Between Walnut Grove and Europe

Lately my daughter has been watching a lot of the old TV show, "Little House on the Prairie" as well as the American Girl movies, of which "Samantha" is my favorite. It is set in 1904, a very simple, seemingly elegant (if you were rich!) time. The thoughts of the "good ol' days" and simpler times is so appealing in the midst of the stress, clutter, and activity that we tend to live in these days.



As I contemplate having another chance to rock a baby to sleep again, I envision myself slowing down to a Little House pace. I want to have more home-made meals and bake more cookies for my family; I want to learn to live more frugally as we'll be missing the little salary that I will give up; and I want to invest time into my family instead of having to rush off the work and deal with other people's problems all day. I want my home to be that safe, clean(?), organized(?), clutter-free, happy place for my family to come to after a long day at school. I want to be a true homebody!

And yet, I know that the ideal will not be as easy or as perfect as I anticipate it in my dreams. I realize I do have some wanderlust tendencies - and that my materialist side will want to beg to go out to eat somewhere fancy once in a while! And I'll need to get to a big city outside of Middle-of-No-Where, Missouri every so often. Escape from the mundane routines. I'll need to go SHOPPING - if just window shopping - every so often with my girlfriends and just get out of town. My life will not be a 1 hour tv show where I'll know what to say and do all the time. My house will get dirty and disorganized - and I'll be tired and cranky sometimes.

Occasionally I start thinking about some things that my life used to be - living in Europe and on the East and West Coasts and Texas while we were in the Army. It is enough to make me want to get on an airplane and head to somewhere far away! The thoughts are totally opposite of the homebody homemaker I need to become. I wonder what it would be like to show my children the OCEAN and watch them play in the waves and sand. I haven't seen a beach in years, although up until 7 years ago, beaches and oceans were always within short driving distances from where we lived. I would love to not just tell my children about history but to SHOW them the rich history of Europe and other areas of this country. There are so many interesting places, foods, and people out there to see and experience! That is in complete disagreement with the simple life mind set, isn't it!!?

And yet, I'm content to live simpler - and just talk about and read about the exciting places. I am just struck by the contrast of my heart when I start thinking about how different my life now is! My children are growing up so differently than I did - going to Germany each summer to stay with my grandparents and then traveling so extensively with Dan after we were married. And yet, life is GOOD as it is!! As I get older, my view becomes more "eternal." It is wonderful that God created a magnificent planet with so much to explore and allowed humanity to develop through History! But for me, for now, the time I invest in my family, my church, and my neighbors is worth more in the light of eternity. Perhaps my children will see Europe or the ocean some day -and if they do, that will be terrific ... but for now, we will enjoy the simple days, the joy of watching a baby grow, and the blessings the Lord gives us each day right here in the Middle-of-No-Where, Missouri. :)