Being on the farm is like stepping back to 1985, a return to my childhood where my mom would be canning in the kitchen while my sister and I shucked corn on the back porch, the sweet aroma of boiling summer jam filling the air. It takes me back to days before cell phones and the internet, when we spent more time on backyard swings or around a fire pit, having real conversations with friends. I remember catching fireflies at night to make our fingernails glow, eating watermelon fresh from the field, picking muscadines from the vine, and sucking on honeysuckles for an afternoon treat. Those were the days of sunset bike rides, playing in cotton fields, and tractor rides.

Living on the farm takes me back to these simpler times and that’s why I love it so much. I enjoy walking into my garden to pick ingredients for our evening salad, growing our own food, and watching our chickens run across the yard. I love holding our baby goats and the anticipation of seeing them born, curious about what they will look like. I love picking the fruit directly from our trees and making our favorite cobbler or juicing it to enjoy a refreshing afternoon drink. I love winters nestled by our wood stove in the comfort of our precious pups and the sound of the crackling fire. The fun and laughter our dogs and cats bring us are priceless. The farm, with all her many blessings, has given us endless joy!

The farm provides a place for our family to work hard together, learning some of life’s greatest lessons: dedication, follow-through, discipline, the benefits of reaping what you sow, enjoying the fruits of your labor, sticking with something long enough to see the payoff, maintaining and caring for something—being good stewards. It’s a place where we make memories, gather as a family, share hysterically funny moments, and simply have fun. I love having Friday night fish fries with our neighbors, cooking the fish we catch from our pond, and enjoying the simple pleasure of hammocks and high cotton, where old times are never forgotten.

Spiritually, being on the farm is a way that God teaches me divine truths and principles. Through shepherding and caring for what God has given us, I see His teachings come to life in my daily activities. The farm is a reflection of His creation and a place where I can apply the lessons of dedication, stewardship, and love that He and Jesus have taught us.

This special note is a reflection of why Shepherd Farms is so dear to my heart and an essential part of my life. Welcome to our farm—where the past meets the present, and life’s greatest lessons are lived and learned every day.