The Morning Hunt

I have the tremendous blessing to have been raised farming. Having been surrounded by agriculture all of my life, there have been so many opportunities to draw spiritual correlations with the agriculture world of which I am a part and my dad has done a wonderful job of helping draw those out for our understanding. Although having lived around baby calves all my life, I have never lost the beauty of each new life, and helping a distressed cow calve or getting to cuddle a newborn is still a favorite of mine. 

While sitting out on the backswing the other morning, I had a lovely view of the back field behind our home which is the current home for calving cows. It was still relatively early and little brown and black calves dotted the field, but as the sun rose higher, so did their need for nourishment. I have seen the scene many times over the years and there is a preciousness to it each time, the hunt of the child for their mother. The baby calf begins hunting, hunger propelling the search. He walks and perhaps lets out a bawl, hoping to receive a reply from its mother to disclose her whereabouts. The moment gains in sweetness as soon as the mother is spotted and the baby begins to run, eager and joyous with anticipation of the comfort and nourishment they are about to receive. The moment of the reunion is precious as the baby finds what it seeks and the mother stands, contented that her baby has found her and is receiving what it was desirous of. 

As I sat a watched a little red calf begin the hunt yesterday morning, I thought how much that should be for us as Christians rising in the morning. Christ stands ready to speak to us from His Word and through His Holy Spirit. We, however, must be ready and seeking. So my prayer to the Lord was that I would be like that calf, hunting eagerly every morning, with anticipation for the fulfillment of my spiritual nourishment for the day. 

"O God, Thou art my God; early will I seek Thee: my soul thirsteth for Thee, my flesh longeth for Thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; to see Thy power and Thy glory, so as I have seen Thee in the sanctuary. Because Thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise Thee. Thus will I bless Thee while I live: I will lift up my hand in Thy name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise Thee with joyful lips: When I remember Thee upon my bed, and meditate on Thee in the night watches. Because Thou has been my help, therefore in the shadow of They wings will I rejoice. My soul followeth hard after Thee: Thy right hand upholdeth me. But those that seek my soul, to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of the earth. They shall fall by the sword: they shall be a portion for foxes. But the king shall rejoice in God; every one that sweareth by Him shall                                        glory: but the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped."                               ~Psalm 63

~As the Deer

As the deer pants for the water                                                                                                                      So my soul longs after You;                                                                                                                            You alone are my heart's desire,                                                                                                                    And I long to worship You.                                                                                                                          

Refrain:                                                                                                                                                         You alone are my strength and shield;                                                                                                       To You alone may my spirit yield.                                                                                                                You alone are my heart's desire,                                                                                                                    And I long to worship You.

Family Life - January-March 2023

Family updates began with the intention to post one every month, but obviously, those well-intentioned plans have not come to fruition as once planned. =)

This update captures highlights, or at least those a camera captured, of life in the Smith home and farm from January through March. The last few months have been marked with sweet memories and I am grateful for cameras that help retain those for years to come. We were blessed with such mild February temperatures that it was a little scary to wonder what March's weather held for us. Still, for the most part, March has cooperated as well, especially with spring calving beginning. 

So...here's to January to March!

Whenever Caden is home for a break from college, we like to take
some "sibling time" which usually includes ice cream! This was
taken during his Christmas break. 

Belle calved January 10th. It's a bull, much to my disappointment,
but I call him "Peanut" and we are working to keep Belle in 
condition to prepare for another calf early next year. 

My favorite little guy! He's getting too big!

Our family are big SEC football fans and this year's National
Championship was no exception. 

Peaches had surgery in January to repair her hip after 
her accident in December. As we were headed up to the vet,
she crawled over and put her head down on Dad's lap. So sweet!

Spending a few days with Grandma and while there, I made 
chocolate chip cookies that fit the guidelines of all the
dietary requirements! Success!

Mom, Dad, Hope, Ella, and Leah made a historical field trip
down to Ft. Campbell to see their 101st Airborne exhibits
which included numerous planes and artifacts!

Ella turned 16 on January 23rd and the kids and I 
worked to create a surprise WW2-themed party for her! I was
so pleased with how it all turned out. We purchased a women's 
uniform for her, hung flags, drank coca-cola in glass bottles,
listened to music from the 40s, and had a sweet family dinner together.  

Ella loves this period in history and has worked hard to 
study and retain knowledge about that incredible part of 
the world's past. 

Valentine's Day 2023! Mom puts in sweet effort every year
 to make Valentine's Day special and for each one of us to know
how loved we are. This year, things were different as Mom had
to be out of town with Grandma who had a procedure scheduled for that
day, but Mom worked hard to prepare what she could before she left,
and I had the joy of finishing the final details.

Emma, Stephen, and James sent a Valentine's package to 
our family as well! Such sweet family love we have!

Mom snapped this picture of her "peeps" (and Peaches) before
heading to Grandma's. 

Joel and I had fun taking Peaches to the vet for a check-up after
her surgery. She does great at car trips. 

Hope and Ella went with a group from our church to College Day
at Caden's school which happens to be only 1 1/2 hours from where 
Emma and her family live. Olivia went along to spend some sister/aunt
time with them while the other girls enjoyed College Day. 

At the end of February, Ladybug pupped! We jumped from 4 to 7 
dogs in a matter of hours!

We have not had little puppies like this around for a while
so we are enjoying the puppy snuggles. 

A major wind storm tore through our area leaving many without
electricity for days and unreal signs of the intensity of the wind. 

I  captured this while enjoying some evening exercise. 

Caden was able to be home the weekend we  celebrated Hope's
18th birthday!

Olivia's 20th birthday!

At 8 months, James has begun sitting up on his own!

Ice cream with Caden on his spring break.