Farm is gone

[Bullfrog]

Although I am very blessed with health and a healthy family it is both sad and stressful that we were forced to sell our little farm. Reality hit yesterday as we finished moving and my wife broke down into tears, which caused me to swallow hard a few times. We are blessed with a home in a very small town, but lost our views, songbirds, and open space to being on a street. I am not complaining at all because I know in my heart that it is for the best and we are now debt free save my school loans. God has richly blessed us and I give thanks and praise. I would ask for prayer of protection as my wife no longer feels the safety of our open property, my dog and child no longer can romp and roam through open fields, and I now go to work concerned over the transformation from rural life to small town life. For those that go through real struggles with health and death I offer my prayer because that is a real challenge that I may have to face with my parents all too soon. God bless you all and I am thankful to have a forum that has so many amazing people.

[DCP]

Prayers for you and your family.

[chsparkman]

That is a bummer, but if you still have student loans, that probably means you're young enough to turn things around someday and get back onto a farm if you want to. Stay positive.

[jcwit]

I Pray that one day you and yours may once again achive your goals.

God Pless.

[tnaz]

Heart felt; and Prayers sent for you and your family.

[Preacher Jim]

bull frog 50 years ago i went through the same transition from 800 acres, woods, a spring fed creek, and the freedom to hunt and fish on our own land. life in a small town is not bad but it has never been home. i have been blessed to be able to work in rural areas but they were not our home. you adjust with the Lord's help but the longing in your heart points your eyes toward home often, memories are wonderful solice. my prayers for you and your family from experience of having been there and lived that.

[rancher1913]

anytime you want to experience farming again give me a call, I'll be happy to let you work a few fields or repair some fence. seriously though if you want to walk the land again stop by, we don't have a lot but its been in my family for over a hundred years so I kind of know how you feel.
where did you land if you don't mind me asking.

[Bullfrog]

Rancher that would be a magnificent blessing ! PM me with details

[USMC87]

I will be praying for your family, I pray that the transition will be one that GOD uses to strengthen you and your family.

[edler7]

Prayers for your family and situation. Those eastern Colorado small towns are good places- I grew up in one- you will be OK.

[GoodOlBoy]

Praying for you and yours

God Bless

Richard

[Bzcraig]

I pray your transition brings you unexpected and joyous surprises! Even though you're in a bit of a valley, being debt free and in a home is very admirable!

[David2011]

As down as you and your family feel right now, be grateful that you know the difference. I hope to know true country living some day.

David

[Bullfrog]

Thank you all for the kindness. We drove by the farm and it did not take the new owners long to take a bulldozer over everything we built over the last 5 years. The trees I nursed back to life, all the fencing, all of it taken down including established lilac bushes. I guess that is what it is like to have money and not appreciate what God has given as a natural order of things. We worked with the land and left the contours and natural vegetation as it was intended to be. Just a bit sad and miffed that if they were going to bulldoze everything under they could have asked us to remove what we wanted which would have been most of it since we now have to rebuy what we need at our new house. Wife left in tears and that was the hardest part and my daughter saying she will never be able to run through "her" field again, which the farm was named after. Just a bit down tonight so sorry for the complaining.

[William Yanda]

I feel your pain. Our kids are all grown now-youngest goes back to college next week. We are blessed to live on a corner lot at the edge of a small village. Bank is gone, hardware store that was about the only business left 30 years ago is now gone. We have corn and hay fields across the road. A little used barn is the view across the side street. and the backdrop is glacial hills of the Finger Lakes region of Western New York. Try to remember to appreciate it every morning.

[w5pv]

Prayers for you and wife,find you a smaller place in a rural area.You will be better sastified than having a neighbor right on top of you.God Bless.

[John Allen]

Bulfrog, that just sucks. I can not imagine how tough this must be.

[smoked turkey]

Bullfrog our hearts here are with you there. We still live in a rural area but we had grand dreams to relocate to a smaller land patch with a beautiful view overlooking a nice valley. We found such place, purchased it, and began readying the new place for our downsized home. Best of all it was going to be closer to our two sons and grand kids. We spend some serious money with new road into the property, well, septic, electric, outbuilding, etc while our home was on the market. We really felt that God was in control and all was going to happen. Unfortunately the economy turned south and we were unable to sell our present home. In short, we sold the property at some loss of money and are still a ways from our sons. I hold to the philosophy that "all works for the good to those who love the Lord" and "the steps of a righteous man are ordered of the Lord". We can tell you that life goes on and can still be joyful for you and your family. What ever the Lord has for your future will be better than what you can imagine or think. Don't lose faith or the vision of what He has planned for your life. I am praying for a good transition into "city" life for all of you.

[Bullfrog]

Thank you all. Our first week, and now weekend, and it is hard hearing cars, motorcycles, and trains going down the tracks, but what is hardest is I don't hear meadowlarks in the morning waking me up. We could not go to a neighbors function yesterday because he is right next door to the old place and we just could not bring ourselves to get that close just yet. Our pain is a discomfort and we place our trust and faith in the Lord, but the longing for what we knew is there and present in our youngest as she laments about how she can not run through her field anymore and why she has to be kept inside or only in a small yard. All that aside I just got a report from a co-worker whose 7 year old not only had a heart transplant, but now is battling cancer and it humbles me that my discomfort is nothing when compared to her child. We took a collection at work and scrapped up enough to get a build a bear gift card which sent the little girl shopping yesterday. That there is true hardship and I am embarrassed by my simple problem when such a young life is battling for survival. I know it is apples and oranges, but it also causes me/us time for reflection and how we can best use our new gift from God to affect a positive change in this spinning ball we live on. Thank you all again for prayers, but also always remember our men and women in uniform (as I know you do) whom give up all to give this simple man the right to complain.

I have been offered opportunity to still do farm choirs on others land and I will when time permits. It was the simple things that hard labor provided that gave me greatest peace in my heart and mind. God Bless you all.

[rancher1913]

remember if you really get down give me a shout and you can at least camp and explore on a farm for a weekend if nothing else. we have a house (I use the term loosely) in our north pasture that you could hang some hammocks in and be all alone, well except for the cows that would hang around all night waiting for "cattle cookies"

[johnson1942]

that happened to me when i was 7 years old. never got over it. my wife an i bought a 4 and 1/2 acre place here in western ne. 20 years ago and built it into something very nice, yard and house. that helped relieve the pain i felt at 7 years old. now as im going into my middle 70/w we may sell in 4 years if im still here on earth and move to a very beautiful town in the black hills. at leaste i got relief from the pain of the 7 year old moveing off the farm. now a small yard and a quiet corner of a town surrounded buy semi mountains and pines sound pretty good to me. it will be a quiet corner of town. in the black hills their are plenty of places like that.

[4719dave]

Im so sorry ..seeing that must of really hurt .Wife moved me to Florida 10 yrs. ago hated life every day sense ..God works in funny ways there no saying you wont end up out in the sticks again never give up hope ..Its hard to see the misses cry no words for that ...

[JonnyReb]

So sorry to hear it all Bullfrog, its a tough row to hoe. While things WILL get better you'll not be truely happy till your back on the "farm", wherever that may be.

I lost a family farm in 08'. I didn't live there but could go right up the road and hunt and fish..milk cows or help put the hay up. Did it for my whole life. An uncle got the property in the late 90's and sold it in 08' for 8 million dollars. I can't even look when i go up the interstate and pass 1\2 mile of road frontage that i know like the back of my hand. The recession kept the builder from building it up commercial but its coming soon. It was in our family since 1847.

Where i live now is on 11 acres. Its not much in the way of house but its all i want..has a nice creek, a handmade rock lined well and springhouse and i've been here 21 years. It was a farm long ago and heavily gold mined in the 1830's..to me its a historic place with many traces of its previous inhabitants everywhere. Its in the county still but the city line is now just 200 yards up the road. I can still go out back and legally blast away with anything i want but they did build a new school 500 yards or so away and so i don't anymore. They brought commercially sized water and sewer by in 05 or 6' and again it was the recession that kept them from building more..neighborhood probably and bringing me into the city. Not to mention they'll build right up to my property lines. Its coming time for me to go but i'll miss it all so bad. Only silver lining is that the land bought for 3k an acre is now valued at 5 times that. When the heavy construction starts it'll double and years down the road some of these acres could be worth 2-300,000 apiece as in other areas in our nearby and growing city. While i'll be heartbroke to leave i hope for a hundred acres or so in a lowcounty s.c. swamp and i'm gonna put a double wide log cabin up on stilts in the middle of it. Will be a good place to grow old and die where they'll never make me move from again. Who wants swamp?

Best to you Bullfrog and hope you find your happy place. Thanks for a topic i needed to vent a bit about myself. :) J.

[sparky45]

You ever get to the southeast part of Kansas, I'll leave you a standing invite to roam the gentle hills with me and we can even venture to a pond and catch some bass and crappie. So sorry to hear of your necessary move but I bet you'll land on your feet and prosper. Chin up, it'll get better.

[wrenchman5]

I've just read the whole thread and am saddened by your situation. I reminds me of a journey I began 10 years ago when we were forced to leave the mission field due to children issues. The only thing I ever wanted to be was a missionary and suddenly it was gone. It's been a tough 10 years, but the reason I'm writing is to give testimony to the fact that God loves you and every detail of your life more than you will ever know. He is faithful and will restore joy to your life. It may not be in the same way you were accustomed to, but He knows you so well that He will create joy for you again. I encourage you to connect with a local church and invest in kingdom treasures. May God richly bless you as you walk through this transition time with your eyes firmly fixed on Him.