10 Comments

Your words captured Farmer Crans in a way that made my heart slow down. I finished his story with a little smile on my face, feeling so lucky to have gotten to read about him this morning. What a gem. Thank you for sharing a little bit of him with us.

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Well, now I want to move to Michigan to come see Mr. Crans and buy his tomatoes.

Beauty and Goodness... My 22 year old daughter just moved back home after a breakup and to start a new job. While she was off at college, we got a black rescue cat who is very shy and nervous. Being an animal lover, she was so afraid that Ellis wouldn't like her. From the day the child moved home, they have been inseparable. The interaction between them has been a joy to see. Truly beauty and goodness. It's always in the little things, isn't it?

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I loved reading about John Crans. My favorite quoted line from him: "If you don’t like me and my stances, well, wahoo.”

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Beauty and Goodness ~ We recently had to put down our 17-year-old Black Dog. On the same day, a friend realized that her elderly mother could not care for her dog. We met Daisy two days later and brought her home the next day. We weren't planning on another dog right away. We weren't wanting a small dog (we've always had larger dogs and Daisy is 15 pounds). We didn't expect to bond quickly - but we have. Turns out, a cheerful, bouncy, toy-loving, excessively whiney, thrice rescued mutt is something we never expected or wanted and always needed. BEAUTY AND GOODNESS.

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Beauty and Goodness ~ The sunset I captured while driving in the mountains last evening was not the one I hoped for. But as I looked at the photo, I realized that even the most ordinary sunset is spectacular!

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I found beauty and goodness in a tree which stands by the side of a road near a neighborhood park. I doubt anybody notices it, not even the people whose house it stands near to. Its trunk is covered with burls and some of its branches have been broken off. But it's still standing, still beautiful and green, still here. It reminds me of all of us, we have scars from life experiences, but we're still here, still growing, still beautiful in God's view ❤

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Aug 29, 2022·edited Aug 29, 2022

My husband and I moved to Spain from South Africa recently and we have been in temporary accommodation for a couple of months. We have just moved into a new flat that will be ours for at least a year and, while everything is chaotic, we are deriving a lot of joy from finding places for things to go and imagining all the ways we are going to make this place home.

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I enjoyed hearing about Mr Crans and how he lives what he believes. Thank you for sharing. I was able to work from home during the pandemic and even now am working from home three days a week. Except for high summer when the sun is up before I am, I have enjoyed watching the sunrise and drinking my first cup of coffee for the day. Since my morning commute is just a few steps, I am able to have time to read, listen to the birds singing and enjoy the feeling of a new beginning. I am always amazed at the joy I feel just by watching the sunrise. It reminds me that God's mercies are new each day.

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Beauty and Goodness - I work in the 12 month old classroom in an inclusive preschool. The start of the school year is incredibly hard for these covid babies. But we are starting to turn a corner. Every time they reach for one of us or smile and laugh, I am reminded that the difficult times don't last forever and it is so so so worth it.

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I’ve been overwhelmed with the beauty & goodness of watching 18 black swallowtail caterpillars go into chrysalis stage and then hatch into some of the most gorgeous butterflies I’ve ever seen. I transferred the caterpillars from my parsley plants into a large dry aquarium after watching the birds and lizards eat the first batch of caterpillars like Doritos. I’m aware that now that I’m in my 50’s my heart is engaged in this process in a way it never has been in other seasons of my life when witnessing the same kind of transformation. I’ve been tearing up just a little with the arrival of each new butterfly. And with each release there has been such joy and celebration. I’m also finding beauty & goodness in the spunk and determination of a disabled butterfly that hatched yesterday. This experience has been all gift.

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