Lesson number 3,457 (for me): Baking bread is a healing thing to do. Same with breaking bread.
Bake and Break.
I never knew before that baking and breaking bread provides nourishment for the body and the soul. I never knew before that bread makes things better.
Let me take you through my learning of this particular lesson. It happened after I went to the library and checked these books out…
After that, things changed. Here, read my facebook status:
The potential FARM deal fell apart last night. They’ll be no FARM for me JUST YET. I am very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very disappointed and sad, but do believe that things always work out for the best…right?
And, then. I received this outpouring of wonderfulness. I receive helpful, wonderful replies and messages. As I read them, I was uplifted and supported. They give me encouragement and hope. Saved by my Special Farmgirl Friends once again! Here they areebook.
Trish: right
Brisja : That just means that was not the one for you.
Sherry:yes! your farm is out there, even better than this one, you’ll see 🙂
Kathy: I am so sorry!
Susan: This only means there is something better for you. Patience grasshopper!
Loreta: Don’t stop your riding lessons you’ll still need to know how to ride!!!! Keep looking up something will work out.
Karen: sad for you . . . ;-( but everything happens for a reason – there will be something better but it sure is hard to go through it and wait for the other!!
Sharon:Obviously, better awaits! 😉
Anna: Everything happens for a reason! Keep the faith…..the best is waiting for you to find it! 🙂
Sherri:you r right Anna….everything Does happen for a reason. We can find peace in knowing that cant we.
Lisa: Oh I am soooooooooooooooo sorry. I can’t imagine how disappointed you must be and heart broke. Things do work out for reasons but it can difficult to appreciate that when you are feeling so sad. Hang in there, tomorrow will look brighter.
Kay: This Too Will Pass…….sooo sorry
Andrea:There’s another, better farm waiting for you, dear. Keep creating it in your mind so that it knows where to look to find you. Stop being sad as soon as possible, and get on with the joy of connecting with the farm that is meant to be yours.
Jessica: something better is surely right around the corner! just keep your head up ♥
Connie:Sorry Rebekah. To me, this just means that the timing is wrong, or there’s something better coming your way. Everything happens for a reason and you are where you are suppose to be. Hang in there. One day you will have your little farm. :o)
Raynita:I am so sorry for your sad heart:( It will be okay and one day when you are petting your mini-donks on the farm you are meant to have, you will look back and know all things do work for good;)
Tana:In times like this….I can hear my Grandma say that God has btter things in store. So just hang in there and know that God is in control.
Chantal:I know its hard when we inspire to do something and then it doesn’t turn out! Theres a farm out there with your name on it!!!About 3 yrs ago I lost my dream house that I had for 12 yrs! it was where my kids grew up. at the same time I had t…o have major surgery cause they thought I had cancer!!well evrything has turned out inspite of these things. my health is good and I’am not homeless.I count my blessings everyday…The right farm is waiting for you Rebekah…sorry it wasn’t this one
Ellen:What??? Are you selling your place or just not getting into the chickens and goats (farm)? I hope you can keep your place but if you are selling, I would be interested.
Julie: So sorry to hear this! When you do find you’re farm, you’ll be sooo glad ’cause it’ll be better!
D’Wanna:I’m sure the most fabulous farm is just around the corner. Hang in there!
Kiki:I am sad for you…another BETTER one will come your way soon!!! That’s just how things work! Think happy thoughts and have a great day!
Marlene:Ah, I’m so sorry. Keep looking, because you WILL find your farm. Good luck!
Rebekah Teal :Thank you all so much. Your words help my broken heart!! I know you are right. I’m just so let down right now. I have decided to allow myself to mourn for 24 hours. Then, I’ve got to snap out of this!!!
Lisa:Make some homemade bread…you can knead out your frustration and disappointment and have the comfort of fresh bread baking in your kitchen. 🙂
Nancy:All things work to good to those who know and trust God. It will happen with the right place and at the right time.
Kimberly: sorry to hear that, but all that really means that wasn’t the right farm for you and your family, the right one will come and it will all work out for the best.
Cindy: Well bummer. I have a story to tell you. as always! Long story short. We went to an auction for some land several years ago and we were sure we were going to get it. We even did have it for about five minutes. We were outbid. My husband just loved that land. DRove by it all the time. WE decided to stay in town and build on. Before we even had our addition finished, that land went up for sale. We bought it and we are building on it now. Never lose hope.
Brenda:I am sorry to here that Rebekah. I always believe that, if it does not work out there is something better in the future that God is holding on for you. We tried for a different 10 acre parcel with house right before we got the one we are …in. It was closer to the area that I wanted but it fell through because of the owners not really wanting to short sell and we ended up with this 10 acres with a nicer home and prettier land around it. Hang in there.
Adrienne: I’m sorry to hear it too. There is something better for you I’m sure.
D’Wanna: Saw this quote today and thought of you and your farm: “sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together” –Marilyn Monroe. Hope better things fall together for you!
Dorothy: So sorry Rebekah! Maybe later
I just have to say THANK YOU! Thank you for all your encouragement and support. I received emails and messages as well, all with the same encouraging “Chin Up” theme. My friend, Michelle, had a beautiful sentiment, one I had never thought about before. She wrote to me about “farm spirit:”
One thing I want to tell you to encourage your heart is that the spirit of the farm is much like the spirit of Christmas. We don’t celebrate Christmas all year long, but the spirit is there. We can keep it alive by doing all the things that we love about that season. The same for the farm! The farm spirit is embedded deep within your soul! You can have a beautiful farmhouse right now inside your very own home, you can continue to take horse riding lessons and get out and enjoy all of nature as much as your spirit can hold!
Thank you for sharing your dreams with all of us “farm girls.” We will never let your special farm dream fade! It will happen!
your friend, Michelle
How perfect are those words? “WE WIll NEVER LET YOUR SPECIAL FARM DREAM FADE!” As I told her, those words are balm to me.
Then there was my friend, Karen, who reminded me of this 1970’s saying, which we all had on stickers and on notebooks: “If you love something, set it free.” I think I even had a patch that said that.
I don’t know what I did to deserve such an outpouring of wonderfulness. There is no place more special than MaryJanesFarm. I’m telling you, Farmgirls can save the world, one person, one family, one community at a time. (Now THAT we need to put on a sticker!)
Now, did you notice Lisa’s suggestion? “Make some homemade bread.”
Okay! Well, I think I will! Where to start?
Hmmm…I married into an Italian family (who, by the way, is fabulous and which, by the way, makes me a little Italian too). My mother-in-law’s birthday was last week, so I decided to make Rustic Italian Bread for her party. I Googled it and found this recipe. http://www.cookography.com/2008/rustic-italian-bread Whoa, it was beyond. Way beyond. Me and my skills. Oh, well. It’s been one of those weeks. Might as well go for it!
And go for it I did.
The table was set, the bread was finally in its last rising, about to be popped in the oven, when
we get a phone call from my parents (who, by the way, are also fabulous and it’s so nice because my husband’s fabulous parents enjoy my fabulous parents and vice versa. It’s rare and fabulous!)
Well, my parents were almost to our house when WHAM! Some inattentive (and insensitive) driver WHACKED them from behind.
I left the bread rising on the counter and went to go and see about my parents. Their car was bashed in; it was quite an impact. I’m not going to say anything else about the accident or the injuries. Well, I do have to say this one thing. The woman who rammed into them didn’t seem concerned at all about my parents or their car. Which flew all over me. Hey lady, even if you don’t really care, act like you do. You could act like you care whether you injured someone (MY special someones). You just slammed into the back of somebody’s (MY special somebodys) car and crunched it, why don’t you get off the phone and check on them. Or here’s an idea. You could actually say you’re sorry.
Anyway, when I finally got back to the house, completely stressed out, I popped the bread (which, by then, had risen into a gigantic, enormous loaf) in the oven.
Soon the aroma from the oven came drifting into the room….aromatherapy. What is it about the smell of baking bread? Lisa was right!
I served it with Ramps Butter I had in the freezer and little bowls of olive oil with freshly ground pepper.
And you won’t believe the taste and texture. I did that????? I made that????? Check me out!!!!!
OOOH!LA!LA! Amore!
My Italian family approves and was totally impressed with this southern girl’s Rustic Italian Bread. My approval rating sky-rocketed. Exceptional.
You’ll notice as you look at the recipe that it has lots of steps and looks a bit intimidating. But it really does come together easily. (I’ll post the recipe, with my comments at www.rebekahteal.com. I’m trying to keep my recipes there for easy access.)
Now, the good news.
Hope has arrived once again. The farm deal just may be coming back together…yes, no, maybe so. It loves me, it loves me not, it loves me, it loves me not. Only time will tell.
Stay tuned! But either way, I’m okay because I am convinced that things happen the way they are supposed to. And something about my parents being in that car wreck really puts things into focus for me. The only thing that matters to me is LOVE. L.O.V.E. LOVE. I am thankful for my parents. I am thankful for my mother-in-law’s 84th birthday. I am thankful for Farmgirls. I am thankful for bread.
At some point, at the right point, the farm will come.
Just like Michelle said, THE FARM SPIRIT IS EMBEDDED DEEP WITHIN MY SOUL.
Thanks to you all!!
Until next time, Y’all, Savor the Flavor of Life!
Lots of love, The City Farmgirl, Rebekah
I’m glad to hear your folks are okay after such a scary experience! Baking bread is always good for the soul. There is something about playing with the dough, the smell, I am convinced it’s genetic memory woven into our very DNA. What ever farm you are meant to have you will have it. Sometimes spirit with holds our "hearts desire" until we are ready for it. When the time is right, everything will fall right into place. Blessings on you and yours, Rebekah dear.
I am so sorry about your parents wreck…and hope they are alright! As for your farm dreams, I have them, too, so so bad! But, my darling husband thinks I am crazy and doesn’t share them at all…so sad. He won’t even let me keep a few chickens…he’s very supportive of my camping ‘sisters’ (Sisters on the fly) and my other ‘hare-brained schemes, though…I am very blessed to have him! So, that said, don’t give up! Reading this, I might just ‘try’ to bake some bread, too! Love your blog, sugar! From one "Southrun" girl to another…bless your heart!
Whewee now that was a roller coaster ride to get ones heart going this morning. As I heard about the farm not coming to fruition – I said ‘ah remember where a window is closed – a door opens’ and so it did — you received great love, learned how to make bread, was available for both your parents and your mother- in – laws birthday AND THEN maybe the farm once again. I do pray that your parents are doing well and God will see you through the joy or heart break of the farm. Thanks for sharing in your wonderful words your story – there is a lesson in there for each of us.
I really like lists 🙂 SO:
1. I’m envious of your inlaw situation. Certainly sounds FABULOUS!
2. I once spent months trying to make the perfect loaf of bread only to finally discover that my OVEN wasn’t heating correctly. Maybe it’s time to try again (with my new oven!)
3. Whether this particular deal is ON or OFF, I’m sure you’ll be hanging up your muck boots sooner than you can imagine (wait, does anyone hang their boots? I’ve been wanting to make something like that… trust me on this one!). Didn’t Goethe say something like "If you can dream it, you can begin it."? Well, you’ve already begun! CHECK!
4. I misspelled "their" and now you’ve reposted it. I might dye of embarrassment (catch that! ha!)
"Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power and magic in it."
There’s the Goethe quote and he’s right. Here is a better quote for all of us:
“Nine requisites for contented living:
Health enough to make work a pleasure.
Wealth enough to support your needs.
Strength to battle with difficulties and overcome them.
Grace enough to confess your sins and forsake them.
Patience enough to toil until some good is accomplished.
Charity enough to see some good in your neighbor.
Love enough to move you to be useful and helpful to others.
Faith enough to make real the things of God.
Hope enough to remove all anxious fears concerning the future.”
Sorry–former English professor here and farmgirl at heart. Best wishes and good luck to you!
Oh Rebekah,
Stop, you made tears run down! I am so glad your parents are doing well through all of that and you had a wonderful Birthday for your mother in law. I can smell the bread now and will be baking some zucchini bread shortly.
Girl let me tell you if that farm is meant to be it will. I know that for a fact. We had a friend that lived on the farm of my dreams and I said if there ever come a time where we could buy it it would be the last place in the world I want to settle down one. Well in 2006 we lost our home in town to the crisis and as we stood on the courthouse steps we got a call from our friend and said I no longer live there and if you take over the payments you can move in today. The house or should I say the trailer was very run down and in dire need of repair, just 3 bedrooms but a wonderful 7 acre lot and I had twin boys a daughter and her boyfriend who just had my grand child all counting on a place to live. God heard our prayers our pleas. We have since become empty nesters and will be breaking ground for our new house. This 7 acres has all we need; our orchard with peaches, pears, plums,blueberries, apples, grapes and a great garden area. We have all the animals we need, dogs, cats,milking goats ducks chickens and donkeys rescues included. I know things happen for a reason and I have been blessed. I would have never in this life time thought I would ever have my little piece of paradise but I do. I plan to die here some day. So no matter what if you feel it in your bone stick with it. I wish you all the best and who knows it may have been the wrong dream and the other one is just around the corner and even better than this. You will be blessed with just that farm you always wanted. Never give you on that bread 🙂
First, glad your parents are fine. Can you believe some people and their lack of concern?!
Secondly, I’m so pleased we all have the love and support of each other. Farmgirls are the best.
Lastly, Your bread looks delicious. Since we are snowed in today, I may have to bake some myself 🙂
PS Your farm is still looking for you…
Oh,what a wonderful blog this is. I’m so glad your parents are ok. One little thing about the other driver, she might have been so shocked/embarrased/scared/appalled that she wasn’t able to show any concern at the time. People do weird stuff when they screw up, esp. in car accidents.
Anyway, I’m sorry about the farm deal, but thrilled with all that support.
One other practical note along with your riding lessons, you might consider doggy school for the dogs, if they have never been. You and they can get a head start on being around livestock.
How wonderful about your bread. AND even more wonderful about the farm deal on/off thing. eek. Can’t wait to hear more.
Looks as though you have received your daily bread as promised and my verse this year for myself and everyone else is another promise Jeremiah 29:11. So glad no one was hurt badly in the car crash and there are so many people in the world now that just only care about their selves. It is sad. Love fresh homemade bread. I bought a book a couple of years ago and baked along with another on line group. It was all rustic breads and hubs is not fond of them so I gained weight and ended up not making any bread since. I should try again but just not so often or so much. My daughter just made some English muffin bread that she found on Pinterest. I need to go pin it from her so others can find the recipe. It makes 4 loaves but she shared and it was wonderful toasted and hubs made us some tuna melts on it. Lovely post Rebekah, thank you for sharing your life!
Wow! You sound like me! Being Italian, a baker by trade and trying to find another farm for me and my 11 y.o. I was just mesmerized by your writings. Whether it is 6 am or 10 pm I always make bread to sooth the soul. Have always loved your blog! hugs
Whew! Glad your parents are ok. Yesterday my Shug was following me home (in town) from our house that we are building. Someone pulled over right in front of me. When we got to the house he said, "great defensive driving btw, those people had no clue what they even did." People do not pay attention while driving anymore. And so many younger people seem not to care about other people at all.
Now, about that farm…all you need is looove….baaa baaah baadaadaaah….and bread. Something goods gonna happen, I can just feel it.
Cindy Bee
Dearest Rebekah!
Stick to your guns and try to use this pathway in life as a learning experience. My new mantra in life is ‘Five years from now we won’t even remember being so upset about this event!’. In other words, we have to pick the time frame that we are anxiety ridden about issues!
I love your bread story, and as for me, I would give everything that I own to be able to sit down with my parents as a family one more time. Yes, appreciate and love those around you while you can..
I am going to make your bread!
Hang in there, sister!
It sounds like a platitude, but your farm is still waiting for you! Just remember, to make your wonderful bread, the grain had to be ground down, destroyed almost. Keep on looking for your bliss, and baking!
Nancy
http://www.liveasavorylife.com
Hi!Whatch out,your gona get fat!don,t worry,it,ll all come together when its time.good luck,carol
The bread is beautiful! I’ll have to try your recipe. Great luck and best wishes on your dreams coming true!