My answer might sound a little corny, but it is true, nonetheless. My main motivation in writing this weblog of the Pure Water Hollow Homestead involves posterity. Yes, it is for posterity's sake that I feel the desire to record some of our life's happenings here in the hills of eastern Kentucky. If the Lord continues to be longsuffering with mankind and allows the return of Christ and the judgment of this present world to be yet another many years hence, then it is very possible that there will be future generations of "Purewaters" living, perhaps, on this very land!
We currently have four children and would like to have even more, if it is the Lord's will. If any of them wish to settle here with their own families there is plenty of room! We already have one good house seat up at "the clearing" and with the incredible work that bulldozers can do these days, it would be possible to have numerous homes nestled in amongst the trees and hills.
Our children know how much we value this land God has given to us, but what about future generations? Making this land into numerous homesteads in the future is a pleasant picture, but it would also be conceivable for someone to blast away the ridge tops and use them to fill in the hollow and have enough flat land to build an entire subdivision or shopping center on our property! Would future generations be aware that such a thing would constitute a tragedy in our minds?
I know we would all be long gone and enjoying whatever God has in store for us in His Kingdom, but I can't help but think that a historical perspective of this land and our lives here may be of benefit, or at least of interest, to those who may come after us. I would like our descendants to know what kind of people their ancestors were during the early 21st century, when America was continuing down the path of abandoning God and embracing immorality (during the time period that future history books may entitle "The Decline of America!”)
Hopefully, this blog will present a picture of what type of people we were back during the first half of the century. When most of society valued time with their television over time with their family, we chose to throw out the TV! When the norm was still to rely on government schools to educate children, we chose to home school! When society declared that extramarital affairs are normal, we chose to keep our wedding vows! When no fault divorce was rampant in society, we still believed "till death do us part"! When the common people were relying more and more on the government, we chose to rely on God! While others were borrowing more money, we were getting out of debt! When the art of old time raising and preserving your own food and being able to provide for your own needs had all but been forgotten in our culture, we chose to try to re-learn them! I want them to be able to say, "Great Grandpa and Great Grandma sure did go against the current of the times!"
Thinking about future generations of my family I can't help but think for a moment about those before me. I have one grandparent still living today. Grandpa is 91 years old; he has lived through a lot and has fascinating stories to share about the old days working at a post office in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Grandma just passed away this year in July at age 95.) Had they written down instances that happened in their life when they were raising their family, I would treasure them today. Fifty-two years ago Grandpa was my age of 39. If you do the math the year would have been 1954. My dad would have been turning 13 (Matthew is 13) that year and my aunts would have been 15 (Erica is almost 15) and 10, I think. I never realized before that Grandpa was having children born at the same stages in his life as me! What was life like in 1954 in a small city in America? Much has changed, and a journal from back then giving glimpses into their lives would be fascinating today!
This weblog may also be helpful to my immediate heirs, as well. Right now, Simon is only 6, Christina is almost 9, Matthew is 13, and Erica will soon be 15. When they are adults and raising their own family, might it be helpful for them to be able to look back and have a tool to help them remember some of the things they were doing while growing up? If they live here, in Pure Water Hollow, they will have a record of the types of plants and trees growing here that are beneficial. They will have a record of the time of year the chestnut crop can be harvested as well as the raspberries and blackberries and strawberries and peaches and pears and grapes and apples if I continue to write. They may also have a record of dates for when various trees were planted, or when the fishpond was re-built and stocked, or when a new barn or shed was built, or any number of projects that we hope to do in the coming decades. When they are 39, it may be helpful for them to look back on these things.
Not only do I hope that this blog will chronicle our homesteading experiences and demonstrate the type of people we are, but it will also be a record for posterity what my views about God and eternity are. We are really not just laying up treasure on earth (Pure Water Hollow Homestead), but we are laying up treasure in heaven! The things of eternal significance are far more important than these temporal things that will pass away. I want this blog to be for the glory of God and point people to the simple truth that Jesus is the only way to salvation. During a time when man has made theology so confusing, I desire that our simple life will demonstrate our simple faith and point to our incredible Saviour.
I may not post many sermons, since they take so long to type up, but I would like to share one every now and then as an example of my beliefs. Future generations may know that I was a preacher, but they would have no way of knowing what kind of a preacher without some things in writing. Here in eastern Kentucky, in our small country churches, there is still much of the old time shouting, "hacking" style of preaching. I appreciate the tradition these men of God come from, but I have never been one of those kinds of preachers. I have gone against the grain in that area as well. The Lord leads me to preach well thought out, mostly expository sermons that I pray will help folks understand God and the Bible better.
Having a forum like homesteadblogger to publish my thoughts and ramblings is also a good motivator for writing them. To know that there really is an audience reading right now, and not just 100 years from now, makes writing even more satisfying. I have tried to journal off and on in the past, but it has been more off, I am afraid. I think having a potential audience will make writing regular installments easier for me. I also like the idea of the potential audience being some of our friends and family. This might be a way they can keep up to date with what is going on in our lives, seeing how I am so negligent in writing letters and calling on the phone.
The last reason for writing a blog on Homesteadblogger, I guess, is the opportunity to be part of the bigger homestead picture. I like the idea of being able to pose questions from time to time and there actually being a chance that someone has experience that may help us learn. In the old days, people relied on their neighbors for advice about raising and preserving food and how to repair and build things, and how to care for livestock, etc. Today, it seems that much of that knowledge has been lost, or at least it is no longer a part of the common community experience. I'm thinking that folks from Homesteadblogger can sit in for those types of knowledgeable neighbors when I have trouble finding some in person.
I don't know if anyone else ever thought of why they are keeping a blog, but these are my reasons. I'm sure there are many other potential advantages and reasons for writing a blog, but these are the thoughts that have motivated me. While I am writing primarily for posterity, I do hope that there are some who might receive benefit or enjoyment from it here and now as well. May God bless you!
1 comment
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HandsNHearts on October 11, 2006 at 11:47 am
What a thought-provoking post. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts. Posterity. A very good reason for sharing the homestead famiy life.
Deanna
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