I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practise resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms.” – Henry David Thoreau
On Friday evening, I came home from some time with a friend and did my rounds. . . puppies and goats first. All well. I then wandered around the farmhouse to the chicken coop. As I stepped out of the run to get them more water, I saw a white bundle trotting down the drive toward me – Boone had escaped by squeezing himself through a tiny whole in the gate. 
I dropped the chicken waterers and scooped him up to return him to his home. It’s hard for me to do that. I want him to be with us, to let him and Bella wander around the yard with Meander. I want to see him trundling toward me on those HUGE puppy paws.
But I can’t. He must learn where he is best made to live – with the goats in their pasture, where his talents and skills lie.
It’s a hard lesson for me to teach . . . and for me to live.
***
I do not live well in a world where everything moves very fast, where words are shortened – thank you becomes Tx, you (precious, irreplaceable YOU) become u. I do not live well in a world where everything is about how much money we can make, about how we can pay the least amount for something – or the services of someone – in order to be able to make more money for ourselves.
I know this is how much of our world works, but I do not live well in it.
This week, I righted my course after making some decisions that had taken me so far into that world that I felt myself spinning, aching, believing the rules of that place. I don’t believe those rules.
I don’t believe that money should drive our ultimate choices in life. I don’t believe that we should do work that compromises the fundamentals of who we are simply because it pays well. I don’t believe that working 12 hours a day is good for anyone, no matter what the business coaches say.
I’m not naive – we all do things every day that we don’t love, and many of us have no choice but to do work we loath simply to be able to buy groceries. But if we have a choice – as individuals and as a society – I hope we choose what brings us joy. 
***
When you come to God’s Whisper, we want you to feel you can be everything you are made to be – the best parts of yourself, the injured parts, the weak parts, and all the parts that are strong at the center of you.
When you come, we hope you know that you are loved and welcomed just as you are and that we will encourage you always to make the choices that give you joy, that bring you live, that settle your soul into a peaceful rhythm, even if – maybe especially if – those choice seem counter-cultural, risky, creative.
Here, we believe that life is meant to be lived slowly and intentionally. We believe that less really often is more. That good food, good words, good art, and good conversation can heal and buoy even the most scarred hearts. 
So come visit us.
We welcome you . . . and if you come now, you can take home fresh radishes – we have plenty to share.
We welcome you to the farm to camp, to enjoy our Writer’s Retreat or the concert/reading that’s part of it, to just visit for the day and play with the animals, take a walk, sit on the porch swing. Just drop us a note, and let us know you’re on the way. You are always welcome here.