These days we are told to stay home and not go anywhere unless we have to go get groceries or go to work if we are considered essential. Time has seemed to slow down. I read more and more people having more time for things that under normal circumstances they would not have time for. People are finding more time for what is important in life. The simple things are coming back into play.
It makes me think of when I was a kid. We were never as busy as people today. Mom went to work as a teacher and Dad worked on the farm. We had activities in the church ad community. We always made time for family. After Dad passed in 1994, Mom picked up the farm work.
As a kid, I learned the meaning of hard work. We always had chores, did our homework, went to school, went to church, respected our elders, and never complained about what was fixed to eat. We learned to help others. Dad was always helping the elderly neighbors or any neighbor that needed help. He said it was doing the Lord’s work. Mom was also always helping others.
In the Summer we raised a garden and I remember many stories of the gardens that Dad’s family raised as a kid. My favorite thing about Summer was when the tomatoes would get on the vine and be green Dad would have me run to the garden to pick as many as my arms could carry and bring home. Our garden was next to Grandma’s house just up the road. I would pick the biggest ones that I could and after a few times became smart and took a bag or bucket to put my reward in.
Once home we would wash a few and Dad would go to work. He would slice potatoes and tomatoes in thin round slices. Then he would fry them. Once fried he would take two slices of bread, put mayo on both slices, add a slice of tomato and a slice of potato on one slice of bread, and then top with the other bread slice. This was something that Grandma made him growing up. It was a treat in the Summer to have this sandwich.
I remember times when Dad would take us along to help with the haymaking. One time I drove the tractor around the field while Dad and several men stacked hay on a wagon. Dad’s help would throw the square bales up to Dad on the wagon and he would stack the wagon up. Once the wagon was full, Dad would take over the driving and we would go fill the barn. Pitching hay bails was fun.
These days these are things that kids of this generation never get to experience. We live in a fast pace world to which there is no time for the simple things in life. Now with all that is going on in the world, we have time for the simple things in life. We have time to enjoy the beauty of the simple things.
I believe that all that is going on in the world is getting us to find the beauty in the simple things. If we would just do this every day the world would be a better place. If we just got back to the simple ways of life we would be happier and the world would be better.
God has given us all this beauty to enjoy. We really need to take the time to stop and enjoy it while we can. We never know when our time on this Earth will be over. Take time to enjoy life. This is a time to get back to God.
I think Reba says it best in her song Back To God.
anniesthoughts 