Thoughts From a Tractor Ride

So I don’t usually wax philosophical on here, but since it is the start of a New Year I thought this post would at least blend in with its surroundings.

This is a picture of my son, husband, and husband’s cousin on a tractor ride. It was my son’s first tractor ride and to say he was mesmerized is an understatement. I too went for a tractor ride and I have to admit, country ladies, that it was my first ride on a big tractor like that. I got to thinking, gosh, I’m not country at all, this being my first tractor ride. But then that got me to thinking, that can’t be true!  I am country, just like all of you all reading this are country. Because it doesn’t matter where you grew up or where you live now, but what matters is what is in your heart. So whether you are rocking your cowboy boots in New York City’s Upper East Side or you’re sipping a sangria on Texas’ Galveston coast, you are country to me and I thank you for being a part of this community we are creating with this blog and Facebook page.

That got me to thinking too. The New Year is all about resolutions. And while I do want to live a healthier lifestyle and lose my baby weight (with my baby at age 2 I am not sure what to call it- toddler weight?) I am being led to a resolution and life change this year that is deeper than that.  So this year I am resolving to be kind.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not going around being mean to people, but I do find that in the busyness of life I don’t stop and take a moment to engage people as much as I could. Or sometimes things slip out by accident and without me thinking that come across hurtful and that’s the last thing I intend to do. This doesn’t mean I am going to walk around with a big smile in a bad neighborhood in the middle of the night, I will keep safety in mind, but at the grocery store- I may just ask the clerk next time what her favorite Christmas dish is to cook or if she even likes to cook. And I will definitely make the utmost effort to think before I speak— my mom used to tell me “Loose lips sink ships” and she is right. Oh how many ships I have accidentally sunk and I wish I could right them again.

In the past, when I have had mutual tension with others I stop and wonder, why was I so upset? And why was he or she so upset with me?  The fact of the matter is, we all have little or big bags of hurt we carry around with us.  It doesn’t really matter what the size of that bag is for us, at any particular moment in time that bag could carry the weight of the world with it.  And we all know life is too short to let that bag get the better of us.  As a Christian I find healing through God and the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus.   Our children are growing up in a world where war and other horrible things, whether they are acutely aware of them or not, are a part of their daily lives. Depending on their age, that may be all they know as “normal”. I grieve for our children. And as small as one little act of kindness may be, maybe it is the naive little girl in me or hopefully it is Jesus Himself telling me that all those small acts could and will add up to a world of difference.

So there you have it- a peek inside my mind and heart. If I had the courage to actually post this, and if you have read this far, I would love to hear what your resolutions are, big and small, they all are important to me. Thank you again for being you, and for helping add a little country to your corner of the world. Happy New Year y’all!