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rewriting life...

2/17/2017

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                                                                                                                            www.freeimages.co.uk

It sounds like an odd thing to say: rewriting life. In some sense, that's what the farm is all about. It's about taking the time to identify the things that make the heart sing...and the things that don't. It's about taking passions and backing them with purpose, making priorities out of dreams, and finding ways to give them life. 

Much of my life has been spent going where others have told me to go. I was a child of the military, with father and grandfathers serving in the US Army and Air Force. Once I began college, I thought the moving was over, at least until I found my somewhere to settle down. After college, I married and moved once more across the country. One child and several years later, I became a pastor in the United Methodist Church--I went from a settled life to an itinerant life once again. I actually have never lived in a house I chose for myself! In my half-century life, I've moved dozens of times, and assembled and broken down hundreds of cardboard boxes. I've cleared out for moving and organized new spaces more times than I can count. I've planted gardens and had to leave them behind--that, my dears, is heartbreaking.

The farm is a rewrite. 

The farm is my love of gardening, it is my love of creating beautiful places, it is my passion for creating wellness and wholeness and helping others find it for themselves. It is a place I can use my creativity and experiment with my imagination. It is a place to breathe deeply and reconnect with the earth and its elements.

Right now, it's a part-time vision, living alongside my full-time life. But I am learning to give voice to my vision and create my own future, and while it makes for long and busy days, it is turning into an amazing adventure! I'm meeting wonderful people, and designing all sorts of fun things with fun people. I'm plotting gardens and planning restorations and dreaming all sorts of wonderful new dreams.

Rewriting a life isn't about erasing what has gone before. Sure, there are chapters I would rather forget. There are mistakes made, mishaps survived, wrong paths considered and sometimes taken. I haven't been all I could have been, nor all I have wanted to be. But, all these things add up to who and where I am now. Rewriting my life means taking the lessons I've learned and applying them to the chapters still to be written.

The farm gets to be a lead character in these next few chapters. The gardens are unfolding in my head, with all the knowledge gleaned from gardens past. I know what I can plant and reasonably hope to survive. I know what plants I am a complete failure with, and I know all the things I am dying to try. The house, this lovely house, has all sorts of wonderful potential for us, for our children, for our (we hope) future grandchildren, for our friends, and for all the guests we hope will come our way. I can't wait to create the kitchen and restore the rooms--and to share it all with you along the way.

We are also working hard to create wonderful experiences to share with others who want to do some life-rewriting too--creating workshops and day-away opportunities for refreshing mind, body, and spirit. We are hoping to present three of these in 2017, not at the farm, but next door in a building currently better-suited for hosting groups-the former Presbyterian Mission Center. I can't wait to offer you this time and space away to focus on refining your dreams and creating the next chapters in your life.

​Keep watching our events page!
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wedding bells...

2/9/2017

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A wedding at the Farm!

On September 17, 2016 Alex Mackey married Justin Babcock, after seven years as sweethearts. Her parents are dear friends, and we've known Alex for years. It worked out that they got engaged just after we bought the farm and began working on it. Alex asked if they could be married here, we were thrilled to say yes, and with the offer of some help working on the barn, they settled on the date.

​It was so exciting!

We spent maaaany weekends all summer long sprucing up the barn, with Justin and Alex's help. Do not ask what kind of mess is involved in powerwashing out old stalls. Lots of dirt and cobwebs later, it looked much better. We rebuilt the stairs so they could make their grand entrance in the upstairs window, and made sure it was clean enough to set up food tables.

The day came with lots of sunshine, the tent went up, the food came in, and the bride and groom were married by her father under an arbor framing a beautiful view. So sweet!

My photos don't do it justice, but Erin Lane, their photographer, was fantastic; she gave me permission to link to their post on her blog. So here it is:

​https://erinlanephoto.wordpress.com/2016/10/14/hudson-valley-wedding-alex-justin/

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    Author

    Welcome! I'm Michelle, a gardener, a soul-tender, a wife, a mother and a pastor.
    Lavender Fields Farm has filled my imagination for years, and we are working to build this dream. I am passionate about people, community, gardening, and old houses, and the beauty and strength they represent. I am skilled at event planning and ceremony-crafting, and am trained in spiritual direction. I can create a ceremony for any milestone or transition in your life, and provide the place to observe it, whether by yourself or with a couple dozen friends. 

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