This week marks our two-year anniversary of moving to and starting Floating Axe Farm. As we pulled into the driveway for the first time with most of the children, then-five-year-old Birdie asked the above inquisitive question in her sweet tentative voice.
“Is everybody ready to be so happy?!?”
For 19-months, we had lived in Charlotte. And while it was a blessing to be near extended family during that time, it was also a time of heartache and trying to understand why God-given dreams were now in a shambles upon our quick and forced departure from Nepal.
Birdie, who’d also suffered loss without really understanding why, was ready to be happy. But her happiness, again without really knowing it, partially rested on her family also finding new joy.
Today, as I opened the barn doors to feed the chickens, my five youngest children, still dressed in pjs, spilled out around me to take in the coolness of the morning. Some played on the swings, some fed the chickens grass and others climbed our tall pile of mulch as I handed them vegetables from the garden.
Birdie, now 7 (nearly 8!) sighed with contentment. The farm has given her stability, and her family is happy—despite the hard work associated with even the small family farming we do.
I still don’t quite understand Tennessee (perhaps another blog post later), and our lives are meager by most standards.
There is no Babita, and our opportunities to be with and see her are still limited (I do not believe I will ever understand that), but we are called to soldier on and accept what God has given us.
What God has given us are doors to new ministry, both internationally and in the United States, that we could never have foreseen. And at Floating Axe Farm, He has blessed us with the opportunity to raise a family steeped in the knowledge that He loves us unconditionally, not to mention the chance to enjoy some fresh air while watching His hand grow our food.
So, is everybody ready to be so happy? Yes, Birdie. Yes, we are.
