Hello Everyone,
It is spring and with that I get busy outside as we transistion into warmer weather on the farm. Today, it is cold and windy, a good day to blog. That is why I don't blog more, I am busy working the farm and keeping up the household. In addition, we both work outside the home.
Believe me I am not complaining, even though at times I do.
More and more I find myself saying, Thank you, I am truly grateful!
Thank you for the community we live in, for the land we farm, and the animals we keep. As I have stated before, we grow much of our own food and we just started two beehives, exciting!
Since we moved to farm seven years ago we get people saying, "That is so much work, are you crazy, or how can you butcher your own meat, get your hands dirty, or shovel manure." Well, I recently received an email from just one of those people who thought we were crazy for raising our own cattle. She said, "Isn't it interesting that after all these years people are realizing that having cattle graze rather than be corn fed is better. Isn't it interesting that people want organic produce when bigger and faster was better. Isn't it interesting that free-range poultry is now better than cooping and stuffing them. She went on to say, "You two are so smart, look at the state of world today. You are setting an example to the rest of us on how we are suppose to live." Yes, we are in a crisis on this planet and even I need to do more to be aware, conserve and recycle. Now is the time to start, in the last several weeks I have heard about such things as;
The failure of crops in Asia, especially rice that effects billions of people around the world.
The crash of the salmon populations in the Pacific Ocean, there will be no salmon fishing on the west coast this season for the first time ever. Half a million square miles of Arctic sea ice has melted in the past year and is changing the entire planet, not to mention the animals, especially polar bears, that live there. There are over 300 dead zones in our oceans and seas all due to the need we have to use artificial fertilizers such as Miracle Grow on our lawns. Not to mention that over half of all the fish you eat is farm raised around our coastal waters due to the fact that we have no fish left in the wild. In addition, the farm raised fish further pollute the water killing even more ocean. Finally, we build and build and populate without consideration for our environment especially our water resources, and they are drying up fast, look at the west, the south, we are in trouble. The list goes on and on, it is time we take responsiblity for our actions on this planet. I am taking responsibility ot the best of my abilities, are you? Remember who you are. Live in the moment, and bring forth awareness of yourself, your neighbor, and your environment.
Love Steven
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
A farmers life...
Hello Everyone,
I certainly hope you are enjoying the slow progress of spring.
On Sunday morning as we went out to do our chores I realized that the ground was really frozen. I thought maybe I could get out the tractor and get a few more round bales from the field road where we store them. As we walked out there the ground seemed to be hard enough in its frozen grip that we didn't sink in the mud and I thought I could avoid the areas I knew where really wet when I took out the tractor.
As my partner ran to get a couple containers of gas in town I started the tractor, got it warmed up, and backed it out of the barn. As I drove out and down onto the field road all was great and the mud seemed to support the weight of our 2510 John Deere. When I was half way down the drive I went off the the west to avoid a really muddy area I had created on previous trips and in doing so hit some grass that was really wet under the surface but appeared to be solid in ice. All four tires went down into deep mud and I knew I was in trouble. It was at that moment that I had to make a decision as we all do in life. If I go backwards will the going get rougher or will I find my way out of this mess or do I take a risk and venture forward and see if I can find freedom from my dilemma. As I tried to backup I only created more of a rut, which made my situation worse, I had to go forward I had no choice but I was afraid. At that moment I remembered all the times in my own life experience when I found myself in a very similar situation, afraid to go back but equally afraid to move forward.
Whenever those times have presented themselves I have always trusted in myself, and my Divine guidance and moved forward so that is exactly what I did. As I put the tractor into gear I prayed as I have so many times before that I would be OK. I moved forward and instead of hitting more mud I came out of the ruts and hit dry ground, I turned the tractor in the other direction and thanked God for getting me out of this mess. Such is this life of ours.
Blessings, Steven
I certainly hope you are enjoying the slow progress of spring.
On Sunday morning as we went out to do our chores I realized that the ground was really frozen. I thought maybe I could get out the tractor and get a few more round bales from the field road where we store them. As we walked out there the ground seemed to be hard enough in its frozen grip that we didn't sink in the mud and I thought I could avoid the areas I knew where really wet when I took out the tractor.
As my partner ran to get a couple containers of gas in town I started the tractor, got it warmed up, and backed it out of the barn. As I drove out and down onto the field road all was great and the mud seemed to support the weight of our 2510 John Deere. When I was half way down the drive I went off the the west to avoid a really muddy area I had created on previous trips and in doing so hit some grass that was really wet under the surface but appeared to be solid in ice. All four tires went down into deep mud and I knew I was in trouble. It was at that moment that I had to make a decision as we all do in life. If I go backwards will the going get rougher or will I find my way out of this mess or do I take a risk and venture forward and see if I can find freedom from my dilemma. As I tried to backup I only created more of a rut, which made my situation worse, I had to go forward I had no choice but I was afraid. At that moment I remembered all the times in my own life experience when I found myself in a very similar situation, afraid to go back but equally afraid to move forward.
Whenever those times have presented themselves I have always trusted in myself, and my Divine guidance and moved forward so that is exactly what I did. As I put the tractor into gear I prayed as I have so many times before that I would be OK. I moved forward and instead of hitting more mud I came out of the ruts and hit dry ground, I turned the tractor in the other direction and thanked God for getting me out of this mess. Such is this life of ours.
Blessings, Steven
Monday, April 7, 2008
People who don't get it...
Hi Everyone,
This weekend was a lesson in non-judgement for me. I find myself being critical of others who say they are awake and open to spirit but to me it is clear that they have work to do within themselves and the ego dominated mind set. I often forget I was once in their shoes and probably in a much worse state of being then them. It became clear to me that we are all on the road to awareness but the path has many directions in which to follow. As I sat with a group of individuals who do work in the Healing Arts I came to realize that I must not judge them for their journey but assist them on it through the experience of sharing my own hardships and deep questioning. I guess I saw the Divine in others and realized they are no differant then me in there stories and journey. It is just that we are taught to judge first and ask questions later. We need to just take out the judgement and ask the questions. That is what I did and the answers open doors for everyone involved. Here is a passage that kind of makes my point, Enjoy.
Love Steven
People Who Don’t Get It, Compassion for All
You may be someone who understands the true nature of reality, perceiving deeply that we all emanate from the same source, that we are all essentially one, and that we are here on Earth to love one another. To understand this is to be awakened to the true nature of the self, and this understanding is a blessing. Nevertheless, people who just do not get it are seemingly everywhere and, often, occupy positions of power. It can be frustrating and painful to watch them behave unconsciously. We all encounter individuals such as this in our families, at work, and in all areas of public life. It is easy to find ourselves feeling intolerant of these people, wishing we could be free of them even though we know that separation from them is an illusion. It helps sometimes to think of us all as different parts of one psyche. Within our own hearts and minds we have dark places that need healing, just as the heart and mind of the world have their dark places. The health of the whole organism depends upon the relative health of the individuals within it. We increase harmony when we hold on to the light, not allowing it to be clouded by judgment, anger, and fear about those who behave unconsciously. It is easier to accomplish this if we don’t focus on the negative qualities of individuals and instead on how increasing our own light will increase that of the overall picture. When dealing with people who seem very unconscious, it helps to remember that everyone must find their own way to awakening, and that the experiences they are having are an essential part of their process. Holding them in the glow of our energy may be the best way to awaken theirs. At the same time, we are inspired by their example to look within and shed light on our own unconscious places, sacrificing the urge to judge and surrendering instead to humble self-inquiry.
This weekend was a lesson in non-judgement for me. I find myself being critical of others who say they are awake and open to spirit but to me it is clear that they have work to do within themselves and the ego dominated mind set. I often forget I was once in their shoes and probably in a much worse state of being then them. It became clear to me that we are all on the road to awareness but the path has many directions in which to follow. As I sat with a group of individuals who do work in the Healing Arts I came to realize that I must not judge them for their journey but assist them on it through the experience of sharing my own hardships and deep questioning. I guess I saw the Divine in others and realized they are no differant then me in there stories and journey. It is just that we are taught to judge first and ask questions later. We need to just take out the judgement and ask the questions. That is what I did and the answers open doors for everyone involved. Here is a passage that kind of makes my point, Enjoy.
Love Steven
People Who Don’t Get It, Compassion for All
You may be someone who understands the true nature of reality, perceiving deeply that we all emanate from the same source, that we are all essentially one, and that we are here on Earth to love one another. To understand this is to be awakened to the true nature of the self, and this understanding is a blessing. Nevertheless, people who just do not get it are seemingly everywhere and, often, occupy positions of power. It can be frustrating and painful to watch them behave unconsciously. We all encounter individuals such as this in our families, at work, and in all areas of public life. It is easy to find ourselves feeling intolerant of these people, wishing we could be free of them even though we know that separation from them is an illusion. It helps sometimes to think of us all as different parts of one psyche. Within our own hearts and minds we have dark places that need healing, just as the heart and mind of the world have their dark places. The health of the whole organism depends upon the relative health of the individuals within it. We increase harmony when we hold on to the light, not allowing it to be clouded by judgment, anger, and fear about those who behave unconsciously. It is easier to accomplish this if we don’t focus on the negative qualities of individuals and instead on how increasing our own light will increase that of the overall picture. When dealing with people who seem very unconscious, it helps to remember that everyone must find their own way to awakening, and that the experiences they are having are an essential part of their process. Holding them in the glow of our energy may be the best way to awaken theirs. At the same time, we are inspired by their example to look within and shed light on our own unconscious places, sacrificing the urge to judge and surrendering instead to humble self-inquiry.
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