simple living

There is this blog I read every morning written by a mother of 6 and the wife of a farmer. It is a beautiful site, and I find myself wanting to pack up our "life in the city" and try to live off the land. How great would that be? Our boys helping their daddy work the fields, fixing fences, and taking care of livestock. I imagine it in a Little House on the Prairie/Anne of Green Gables mixed up way and my heart soars. I think it is the simplicity of that way of life that is so attractive to me. Raising animals, raising children, keeping house, caring for your loved ones and that's it. No reality TV that must be watched. No drugs in school to worry about. Just simple living.

In a way we try to live simply now, here. But it seems like it would be easier to block out "the element," as Mike calls it, if we were removed from it. I don't want my children to live in a bubble, but I do want them to grow up with strong moral convictions, an unshakable faith, and a clear sense of self. I feel confident that we are doing our best everyday to instill in them those characteristics, but I can't help longing for a simpler world. The best we can do is to make our life as simple as possible. Living, but leaving out as much of "the element" as possible.