A long overdue thank you.

Just this afternoon, I caught myself doing it again; I was feeling like we should have better __________, nicer ___________, more ___________. It’s toxic.

Whenever I travel down that rabbit hole, I try to turn to gratitude. By far, the greatest blessing in our lives is our friends and family, and we owe a multitude of people endless thank yous. We truly wouldn’t be where we are without a whole heap of help. I think this post is far overdue, but it’s better late than never.

My parents. Not only did we invade their home for two years, but then they spent their entire summer helping us clean, paint, pull weeds, tear down buildings, and move furniture. They dedicated nearly every weekend to the farm, working in the sun and without air-conditioning. They sprung for supplies, repairs, and fast food lunches; they ran errands, and offered wisdom and commiseration.

David’s parents. They shared resources and contacts, offered advice and funds. They spent days pulling weeds and cleaning gutters. They cleaned and painted and delivered home-cooked deliciousness straight to our door. They allowed us to stumble through their own door after dark, sweaty and exhausted, and always greeted us with dinner and a listening ear.

My grandma. Aside from her infectious interest and excitement, she graciously shared profits from the partial sale of the family farm, which allowed us to fund the purchase of our tractor.

David’s siblings and their spouses. They pulled wallpaper and weeds. They painted rooms and hung cabinet doors, power-washed shutters and mowed the lawn, took down buildings and assembled furniture. They loaded and unloaded all of our belongings, unpacked boxes, arrived early in the morning and stayed until dark. They made sure we never stopped laughing, which I consider to be the only reason I kept (most of) my sanity.

David’s Gettysburg family network. They shared their time, talents, resources, supplies, and enthusiastic support. What a blessing that’s been!

You. Your support, enthusiasm, and encouragement keep us going. When you ask about the farm, or read a post, or tell us not to give up…well, then we don’t. So, thank you.

To everyone, thank you.