growing up. My daddy always loved to hunt and fish in this area. I understand why. We love the outdoors too. Hubby on his tractor. Me in my flower bed. I have found a new love...gardening. I planted wildflowers this spring. It took them a long time to come up. They didn't come up at the same time either. So much spontaneity, it seemed. Some big, some small, some yellow, some crimson, some tall, some short. Never knew exactly what to expect. So beautiful. There were a lot of life lessons learned in my flower bed this year. Love my little critters too. We have a grey lizard that lives on the wooden post on the edge of the front porch. We watched him everyday. He quickly became a friend of the family. The birds, deer, all of God's creatures...it's like seeing them for the first time. I can't get enough pictures. Everywhere I look is a picture opportunity or something to write about. I love my morning walks. I honestly think that it and my talk each morning with Jesus has made me a better person. My husband built a large, wooden, front porch. He loves to build and is very good at it. We have practically lived on it, especially in the fall and spring. It wasn't long after we moved in, my husbands family came over one night and we sat on the front porch and talked. I just kinda knew what God was up to. I was pretty sure that He wanted to restore all those lost years. It felt so right that night. It still feels right. My husband dreams of building a cabin on this land. I do too. I hope our dream comes true. I have pretty much my whole life lived a very short distance from my whole family. It's easy to take that for granted a little.  My family is doing just fine without seeing me every week. I appreciate them a whole lot more than I did before. Maybe they do me too. You know sometimes you don't really appreciate what you have until it's gone...(or it just moves a little further away.)  I went over to see my mother every other day when I lived close by her. This Christmas was the first time in my life that I packed up my car to go home. I've always heard people talk about it; songs are written about it, stories penned, movies are made about it. Well I finally got to do it. There I was, one early morning, sitting on the couch in her den, just a day before Christmas, fireplace ablaze, Christmas tree lit, my mother and a cup of freshly made hot coffee, when I realized... there is no place like home. Home is where your heart is. And my mother is truly the heartbeat of our family. I can't imagine life without her. You know those "warm fuzzy's" that you get sometime? Well, I got them. This year at Christmas, I also got to have my live Christmas tree outside on the porch of our new home in the woods. I had envisioned it for a while; all decorated with large colored lights, little stick legged reindeer, glittered pine cones, and Borax crystals looked "plum pretty," I thought. The "crafty" side of me came out.  My daughter was so sweet when she came to visit us the night of our outside movie with all our family. She said, "Mama, your front porch is so pretty. It looks like it came right out of a magazine." My nephew-in-love told me that he noticed all the detail in the decorations. Thinking about it...you know that is what this year has been all about, "noticing all the details." Thanks for that ♡ I'll never forget when we first started going to the church in the small town here. It was a Wednesday night, our pastor told us that we were going to take church to an elderly woman that was "shut-in". I remember walking into her living room as we all gathered around her to sing. She sat in her recliner all bundled up; old and frail. We sang timeless hymns, as our pastor played the guitar. Her eyes strong and alert, scanning the room to see all the love around her. I didn't even know her and loved her. The presence of the Lord was so tangible. I couldn't help but cry. I had never done anything like that before. Thank you Lord for our new church family.  I'm learning to look for His love everywhere; on faces and places all around me.  I guess if I had to choose my very, most favorite thing, about this year, it would have to be our nights out by the campfire, gazing into the pitch dark night sky. Two chairs. A blazing fire. A couple of hooting owls. And billions upon billions of brilliant, dancing stars. Breathtakingly beautiful. And the super moon too. Standing on the porch, watching it rise in the east, just over the treetops...it's like you could reach out and touch it. We stood out in our yard and prayed a year ago, right after we moved here, "Lord, thank you for this land that you have given us. We are dedicating it back to you for you to use for your glory," my husband said. We will forever cherish it. And this beautiful year that we have had. Life might be simple and laid back here but what I've learned about myself has been worth more than money could ever buy.  I've learned that it's not the size of my house but rather the size of my heart. We are "living larger" than ever before. And my husband?  I love him even more today 💕  Thank you Father God for this year. It has been amazing.

forever grateful,
sammie jean