Lord, not just any front yard will do. It must be large, with big trees for a swing and seesaw. It must have lots of room for the kids to run and the dogs to play. The backyard must have room for porch sitting and grilling; A place where my kids can play without interruption and I can hear the birds. -Amen
“Kris, watch the kids for just a minute,” my sister asked, heading to the back room. “Okay, that’s no problem, I assured her.
My sister was visiting for a few days this summer. How hard could it be to keep up with five kids, five dogs, and a possible red Cardinal trying to enter the house?
Upon her return, she found Tyson crying in the laundry room, Charlotte standing in the hallway in wet panties, and me outside, rounding up the other kids running towards the shop. All was in perfect order.
As I returned to the house, I heard her say, “Is there an adult anywhere in this house?” My hair fell out of the ponytail, and my eyes showed the events that had happened so quickly.
We had retrieved a large mouse out of the pool. I didn’t know he was there until I grabbed the life jacket from the pool. Apparently, he tucked in under one of the arms to remain alive. I about fell in the pool myself at the sight! I threw the skimmer, screaming! I told the kids, “I will stand on the porch until you get it gone! You’re on your own!” They laughed at how timid I was towards such a small creature. I don’t care. They are disgusting, and I find the highest point to climb when I see one (you can laugh now).
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Earlier this spring, a lady drove down our road and saw my kids playing in the front yard. I was working in the flowerbeds and pushing Tyson across the yard, unaware of her view. She called her daughter to tell her about the enjoyable sight she had witnessed. “It was beautiful she said. She worked without a care while her kids and the dogs played.” Her daughter laughed and told her she knew the house and family personally. Later that week, she shared how the sight greatly blessed her mother.
Where else can I hear the music of my work and the gentle hum of my children at play? In my front yard, I can be found knee-deep in the icy February creek water, wearing my good running shoes and sweats, tearing dogs apart from their latest misunderstanding. I am certain people drive down our road just to see what kind of fix I have gotten myself into that day.
In the latest battle, I watched my sister barrel towards the creek in the pouring rain, wielding an umbrella and screaming, “LOLA!” I came out the front door onto the porch with the little ones to witness the scene. I ran across the front yard and slid in the mud just in time to grab Lola and hold her while my sister went and took Penny to the shop.
Penny, a female golden retriever, has a mischievous side. She will antagonize the female Shepherd, Lola, who is twice her size until she pokes the bear one too many times, and then Penny cries for mercy. My sister let me know once again that she wasn’t coming back. She says she doesn’t have enough time or crayons to deal with all the shenanigans when she visits.
Fight for your kids, fight for their play, fight for childhood. Don’t let anyone steal it from you. Find your people and keep them close.
– Stacie Newton
I was once asked what wins I see in my family each day. I thought about it for a while and settled on, “Our bookshelves are full of stories that have taken us to many faraway places, and my children see the goodness of God each day, and that happens in my own front yard.”
Calls will come in, activities will vie for our time, and reasons to leave will seem inescapable, but front yard convictions must run deeper.
Visiting with my neighbor over our rail fence one afternoon, she said, “Sometimes when I am working in my garden, I can hear the echoes of your kids squealing while they play outside or splash in the pool. It is exactly the sounds this house needed. It’s wonderful.”
“So, what do you want to do while you visit, Brit?” “Oh, just stay around your place and let the kids play,” she said. It’s supposed to be raining all week,” I stated. “There’s no better time to swim or play in the creek than while it rains,” she rebutted. I quickly added, “Otherwise, we would miss the adventures.”
Let the field be joyful, and all that is in it. Then all the trees of the woods will rejoice before the Lord. Psalms 96:12
