In my case the penny was really slow to drop. It was all a rush to get packing, and to get moving, and get to the farm so we could get going to fix everything. And so it was, on arrival we started to clean and fix everything. As soon as we opened our eyes, we couldn't wait to get going! And on a farm the work is never done, especially this one.
A couple of months in an my sister who lived in Pretoria then, came to visit. She fell head over heals in love with the farm! The majestic mountains, the clean air, the fresh water, the tranquility of nature sounds, sitting by the fire under the starry skies, the birds, the veld, the bush, the promise of peace.
It turns out that these are the same gifts we share with guests, gifts no human hand can fabricate. Sacred and created by a Master Crafter who calls people to His mountains. There are even more birds calls now, more wildlife, more cultivated nature blending in with the veld, supporting re-growth of natural habitat. Simply because there are a ton of more trees, more plants, more grass, more animal manure, and more life giving water relayed than before. Ag and don't forget the rains in the ongoing drought.
Insert the 'fix everything' part. Then a couple of years later, my sister sent the pictures she took on that first visit, that the double blink happened for me. Oi wey. What the hell did we think? I cried on the spot. When I look at those memories, I can't believe that we fell for that level of ugly, dirty, and paid for that broken-backwards. But I also can't remember looking at it then and thinking yuk, hou verby! But now, after redemption and restoration, now after revival, now after victory after victory, now it makes all sense. We didn't know how then, but now we can see.
Many MANY times i said, better we didn't know then what we know now, otherwise we would never have come here. However, then June 2023 came...
The kingdom of heaven is like something precious buried in a field, which a man found and hid again; then in his joy he goes and sells all he has and buys that field.
Again the kingdom of heaven is like a man who is a dealer in search of fine and precious pearls, who, on finding a single pearl of great price, went and sold all he had and bought it.
Without this faith-reality, I would still be holding true to better we didn't know. I would still be watering the garden with a G&T in both hands. Planting trees and gardens in an ongoing drought with not enough hands and water at the best of mornings. But after June 2023 I slowly started to understand that we risked everything and nearly lost everything, but then found something far more valuable than the farm itself. Mark and I found the single greatest pearl in the dust of the dry veld on our knees. We became a man who sold and bought all he had, to gain the most precious pearl of the greatest price...
