Rural Reflections

This is my dear friend Shelly's tractor. Actually, it's her husband's. He uses it to mow the pasture land just west of our property line where they hope to build a house one day.

When I asked her if I could take some pictures of it, she was embarrassed because of its age and condition. But I love the old farm implements. They remind me of my own happy childhood days of life on a farm. I like the lines and shapes, and the experience and adventures of its past give it charm and character.

People are like that, too. When we are young, we tend to be drawn to a pretty face and the unblemished perfections of one who has just set out on their life's journey. Then as we age, such beauty blends together in a kind of cookie-cutter familiarity and loses its fascination if there isn't substance beneath it.

I love the tried and the true; the comfort of a loving and lovely heart. There is wisdom and strength in miles traveled, and beauty and grace finds a deeper place as time goes by.

May we all live our lives so that others find comfort in our presence, trust in our abilities and a peace-filled joy at the end of our days.