The Secret

Growing up in a moderate home and being surrounded by the expanding city of wealth and abundance, I struggled to find balance in a place that I did not belong.
In my later years, we moved to the country where I embraced and marveled at the open fields and country roads. I reconnected with the people and the lifestyle of my ancestors. Throughout my journey, I have come to realize that even in the times that were scant, I have learned skills that have brought about depth and character. The blessings have included; learning to plant a garden, raising and butchering an animal for our yearly provision, grinding wheat and turning it into a loaf of bread, milking a cow and turning it's cream into homemade butter, heating our home with fire wood, taking raw fleece and spinning it into yarn and the list goes on... For some, this seems backwards or even an impoverished lifestyle but like the manna provided in the wilderness, there is abundance with less. There is joy when you are in need and learn to embrace His secret of contentment. There is depth as He refines us to completion in all of life's circumstances.

Philippians 4:12-13
12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength. (KJV)