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Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Stacking Firewood

To live well is to work well, to show a good activity. Thomas Aquinas

I was born and raised in the suburbs but feel more at home in the country. I love the wide open spaces that make way for room to breathe. My husband and I have been living out in the country for almost eight years. A dream we both shared.

Our home has an efficient wood burning stove that heats the house in the winter. My husband spends a lot of time and energy hauling fallen trees out of the woods and cutting and splitting them for firewood. Thankfully his tractor has a log splitter that makes things go quicker.

I have been his assistant in helping stack the wood on the side porch. We burn a lot of wood so there is huge pile to stack. This past Saturday evening I bundled up in my favorite old goose down coat and worn in chestnut Uggs and began stacking. The air was clear and crisp, the snow was bright white and thick, and the logs heavy.

Back and forth with an armful of wood. Through the snow and up to the porch.
Back and forth as my nose starts to drip....
Back and forth as the air pierces my lungs...
Back and forth as I look in the window to see the kids watching TV...
Back and forth as my lower back aches....
Back and forth as I hear a coyote howl in the dark night...
Back and forth as my body works and my mind empties...
Back and forth as I begin to feel peace...

The more I stacked the more soothing it became to my soul. It was a repetitive moving meditation of such surprised delight. I was physically exhausted yet mentally uplifted. A feeling of exquisite joy overcame me when I stacked that last log high upon the pile. I came in to the house and sat by the warm fire with a new appreciation for an accomplished task that turned out to be an unexpected gift.
Shine your light,
K

2 comments:

  1. Perspective from a kids point of view: When I was younger, probably about that "tween" age, as they seem to call it now, this was a job I was required to help with. I HATED IT, lol!! It was exhausting and took away my beloved play time. Funny how our perspective can drastically change as we grow older.

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  2. Wow! I have tears to my eyes right now, because I am loveing reading these blogs, Kathy!! You should write a book.

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