Growing Faith in Every Season

There is something special about October at Kindred Acres.

The mornings begin to feel a little different. The air is cooler, the days are getting shorter, and even here in North Florida, there are little reminders that another season is beginning to change.

Out in the pasture, the cows are still doing what cows do—completely unconcerned with my schedule. The donkey is keeping watch, the goats are usually finding something they probably shouldn't be getting into, the pig is happily doing pig things, the chickens are busy, and there is always something somewhere on this farm that needs feeding, fixing, moving, cleaning, or tending.

Farm life has a way of keeping you humble. Just about the time you think you have everything under control, something breaks, an animal gets through a fence, or another project gets added to the list.

And maybe that is part of why I love it.

A Season of Change

This year has brought plenty of changes to Kindred Acres.

We have been working on organizing buildings, making room for new projects, moving things into storage, and slowly bringing some order to years' worth of accumulated farm and family treasures.

The Conex has become part of that plan, giving us room to store things properly so that some of our other buildings can finally become useful spaces again. The creative studio, kid kabin, and legacy library are all coming along as a result.

It isn't glamorous work.

Sometimes building a dream looks a whole lot less like a beautiful farmhouse photograph and a whole lot more like plastic totes, shelves, extension cords, dirt, sweat, and asking yourself, “Why in the world did I save this?”

But little by little, I can see Kindred Acres becoming what I have pictured in my heart for so long.

Not simply a farm.

A place for family.

A place where grandchildren can grow up knowing what it feels like to walk through a pasture, gather eggs, feed an animal, plant something in the ground, sit on a porch, and understand that good things usually require patience and work.

The Beauty of Small Beginnings

I have big dreams for Kindred Acres.

There are still plans for the farm stand. There are spaces I want to finish, things I want to grow, things I want to make, and plenty of ideas that haven't made it much farther than my notebook yet.

We are also slowly growing our herd, another little piece of the Kindred Acres dream beginning to take shape.

There is something hopeful about watching a herd grow and seeing new life in the pasture.

Those calves aren't simply another number on the farm. They represent growth, possibility, and something being built for the future.

I sometimes look across the pasture and think about what Kindred Acres might look like five years from now, or ten years from now. I think about my grandchildren and wonder which of them might someday love this land as much as I do.

The truth is, I already know that several of them do—and that is what keeps the dream alive.

The Bible tells us:

“A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children…” — Proverbs 13:22

I don't believe an inheritance is only about money or property.

I believe we leave our children and grandchildren an inheritance in the things we teach them, the memories we make with them, the traditions we pass down, the work we put our hands to, and most importantly, the faith we live out in front of them.

That is really what I want Kindred Acres to become.

Yes, I hope there is land here for them. I hope there are cattle in the pasture and a farm that continues long after me. But even more than that, I hope they inherit a love for family, an appreciation for honest work, a connection to the land, and a faith in God that carries them through every season of their own lives.

And then I remember that I don't have to build everything today.

God keeps reminding me not to despise small beginnings.

A farm isn't built in a day.

Neither is a legacy.

It is built one fence post, one seed, one calf, one meal around the table, one project, one prayer, and one ordinary day at a time.

Those ordinary days may not seem important while we're living them.

But I have lived long enough now to know that they often become the days we miss the most.

There Is a Season for Everything

Fall always makes me think about seasons—not only the ones on the calendar, but the seasons of our lives.

Some seasons are full of growth and excitement. Others require waiting. Some bring harvest, while others seem to involve nothing but planting seeds and trusting that something is happening beneath the soil.

And some seasons simply ask us to be faithful with what is right in front of us.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 says:

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.”

I don't always understand the season I'm in while I'm living through it.

I imagine most of us don't.

We want to know what comes next. We want answers. We want the entire plan laid out where we can see it.

But faith rarely works that way.

Sometimes God gives us enough light for only the next step.

And then He asks us to trust Him with the rest.

Gathering What Matters

Maybe that is one of the reasons I love fall so much.

Fall is a gathering season.

We gather crops. We prepare for cooler weather. We bring things in. We take stock of what we have.

And perhaps it is a good time to gather the things that matter in our lives, too.

Family.

Faith.

Gratitude.

Traditions.

Time together.

Those are the things I want Kindred Acres to be built around.

I want my grandchildren to remember more than a piece of property. I want them to remember sitting around a table together. I want them to remember animals in the pasture, dirt on their shoes, something good baking in the kitchen, laughter coming from another room, and knowing they belonged here.

Most of all, I want them to know the God who provided it all.

Looking Ahead

There is still plenty left to do around here.

Actually, if you saw my list, you might laugh.

But I'm learning that I don't have to finish the entire dream today.

I just need to keep moving forward.

So this fall, we'll keep working.

We'll keep organizing.

We'll keep tending animals.

We'll keep growing our herd.

We'll keep building.

We'll keep gathering around the table.

We'll keep dreaming about what Kindred Acres can become.

And we'll keep thanking God for what it already is.

Because sometimes, while we're busy looking toward the next thing, we forget that we are already standing inside prayers God answered years ago.

This land is one of those prayers.

This family is one of those blessings.

And this little farm—with all its unfinished projects, muddy boots, animals, grandchildren, laughter, work, and dreams—is part of a story that God is still writing.

So here's to a new season at Kindred Acres.

May we have the wisdom to recognize the blessings already around us, the courage to keep planting for tomorrow, and the faith to trust God with whatever the next season brings.

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” — Ecclesiastes 3:1

With love from the farm,

Cindy (Grandma)

Kindred Acres Farmstead