Sisyphus Acres

My Family's Agrarian Vision

Carla, from the Simple Life, suggested we put pen to paper and write an Agrarian Vision for ourselves and our families, I took the challenge, and I thought I'd share it with you...

Our family Agrarian vision began the same as any other agrarian venture ~ we tilled the soil ~ digging up all of the weeds, plowing them under, getting rid of the stuff that would choke out the tender seedlings.

Some would say I had it all: I was married, I had good savings, I owned my own business…but I was dying.  The marriage failed, the business failed, the money was gone ~ I had a beautiful daughter, and still I was dying.  I rebuilt my life, restored my credit, got a better job, made a decent income, had great friends, plenty to do and a loving church family ~ and yet still, I was dying.  I lived beyond my means, spent so much time “doing” that I spent little time “being” ~ I truly was dying.  The weeds were choking me, I withered, and so did my daughter Hannah.

Luke 8:14-16 (New International Version)

14The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. 15But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.

We needed to build up the soil ~ in utter exhaustion we fell on our knees and begged the Lord for an answer, asked Him to place us where He wanted us ~ He filled our hearts with His mercy, grace and love.  He blessed us with the nutrients we needed through His Word.

In The Word, we became fertile ground.

The Lord made our rows straight for us, placed in directions we’d never imagined   Planting this garden wasn’t going to be easy, but the Lord is a patient gardener.

We then became the seed, that’s every gardener’s leap of faith ~ the seed ~ when to plant, where to plant, how much water, how much sun?  Will it grow well?  Will I get a good yield?  What if it doesn’t grow at all?  The Lord sure took a chance on us.

We prayed and prayed, and were planted far north in a rural farming community, an idyllic setting ~ quite a leap of faith it was for us ~ it meant leaving my job, leaving our friends, leaving our church family, leaving our life and rooting ourselves elsewhere. 

As tender seedlings we broke above the soil…

And the rains came ~ living outside of my means really caught up with me with the job change/pay cut this move meant, it meant confronting the fact that I had not been a good steward of what the Lord had given me to manage.  And as I stood tender in the mud that I had created, somehow still the rain washed me clean.

Deuteronomy 32:2

Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants.

The sun (Son) arose and the warmth and grace filled us with Life and made us bloom where we were planted.  Our garden design continues to grow each and every day.

Hannah and I regularly discuss what we want to do here, and how we should go about it.

I now realize that living within our means, without credit debt hanging over our heads is the best thing for us, and is a peace God has planned for everyone  ~ and teach Hannah this every day.  Hannah and I have rediscovered the natural beauty the Lord provides us, and that we have to be proper stewards of that landscape ~ and so we are using less pre-packaged foods, we are using cloth napkins to conserve waste, exploring energy conservation and alternative energy generation, we are doing the three R’s (reduce, reuse, recycle ~ or do without).  We have come to understand that in order to be good stewards and good witnesses we need to be healthy, physically and spiritually ~ we are developing a more natural diet, being very careful of what we place in our bodies, both in food and media. 

We are also growing and preserving our own foods ~ and trying whenever possibly to buy what we don’t raise locally to support others in their vision, to grow our community, and to live as God designed.  We have rediscovered community and true friendship ~ we no longer have to be “doing” something with our friends; we can just go and “be” with them.

Our vision has not only manifested itself in the spiritual changes we have experienced ~ there has been a very real physical transformation for us as well.

We have transformed our “plot” from a vacant brush-covered field, to a lovely maintained acreage, where we are planting “edible landscaping”, nurturing vegetable and herb gardens, and developing fruit orchards.  We are maintaining these plants organically as stewards of this earth we’ve been given.  We continue to explore new ways to provide for ourselves on this property, how to help our neighbors do the same, and how to support our community in its conservation goals for the future.  We have become much more aware of the waste that we generate and try to reduce that as much as possible.  We conserve resources as well, from increasing fuel efficiency in our home, to collecting rainwater to use in the gardens, and exploring alternative energy.

Our Family vision is a garden, a garden of hope for the future ~ rooted in the Word, sown and nurtured through hard work, awareness and planning, growing each day in knowledge, strength and love ~ and at harvest-time to be made useful to each other and every person we meet on our path. Our path, the road less traveled.

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

                                   -Robert Frost

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{ 04:31, 2006-Jun-26 } { Posted by Carol }

What a beautiful blog. Thank you for sharing your vision.
~carol

Thankyou for sharing

{ 04:41, 2006-Jun-26 } { Posted by Homesteadheart }

This is a wondeful insight into how I need to be seeking answers.

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{ 09:51, 2006-Jun-27 } { Posted by Cindeerella }

Loved reading this, very inspirational!

How Lovely

{ 12:32, 2006-Jun-29 } { Posted by YPAmy5 }

You painted such beautiful word pictures! I love the analogy with us being the seeds in the garden. I so enjoyed this post!
Thank you also for lifting my sil in prayer. You touched my heart today.
Amy W

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{ 11:02, 2006-Jul-6 } { Posted by BuzyMumof3sons }

Hi Valarie,
Thanks for sharing your vision. It's truly inspiring to reach down within yourself to find out where we are headed!

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{ 06:21, 2006-Jul-13 } { Posted by candy }

All I can say is WOW. Beautiful. Thanks so much for sharing. You also touched my heart.