A Labor (OF LOVE) Day

I still am in the thrall of the most incredible weekend that I experienced over Labor Day holiday. For some reason God chose to bless us with perfect weather, beautiful sun, cool breezes, no humidity, and that made Kentucky truly paradise for a few days.

My two Tennessean sons' came home and my Kentuckian (just down the street) daughter was already here, also as many other personal family members, wives, husbands, and grandchildren, that could, came. We celebrated for three days and spent  much time at the family farm that lies behind two hills called "Spice Knob"  the farm itself is just off a state highway and down a country lane and is named "The Hideaway Farm". Well, it is, we were, and it was great!

The house was built in approximately 1880 by my husband's Granddad and we, my husband, daughter and I, have been renovating it all summer because my daughter needed a seasonal project and we can use it as a guest house for the brave of heart!. On this weekend, with the extra help, we unearthed the original pine kitchen floor that was painted and stippled about seventy-five years ago by my Mother-in-law, we hoped to save her handy-work but found we must re-paint.  We will do it in her stippled style with the added attraction of a nine-patch quilt pattern in the middle of the floor to be painted by my son's wife, an artist among us. On the way down to the floor we went through several layers of old linoleum one of a particular art deco pattern, we also found another art deco pattern in an upstairs bedroom and it was a keeper!

Another treasure we unearthed was (over one hundred years old) bead board on the lower half of the kitchen wall. Our cabinets were painted a couple of weeks ago and the doors were removed, the lower ones ready to be hung with re-made vintage curtains we found in a trunk up stairs. The original cabinets were the subject of a newspaper column when they were first installed by a builder who used the local "Home Makers Club" pattern; they were quiet the novelty for a farm kitchen of the late 1930's era.

We traveled through time over the weekend, through tons of old pictures and magazines, nostalgia was thick and stirring our memories and imaginations. We explored two old barns, the woods, the pond' the corn fields, the creek, and checked out the progress of the pear tree. The sky was pure crystal blue for perfect weather, so this called for a picnic in the side yard and a nap on a quilt placed in the shade of "Ma's" red maple tree, while a son softly strummed his guitar. Later a ball game in the background on the portable radio challenged the birdcalls and the crickets for attention but soon nature won.

Awakened by the wind whispering to the corn in the field, I sat in my lawn chair and thought, "We are in a living, breathing, prayer and my awesome God is in our midst, right here, today, in this ancient side yard." I felt contentment and an ease in my spirits that almost took my breath. I cannot fully express my feelings for the blessings I received in this moment of time, on this day. I thought about my God and His awesome blessings from ancient times on through to today and the ultimate blessing of His greatest gift, His son, Jesus, and the ancient but living treasure that He is. His life, a true, sacrificial labor of love.  He is the true source of the contentment and joy I found in this day. His Spirit has brought peace and joy and poured it down on me in the bright sunshine, in the presence of family love, as my heart sighed praises.

This truly was a labor "of love" day.