Journaling reads: I love living in rural America. I’m a country girl at heart and I’d rather have the quiet of the country than the hustle and bustle of the city. But even the quiet can get busy. Or, maybe “busy” is the wrong word.....familiar.....maybe, too familiar? Being familiar with something means that you know all you “want” to know about the thing. Your interest is no longer peaked so you begin to lose interest. But can you ever know all there is to know about a thing? I’m not sure. Maybe.
These thoughts ran through my mind as we rode the bike to church one beautiful Sunday morning. I usually carry the camera with me, even though the roads we usually travel are “familiar”. On this day I decided to look beyond the familiarity and “see” it with new eyes. And I rediscovered why I love rural America.
I love seeing people gathered to worship on the Lord’s Day to the dictates of their own hearts. I love the blue of the sky beyond the tree tops. I love the fields of grain blowing in the breeze. I love the old out buildings that refuse to give up their usefulness. I love the beauty of the crepe myrtle blooming in the oppressive heat of summer. I love traveling the back roads and seeing the sights and smelling the smells. I love seeing the bales of hay wrapped and stacked neatly in the field, looking like huge marshmallows just waiting to be eaten by the livestock during those cold, winter months; another taste of summer. But, probably most of all, I love seeing the American flag waving in the breeze, proudly displayed by someone who is proud to be an American! And, on this August day I am reminded of why I love life in rural America!
And then there are the other reasons I love living in rural America.....our woods, God’s creation living and moving in their natural surroundings, including the birds and mammals. Thank You, LORD, for the blessings of rural living in America!
Photos taken 8/20/23
