Your 360 Degree View
I grew up living in a house with a 360-degree view of corn, soybean and wheat fields. It was a 100 year-old farmhouse with drafty windows, creaky floors and steep steps. I shared a room with both of my sisters and our family of five shared one bathroom. My dad and his dad farmed the land around us and my mom tended to the house while raising my sisters and I. It was very simple…But truth be told, I didn’t like living on the farm. It was quiet and dark and lonely and there was “never anything to do.” (Except, maybe on the 4th of July when you could see several fireworks displays all at once from our yard!)All of my friends lived in town, my school was in town and everything “fun” to do was in town. It was just too simple. Or so I thought…The day my parents told us that we would be moving off the farm and into town, I was ecstatic! (I might have even started getting organized to move that instant!) The thought of having a newer (less than 20 year old) house with neighbors right next door and friends close by was what I had wished for for years!We eventually made our move into our “new” house in town and it was all I had hoped for and more. Every house I’ve lived in since has had neighbors and stores and friends and activities close by. Although each has been very different, I’ve enjoyed the experiences I had in each of those places.But when I look at where I am now and how my kids are living their childhood, I can’t help but wonder if maybe life on the farm (in what seemed like the middle of nowhere) really wasn’t so bad after all? Maybe it was just perfect. And maybe there really were gifts all around me that I just didn’t notice? Even though I was young, there were blessings right in front of me waiting to be noticed.It’s easy to see them now, looking back. The wisdom I’ve gained over the years makes me grateful for those simple times in my life. It makes me want to make sure, not only that I provide my kids with simple moments, but that I teach them to notice all of the gifts around them at all times.I’m sharing this message with you also… Know that you’re never too old to notice the gifts you have right in front of you, right now. So I ask, what blessings are in your 360-degree view today? What blessings were in your view in years past? The beauty is that you can still appreciate those moments now, even if you experienced them many years ago.I’d love to hear what’s in your view and what gifts you find. Send me a note and share!Many blessings,Lisa