How it looks...

When five children and I moved out here to the hills between Blanco and Luckenbach, a new and different ‘father,’ a different home, and a very different way of life were unwanted challenges for a group of children and teens who had never known country living and who, until then, had only ever lived in modern suburbia. If giving directions to the house, they’d tell friends what exit to take from the freeway, along with the name of the subdivision where we lived. Things are different now. When friends come for the first time to visit our little-old home in the hills, they’re told the number of miles beyond an intersection to travel down a road past the last identifiable, manmade structure, along with the number of cattleguards to cross, after the turn. (It’s better to follow someone who’s been here before.) At first, the kids were very unhappy. Those who could communicate it best, said they felt as if everything previously identified as a marker for success in life was gone. What was left in its place, was nothing but “miles and miles of nothing,” with animals, a creek, and a small house that wasn’t the sort to which they were accustomed. Not long after we moved in, one of my teenage girls said, “This place is depressing.” That same daughter, now all grown up, recently said she has been many places, but no place has she been that’s more peaceful than our home. She feels safety here; she feels love. Some of the other young adult children have said they want their own kids to grow up in a home like the one we have here. The “miles and miles of nothing,” have engendered, over time, a feeling of being “sorry for people who only have a swimming pool.” She who said that, now prefers to swim in the creek; appreciating its natural character and beauty, and the cool, chemical-free water. Over time, as we change and grow; as our perspective changes, the world changes for us, too. What my kids once hated; they now love. What they once considered an old shack in the middle of nowhere; they now consider a happy, comfortable home, safely nestled away in the protective shelter of the hills. He who was once a stranger has become a trusted leader, provider, protector and friend; now, he’s their “Papa.” Soon, we’ll all look back and realize our perspective changed, as we grew and changed in the process of living. Let’s not wait until the end to find goodness and beauty in difficult times. Embrace each challenge with hope and courage, and wherever you’re headed, you’ll find your journey feels more worth the effort.

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