Friday, April 27, 2012

Please Don't Let My Dreams Run Dry


My husband told me once
that this was the song he listened to while he was haying,
taking his swather for another round of cutting,
and his tractor another round for baling.
He and the lifestyle he has given us
are often inspiration for my art and photography.
You can listen to my man's song in another tab here: Amarillo Sky by Jason Aldean
as I give you a sneak peek at this piece I've been working on for the past month.



This ranch where we live and work
has been in his family for over 100 years.
His great grandfather came from Ireland
and homesteaded here on the prairie of western South Dakota.



It was a leap of faith for his great-grandfather
to come to America for a new life.

And a walk of faith for 
the next three generations.
Our kids will be the fourth generation.





walk of faith

and

a

way of

life.




A way of life.

Feeding the world.

To
feed
our
kids.



Layered into this piece
is an anonymous poem from a book
from the late 1800's

about a husband
working and waiting 
on the land
weary,
facing
doubts and fear,
and
drought
and

who cries out 

to 

God.

It could be the prayer of 
my husband,
his dad,
his brother,
his granddad,
my dad,
my Grandpa Tommy,
my brother,
my son Tommy 
in his future.

It is much like the Amarillo Sky prayer,

Please let my crops and children grow.
Lord, I never complain, I never ask "why",
Please don't let my dreams run dry . . . 


Today, as I work on this piece to honor our

walk
of 
faith

and

way
of 
life,

it

is

raining.

And the answer to the prayer
seems to come
in the words of Psalm 65:




You visit the earth and water it,
You greatly enrich it;
The river of God is full of water;
You provide their grain,
For so You have prepared it.
You water its ridges abundantly,
You settle its furrows;
You make it soft with showers,
You bless its growth.

You crown the year with Your goodness,
And Your paths drip with abundance.
Psalm 65:9-11



Grateful
for our way of life.

And for God.
Who is Faithful and True.
No matter what seasons and circumstances come upon us.



Additional inspiration this week came from
these links:
{Wonderful photography/art/message in these links}

~ We are grateful here at Shaw Ranch, Inc. for the opportunity 
that our kids have to work on our ranch. ~
~ They learn skills and work ethic and responsibility for life and for family. ~

This is the statistic that they shared:
97.2% of America's young farmers and ranchers
plan to farm and ranch for life.
90 % would like their children
to follow in their footsteps.

More Jason Aldean songs:  Fast and Fly Over States
When I first heard the lyrics to Fast,
I thought about how the thought of saying goodbye to the hardships
would be like saying goodbye to family . . . to our life.

And from Ann Voskamp, author of One Thousand Gifts
here is her Canadian heartfelt blog fitting this post's inspiration:

And last, but not least,
joining these bloggers
for sneak peeks into their inspirational spaces:
sneak peek

8 comments:

  1. A wonderful heritage indeed. Your photos sitting on the table look great and would be fantastic for cards too.

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  2. It's a heritage I understand, there is something about that connection to the earth that is grounding, stabilizing, renewing. You've said it so beautifully in words and art. May God bless the work of your hands and the dreams of you and your family.

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  3. oh!
    my heart reaches to wrap around this soft
    like warm bread around fresh eggsalad
    and I'm nourished through and through:)
    my glad soul thanks you much!
    beautiful, beautiful share,
    Jennifer

    ReplyDelete
  4. Very beautiful Jodene...simply perfect!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Beautiful Jodi, just beautiful! I used that same song to inspire a farming post last fall. Love it! The heart of farming families is something so special! Love this piece!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Soulful and beautiful...the very best way to describe your work, Jodi!! I always FEEL something when I see your work. Love it!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh sooooo beautiful is your creation and your heart Jodene!!! Such a touching creative piece.

    ♥Lee Ann

    ReplyDelete

Welcome ~ share your beautiful thoughts.