I have been an early riser all my life...... As soon as there is light, my body is awake and ready to move. Can't really tell you if this is due to a predisposition of physical make up or if this is simply in an born reaction to the life of a country girl.
What I can say, is that there is nothing in the world like the silence of the mornings when people are not yet stirring. I wander outside and listen to nature which is already in the midst of it's own awakening. I mean honestly, have you ever made it awake and out before your rooster does? Odds are not likely.
As I walk around our property, I enjoy the chickens as they scurry out from the safety of their coop and hurry to be the first to take the treats I am scattering. The goats are calling me to hurry and come spend time with them, preferably their morning ration in hand. The lgd's are scampering around begging for a pet as well as checking on all the critters with me. A stray - well really, can Bull even be called a stray any longer? - waits in the barn for breakfast. The rest of the dogs are all arguing over who gets out for play time first.
Yet even amongst the murmurings of the animals, there is such peace that just floods over me. A calmness that this is where I was created to be. During my life I have lived in many different situations and circumstances. I have walked many roads. Some of these roads where smooth and marked by love and some, well, they were more of a rocky crevice than a road and brought along their fair share of pain and hurt. Trailer parks, country homes, military bases, subdivisions, apartments, trailers: I have known them all.
I have been; the scruffy country girl climbing on hay bales and sitting on fences watching horses, the urban girl always stylish and enjoying the finer things, the military brat / military / and military wife, the mom in the suburbs making the rounds of soccer games, the AQHA rider / 3 day eventer / dressage queen / endurance rider / and trail riding guru, yet all these times - all these circumstances the ones that stand out the most and brought the most contentment were those marked by dirt.
You see, I am well and truly a country girl. Always have been, always will be. It is where my heart longs to be and my body finds satisfaction. I am a woman like others in that I enjoy things that sparkle ( could very well be the silver on my bridle ), I like dinner and wine, I like to dress up upon occasion, and love to catch the eye of my man. Nothing appeals to me more than a shadowed jaw, his hands rough from work, sweating together working under the rays of the sun, and knowing that his eyes are looking at mine from under his hat brim.
You may see me in town sometime, dirt on my jeans, dust on my face, hands rough, hay in my hair, face shining with sweat, but you know what? That is okay. I have learned that those things that radiate beauty are those things that reflect the Creator God. I have learned to appreciate and value that God has made me to be uniquely me. He loves me completely the way I am. The best gift I can give to the One who loves me so, is to surrender all that I am to Him and reflect Him in all that I do.
So I will treasure the dirt, the grass, the hay, the dust that seems to always follow me. I will put in an honest days work, follow Christ with all my heart, and seek His pleasure above all others.
Perhaps it is time that we as a nation and a unique people remember the basics of what is truly important in life. It is so simple. God, family, friends. Anything else is a blessing from the hand of the Almighty.
I pray that today finds your hands a bit dirty, sweat on your brow from honest work, your feet on a country path, and that your heart is full of the Father.
Boot prints and prayers to you all.....
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