Hopes, dreams and plans

Recently, in my firewood post, I mentioned not having enough firewood to last us for the winter because we had hoped to move.  A number of people inquired what had prompted us to want to move and were really quite concerned that we, perhaps, were moving somewhere that wouldn't quite fit our preparedness lifestyle.  That is oh, so not the case!

When Sir Knight and I moved into our Little Shouse on the Prairie, we intended to make this our home forever.  We had three children and great plans of building a house in a year.  Then, life happened.  Nothing worked quite the way we had it planned (which, we have found, is most often the case).  Electricity was too expense for us to have installed, so we lived with no electricity at all for a year and a half.  We spent so much time and energy in day to day living that a year got away from us, and no house had been built.  Rather than take on a building project, we reveled in every little victory, such as drains and cold running water.  We were so busy homeschooling, gardening, milking a cow and trying to raise wholesome children, that the years got away from us.  Soon, rather than three children, we had squeezed five wonderful children into our 300 square foot loft.

Miss Calamity shares her "room"
with Princess Dragon Snack and....

Master Calvin (who is really too big
for his portable crib - but it is
all that we have room for!)

Years went by, improvements were made.  Our desire to become debt free outweighed our desire to build a house.  We became "permanent" shouse dwellers.  Our children grew older (as we had younger children to keep us on our toes) and we began to notice that something was missing.  As I busily went about my daily duties, I began to notice that Master Hand Grenade, as soon as he was done with school, was just kicking around.  Even though we live in the country, there are only so many things a young man can do without the help and supervision of an older, wiser man.  Sir Knight was gone at work every day.  Master Hand Grenade would get the wood in, feed the animals, do whatever chores I needed him for and then he would kick around until his dad got home.  What he really wanted to do was work on the car or saw logs or run the tractor - but he needed his dad.  Master Hand Grenade was getting lazy.  I didn't have anything for him to do.

Sir Knight and I began to talk about how to remedy our situation.  Now, not only did we have Master Hand Grenade to consider, we also had another MIT (man in training) in the form of Master Calvin.  We talked about finding a Godly man that could apprentice Master Hand Grenade.  We discussed many options, but none of them panned out.  We still had a problem.  And then, we knew the answer.

The answer, and the real desire of our heart, was to move.  The more we talked about what we wanted for our family, the more we realized what we wanted, what we needed, was to move back to the small town that I grew up in, and live in close proximity to my parents.

My parents are wonderful, godly people.  My dad is the man to disciple our sons while my husband is at work.  My mom has the desire to teach her grandchildren about our great God.  Sir Knight and I and our children would benefit from their wisdom.  And they would thrive with all their children close.  We could help them with jobs too big for them to tackle by themselves.  I miss home.  My heart longs for home.

Our family prepares.  My parents prepare.  There is strength in numbers.  God is good.  He will do with us as he pleases.  We are waiting on Him.  Our home is beautiful and I am thankful that we live in this wonderful place.  We have been blessed with tremendous friends and neighbors.  We are content to live here, if that is what God has for us - but home calls to me and to Sir Knight and to our children.  They start every sentence with "when we move...."

Maid Elizabeth and I often break into song.....


The Song of Exile


Land of bear and land of eagle 
Land that gave us birth and blessing 
Land that called us ever homewards 


We will go home across the mountains 
We will go home, we will go home 
We will go home across the mountains 
We will go home, we will go home 
We will go home across the mountains 

Land of freedom land of heroes 
Land that gave us hope and memories 
Hear our singing hear our longing 


We will go home across the mountains 
We will go home, we will go home 
We will go home across the mountains 
We will go home, we will go home 
We will go home across the mountains 

Land of sun and land of moonlight 
Land that gave us joy and sorrow 
Land that gave us love and laughter 


We will go home across the mountains 
We will go home, we will go home 
We will go home across the mountains 
We will go home, we will go home 
We will go home across the mountains 

When the land is there before us 
We have gone home across the mountains 
We will go home, we will go home 
We will go home across the mountains 


And, yes, home for me is in the mountains.  If God wills it, we will go home across the mountains.