Thursday 27 February 2014

Old barns and old people . . .



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 A stranger came by the other day
with an offer that set me to thinking.
He wanted to buy the old barn that sits out by the highway.
I told him right off he was crazy.
He was a city type, you could tell by his clothes,
his car, his hands, and the way he talked.
He said he was driving by and
saw that beautiful barn sitting out in the tall grass
and wanted to know if it was for sale.
I told him he had a funny idea of beauty.


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 Sure, it was a handsome building in its day.
But then, there's been
a lot of winters pass
with their snow and ice and howling wind.
 The summer sun's beat down on that old barn
'til all the paint's gone,
and the wood has turned silver gray.
 Now the old building leans a good deal,
 looking kind of tired.
Yet, that fellow called it beautiful.

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 That set me to thinking.
 I walked out to the field and just stood
there, gazing at that old barn.
The stranger said he planned
to use the lumber to line the walls of his den
in a new country home he's building down the road.
He said you couldn't get paint that beautiful.
Only years of standing in the weather,
 bearing the storms and scorching sun,
only that can produce beautiful barn wood.


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It came to me then.
We're a lot like that, you and I.
Only it's on the inside that the beauty grows with us.
Sure we turn silver, gray too...
and lean a bit more than we did
when we were young and full of sap.
 But the Good Lord knows what He's doing.
And as the years pass
He's busy using the hard weather of our lives,
the dry spells and the stormy seasons
to do a job of beautifying our souls
that nothing else can produce.
And to think how often folks holler
because they want life easy . . .

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They took the old barn down today
and hauled it away to beautify a rich man's house.
And I reckon someday you and I'll be hauled off to Heaven
to take on whatever chores the Good Lord has for us
on the Great Sky Ranch.
And I suspect we'll be more beautiful then
for the seasons we've been through here . . .
and just maybe even add a bit of beauty to our Father's house.
~Red Johnson

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I have always loved old barns, and when I found this I just had to share with you.   There is a lot of beauty to be found in something or someone whose been around the block a few times.   Yesterday I remarked to my hairdresser as she was cutting my hair that I seem to look more grey each time I get it cut . . . but that's okay with me.   I rather like it that way.  It shows that I've lived, and I'm not a very vain person anyways.  Being the me that I am is just fine. 

A thought to carry with you through today . . .


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"Do not think that love in order to be genuine 
has to be extraordinary. What we need is to love 
without getting tired. Be faithful in small things
because it is in them that your strength lies."
~Mother Teresa


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Cooking in The English Kitchen today . . . Hawaiian Hots!  Scrumptious! 

Have a great Thursday! 
 
 

6 comments:

  1. what a lovely poem/story that is Marie, and so true...glad you got your hair done yesterday...i was just saying to Mary the other day that my hair is getting so white after every wash !!! odd is'nt it...
    hope you have a good day. looks as though our Lura is a bit better this morning..thanks to all the praers that are surrounding her i'm sure xxxx

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  2. Marie hair is never grey. You have grown angel hairs according to my Bethany.

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  3. There is a lot of beauty in those old barns and think what tales they could tell. Some are afraid of age and do what they can to look younger, but I'm not ashamed of my gray hair either. It has more white than brown in it anymore.

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  4. I love old barns..old people..Just feel a bit sad that one lives so long ..endures usp and downs..gets through them..and then in a lot of cases ill health befalls..To me..there should be less pain in old age..

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  5. This is delightful, Marie. I doubt I'll ever look at an old barn in the same way again. Love your new look here. Very nice. Hope you and the Toddster are doing very well. Jim is in agony with his hip. No surgery time until May or June. But he keeps on trucking on won't stop for pain. His workshop is almost completed. I have been working a lot and busying myself while he has been fully engaged in his project for forever. Between you and me it is getting old. As old as an old barn like me.

    Love to you...Bonnie

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  6. Oh Marie, I loved this post. I love old barns and we have taken some great pictures of them. I often think about the stories those barns could tell. As a child I loved to play out in my Uncle's barn; fond memories of playing
    cowboys and Indians. I loved your thoughts too.
    Blessings dear friend~

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