Where I Live...

Well, let me tell you about this little acre of mine  in this "hundred acre wood" we all live in....lol....

Almost 12 years ago I got married and moved to Virginia, leaving the place I grew up and all my friends and family.  Each time we would return to visit (holidays, birthdays, etc) I would cry all the way back to VA in the car.  My wonderful husband vowed that one day he would get me back to "Carolina".  Please don't misunderstand, I love his family there, I had wonderful friends and a great church in VA.  I wasn't unhappy at all, I just missed alot of things...especially my sister and my parents. God provided a way for Travis to keep his word, so in February of 2009 we loaded up the biggest Uhaul you can rent and moved to a tiny little place out in the woods....Semora, NC.

 So how small is Semora you ask?  Well, we have one caution light, a gas station, fire department, post office and this one I can't forget to mention....the little church we call home!  (There are other churches, I just happen to be partial to this one...lol)    Where's the McDonald's, the Starbucks, the Target and Kohl's????  At least 30-40 minutes away (one way!) It might not be for everyone, but I wouldn't change a thing. Just make sure when you go to the store, you have a good list of everything you need...its a long trip back if you forget something important !

Whats it like living out here?  (besides really DARK at night)  Almost everyone I know lives on a dirt road-and now that I think about it, most of them are dead end/private roads too!  We do have the lake here, and that's makes for some serious fun and sun in the summer time.  We boat, ski, and do alot of swimming! If you see someone jumping up/down its probably because they have more than "one bar" of signal on their cell phone!!.  My cell phone doesn't seem quite as important as it used to..hmmm...??  We do have a local newspaper.  It comes out every Wednesday...only on Wednesday..LOL...  Thank goodness we have Internet so I can google "breaking news"!  The weather forecast...well...step outside and see...nah, just kidding...I google that too!

Why did we come way out here?  To get away from some of the worry and drama that a "fast pace" life brings.  Things are slower and simpler here.  I don't know that I could ever go back to "city life" (lol)....Unless God calls me to, of course.  Time flies by so fast, people are always in a hurry....God was never in a hurry.  I like that I can really see the beauty of God around me....ponder it, watch it and be amazed by it.  Out here I hear crickets chirp, the frogs "carry on", listen to the red headed woodpecker, the owls and whippoorwills, watch deer crossing my yard, and the fish jumping out of the water.

As I see and hear these things I am in awe of the greatness of God.  The immensity of His love and power. I feel tiny and humble...not worthy of all the things He has created for me - for you -to enjoy!  There are no words to describe the beauty of the morning mist out on the lake, the sun setting behind it or the way a full moon on a clear night reflects on the still water.

I look out across my yard in the winter and see the cove barren and brown from the winter...then watch as days go by and spring approaches....all the shades of green that pop up everywhere.  The baby deer...tiny fawns with long legs and white spots....begin to emerge from the trees close to their mother's sides.  The dozens of red slider turtles that surface to sunbathe...they line up on the logs in the cove...sometimes stacked on top of each other there are so many.  So many times I try to sneak down close to the water to capture them on my camera , but just as I get close--plop,plop,plop-they are gone!  The flowers that bloom everywhere and the smell of honeysuckle blowing in the breeze......ahhhhh....

I could go on and on I guess but I will stop here.  Its nice outside tonight --mid 60s--I think I will go sit on the deck and listen.  So often, in the still early morning and late evening times I hear God whisper His love and plans for me.

So my friend, I ask you this....will you slow down and be still ?  --- don't miss life, its too beautiful!!!

In His Love,
Wendy