Roots.
Within a 5 mile radius of my cute little farmhouse there are literally 36 chicken houses (that I know of.) In each of those chicken houses there are 10s of 1,000s of chickens. So let's just say I am a neighbor to almost a million chickens.
We live right in the middle of farm country.
Our two oldest boys, Briley and Jonah, and I have lived on the farm since 2010. Prior to that we lived in a neighborhood. With neighbors of the more human variety,
Prior to that, as in when I was their ages, I lived here, there, everywhere. I went to 12 different schools in 2 different states. Once I switched schools three times in one year. Briefly I changed my name in the 9th grade, because hey, no one knew any better. We lived a little like gypsies.
And there is a place in this world for gypsies. I learned to be friendly even when I was nervous and knew no one, I learned to always sit next to the new-new kid and any one that felt left out, I learned that fresh starts are *always* a possibility.
But for my children, I love the steady pace of farm life. The consistency of it. It may be consistently hard or consistently trying at times but it's consistently worth it. I can see their roots growing strong and deep.
That old saying about you can't have roots and wings? Some of us are lucky enough to start with wings and then take root in the most beautiful places.
And that place for me is this farm.
