I Guess I Am Saying Thank-You :)

It seems like there is so much to worry about lately. You know the things, a messy yard, lack of feed, not enough moisture, too much moisture, boots with holes in them, that tick that your truck(or car) has, etc. you get the point. I often just want to stay home and sip on a cup of coffee and hide.

Give me a break, I know you want to too! Even if you prefer tea, it’s the same thing!

As I sit here trying to figure out how to appease the folks of today with content(that’s the fancy word for anything folks find entertaining on the internet) that catches their attention (which just feels like one more thing to worry about), I wish for times of “back when”, when my worries were few, and easily cared for. As my mother so graciously reminded me the other day, “Remember when you were a kid, what did you worry about? Your mom and dad took care of things.”

She’s right, and that resonates with me. So that’s where I’ll start.

I took a stroll through the store to find something of inspiration, and I stopped in the gift room where the Bernie Brown pieces were displayed. And I started to wonder, what is it about his art work that gets me, that gets so many of us?

It evokes something of nostalgia, his ability to transport us back to when things seemed simpler. He captures moments of our childhood. Moments that we remember, from the peaceful perspective we remember them in; care-free, living in the “right now” instead of trying to escape it. The way that he incorporates children lost in wonder, individuals lost in work that doesn’t bring instant satisfaction and fame, scenery that has you lost and removed from the hustle and bustle mentally. Moments that make us pause.

And maybe that’s all we need, is a moment to pause.

Part of what I love about working in the shop, is that there is so much that reminds me of those moments. And the people that walk through our doors seem to have a more spoken appreciation for them. Indulging in the moments that shaped them into who they are today. When it seems society is all about forgetting the past and moving faster into the future, and some of us just want to ease on down the road. You, yes you my people, you remind me to savor time, using memories of the past as a springboard into the future.

And for that I am grateful this Thanksgiving weekend. You are the reason we keep going here at Stone Creek. You are our inspiration. The way you continue to love the things you love, even when they seem against the norm, some might say out dated. Because we love what you love! We love keeping animals that are no longer used as a mode of transportation and have long since been replaced, we love wearing outfits that don't appear on any European runway, listening to music filled with twang, knowing where our food actually comes from , cooking over the fire and the smell of leather. Thank-you for staying true to who you are, true to your roots!

And back to what my mother told me, “Remember when you were a kid, what did you worry about? Your mom and dad took care of things.” She expanded, “Let your Heavenly Father take care of things for you.”

So be nostalgic with me this weekend. Think about those times you had with the people you love, worry a little less about THAT thing. Please sip your coffee.  And let’s embrace the moments we are in, creating more memories.

And would you look at that, here’s a little nugget for you to read, and no amount of worry helped write it :)

Happy Thanksgiving!