Trusting God

We were created for community.

We were never meant to do life alone. You need your people and they need you. God is always having to remind me of this fact. I tend to be the one who takes charge and pushes until the project is done with the mindset that “if you want something done right, do it yourself.”

This week I was reminded that I can do it myself but it’s a lot harder, takes a lot longer and is definitely not as much fun as when you have your people come along side you.

This was the week to move the chickens. This would be an easy project, right? There were a few big items still at the old house and in my daughters way, like a twin bed and trundle, my washer and dryer, and of course the chickens who have been entertaining themselves the past couple weeks by finding new ways to escape their enclosure and visit the neighbors. My daughter and son-in-law were getting weary of chasing them down multiple times a day so Monday was moving day.

I truly wish I had had the foresight to have someone recording or taking pictures of us chasing the chickens around the enclosure trying to get them secured into crates. This is where some of our people come in. We are very very blessed with a group of friends that are family to us. Our friend Rick volunteered to help catch the chickens and disassemble the enclosure and help Eddie load it onto the trailer. So please try and picture this. Eddie has a net, Rick has chicken feed, and I am trying to sweet talk them into just letting me pick them up. They caught onto us pretty quickly and the chase was on. To make things even better, we have had quite a bit of snow and rain this past week so the ground was muddy which made keeping our footing a bit difficult. As each chicken was caught, our sweet neighbor Mike, would open the gate so we could place it in the crate. This entire process took a while but we all laughed so hard which made it sweet memory.

Without Rick and Mike, Eddie and I might still be out there trying to catch those crazy chickens. I am very grateful for them.

Tuesday, Eddie drove back to town to help our daughter and her husband move some things out of storage as well as their washer and dryer into the house. That would have left me home alone to fix a temporary place to house my chickens until we can get our barn built. I had messaged my sweet friend Marie, Monday night to see if she wanted to help. She showed bright and early Tuesday morning, ready to work. We began the day in short sleeves with a warm breeze and finished in a cold, driving rain. We were soaked to the bone, freezing cold, and exhausted, but we finished. My poor chickens would still be living in their crates if Marie hadn’t shown up to help. I could not have accomplished this task on my own and I am very grateful for her.

I am left with this reality. On our road to “self sufficiency”, I realize, there is no such thing. One can survive for a time alone, but in order to thrive, you need community. You need your people.

I pray that as you begin this new year and a maybe a new adventure of your own, that you recognize who your people are and let them know how much they mean to you. If you are that person that is trying to do it alone, I want to encourage you to find your people to do life with. Trust me, it makes the journey fun when you share it with people you love and think of all the memories you’ll make.

BEFORE: This is an out building we already had in our back yard.

AFTER: Safe, secure chickens.