Roads were made for journeys, not for destinations.
-Confucius
Each one of us has a place that gives us comfort and solace. For some it's the ocean, for some it's the mountains, for some it's the forest, for some........it's the mall. You know who you are! For me, it's the country and for a while now it's been the Amish countryside not far from home. John and I took a drive there last week and while we were not in particular need of 'rural therapy', we couldn't help but be lulled into tranquility driving along these back roads with the blue skies and white puffy clouds overhead, farms to our left and to our right, fields of corn waving in the breeze and Amish buggies sharing our path.
Even driving along, snapping this photo while cruising at 45 mph, the scene below feels exactly what God might have envisioned when he created earth.
And then there were these hay bales......
and clouds.....
The long road home.... |
Amish Schoolhouse |
I may not have made it to Lancaster , but I find it hard to believe that when I do I'll find it any more beautiful than the landscape we found right here in our home state. Each time we drive the roads in this community, I'm so curious with so many questions about the Amish and their life. This ride we saw this young girl walking barefoot down the road carrying a bowlful of fresh picked produce. Just over the hill was this stand......
We decided to stop and purchase some goodies (a delicious pumpkin roll). A woman carrying a baby on her hip and a teen girl came out, the teen standing shyly alongside the tree. I told the woman how much we loved the Amish farms and that we noticed that most of the homes had beautiful pink flowers (wave petunias). I asked why and she replied with a shy smile, "we just love pink". I then asked what the meaning was behind all their blue doors and again she responded, "blue is our color, we love blue." Not surprising since the main wardrobe color for this Amish community is blue. It would seem that the gorgeous sky today must have definitely made her heart happy.
The one thing that was a small disappointment today.......the fields that we found last year to be planted with miles and miles of sunflowers, dried and ready for harvest, were not filled with bright and cheery sunflowers we hoped to see this year. Instead they were filled with corn.
On a day like this, even corn is picturesque! |
Road trips are a pretty common pastime for John and I, but road trips to these parts might just be my favorite destination. Next time you come to a crossroad and you're deciding whether to go right or left, remember it's about the journey. Once in a while, forget your planned destination and take time to enjoy the journey! If you missed my earlier posts featuring this beautiful Amish Community, you can check 'em out using these links:
Thanks for reading. Come back soon for the last two parts of my Rockport/Gloucester series.