Gifts from afar

I have always enjoyed receiving mail (personal, not junk mail or bills –  just to be clear! Ha!)  I think it began when I was a small girl; a cousin and I would exchange letters and care packages, and  I have fond memories of my mom reading me these letters and then dictating a response to her.

As I got a little older, there was a program on PBS called, “Big Blue Marble” (there I go, dating myself again), which not only had fascinating content that expanded my world view, it  had a pen pal club!! I was paired with two separate pen pals: Leah Nape, from Scranton, PA and Kathy Lee O’Connell, from Kissimmee, FL. Sadly, by the end of my teen years, I had lost touch with both young ladies, but I often wonder what became of them – I hope they have had happy lives!

Anyway, recently, fellow homesteaders took interest in our new adventure and sent some gifts; as you can imagine, I was over the moon!  (… something other than bills is always a blessing, right?)  This time our friends at Muller’s Lane Farm sent us some onion and garlic sets, heirloom vegetable seeds, soap AND Hollyhock seeds from Will Rogers’ homestead!

The reason I am sharing this is two fold:

One…

As those with information, we need to be sharing it with others.

Our grandparents and great grandparents knew how to survive difficult times. They knew how to garden and preserve food and use herbs for healing and good health… AND this wasn’t anything they learned at some school or paid to be “certified” in.  I don’t want to negate the benefit of a formal education, I do, however, want to remind us we have an obligation to share and teach, without any reward, monetary or otherwise.

The more of us who commit this critical knowledge to heart and mind, the better off we will all be.  There may come a time when we aren’t in a condition to treat ourselves or our families… what then?  If we haven’t shared this knowledge with those close to us or with those who show an interest or aptitude, we do ourselves and others a great disservice.

Two…

When we invest in the lives of others, we are giving them more than knowledge – we are giving them a part of ourselves, and with that comes the understanding they are valuable enough for us to do so.

Cyndi Muller, at Muller’s Lane Farm has been such a blessing – her interest in our new endeavor and willingness to teach and share, has been such an encouragement – the best way for me to show my appreciation, is to do the same for others.

Knowledge is a gift… one that should be given freely.

So, if you ever want to send me some mail, I’d love to hear from you – and I’ll even write back!  …maybe we could start a Homesteader Pen Pal Club… 😉

 

 

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Content and Photos by Misty Meadows Homestead and S.Lago © All Rights Reserved

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