As I enjoy the sun of southern Florida, my mind drifts back to my younger years and life in the northern US.
The latter part of the year was, in a word, "COLD!"
Winter meant snow, and single digit temperatures. It meant days with long nights, cold winds and heavy clothes. It often seemed like our lives were on hold and our only goal was to simply make it to spring and the renewed life that it promised.
As I reflected on those days and the my many experiences, I recalled an aroma that was sweeter than any other that I knew and more sought and welcomed than any in my desires. As I thought about it, I immediately felt a peace that has been absent from my soul in years.
Many, if not most of you, have never sensed this odor...I wish that you had...your life would be different. I know that I have sparked your interest...or at least I hope that I have...let's not waste any more of your time!
Among other things, my grandparents were dairy farmers. The farm had a large dairy barn, a chicken coop, a wood shed, pump houses, equipment sheds, and others.
There was also a very special building.
The granary.
It was located next to the barn and every fall, filled with the harvest from the fields.
There was also a very special building.
The granary.
It was located next to the barn and every fall, filled with the harvest from the fields.
The granary served two purposes; it held grain to feed the animals over the winter and it held the seed of next year's planting. In most cases, those seeds where the same, just meted out for different purposes.
On cold winter days, when we were visiting, I would walk out to the granary with my grandmother or grandfather and help carry a bucket of grain to the barn to feed the cows or the chickens.
Some days the cold was so extreme that it would bite at my little nostrils, making my little nose numb, but upon entering the unheated granary, the smell of the granary would enter my nose and comfort every part of my being. It was amazing and almost magical!
Some days the cold was so extreme that it would bite at my little nostrils, making my little nose numb, but upon entering the unheated granary, the smell of the granary would enter my nose and comfort every part of my being. It was amazing and almost magical!
The granary is unlike any other building on a farm. If the granary is old, the odors from the farm's history of harvests saturate the walls and hoppers. It is more than just the smell of grain. It is the odor of life itself and more...
One VERY cold morning, I walked across the barnyard with my grandmother to retrieve some grain for the chickens. As we opened the door of the granary, the familiar aroma hit me and it must have struck "grandma" too!
She looked down at me, smiled, closed her eyes and somewhat under her breath said, "This is the smell of hope and there is nothing better than to walk into here, holding the little hand of another granary!"
She looked down at me, smiled, closed her eyes and somewhat under her breath said, "This is the smell of hope and there is nothing better than to walk into here, holding the little hand of another granary!"
I had no idea what she was talking about! But what she said stuck in my memory and it took years for me to understand what she was saying!
The granary is life. The aroma within the granary is nearly permanent. Once the smell of the grain, of "life", sets into its walls...it is nearly impossible to remove it! As I think about it...WHO WOULD WANT TO?
The deeper I pondered this thought...the more that I learned that the granary is more than life and its aroma is more than life. It may be the smell of seeds; the odor of "life dormant"; it is the smell of the future! It is the aroma of HOPE!
The granary not only held the nourishment for today, no matter how cold it got outside, the granary also held the promise of next year's harvest. The granary held hope! That aroma was hope!
...AND...
Every day was a decision related to that hope.
Every day was a decision related to that hope.
"Do I use the grain that the granary holds to feed today or do I save the grain for tomorrow?"
SWITCHING GEARS!
There was another "building" on the farm that held seed. It was a grain silo. It had one and only one purpose. It held feed grain. This was grain that was going to strictly be used as animal feed. For one reason or another, that grain was not any good for planting and my grandparents put it there because it only served one purpose. A funny thing was that the silo did not have the same wonderful aroma of the granary! Unlike the granary, it emptied by the end of winter and sat that way until the next harvest. The granary always held seed and was never allowed to go empty!
BACK TO OUR THOUGHTS!
It hit me later that my grandmother saw that little boy holding her hand differently! WE are proverbial granaries...I suddenly understood what my grandmother was talking about!
We are not seeds for the future...we hold the seeds of the future!
...AND...
We are not seeds for the future...we hold the seeds of the future!
...AND...
There is nothing like the "aroma of hope!"
Within us are the seeds of hope.
WE hold the promise of tomorrow's harvest....
...and like the stores within the real granary. these seeds can be used to nourish us today or they can be saved to fulfill a promise of a greater harvest of tomorrow.
WE hold the promise of tomorrow's harvest....
...and like the stores within the real granary. these seeds can be used to nourish us today or they can be saved to fulfill a promise of a greater harvest of tomorrow.
We hold the keys of the future!
...and...
It's a decision and both choices are important.
...and...
It's a decision and both choices are important.
Like the granary, the important thing is that its hoppers are never allowed to go empty.
We must always hold some hope for our future harvests.
When can use our hope today...or we can save some for tomorrow.
As with the granary, the best seed (hope) is always kept safely within its walls and that which holds the least promise is used for the nourishment of today.
It's a decision!
It's a decision!
Sadly, many live their lives as if they were the silo. There is seed held within, but that seed has no hope of the future. Their decisions are strictly related to today's nourishment and they end up empty...there is no promised harvest!
The "Decided Life" is recognition of the fact that we are granaries! We carry the aroma of life and hope. Our lives revolve around storing life and hope and using its contents sparingly...with each decision related to what is truly required today and how we will use what is left to ensure a better harvest tomorrow! Most important is that we never go empty!
There is no perfume or cologne that can match the wonderful aroma of the granary (life and hope)!
It is the aroma that permeates our being to the core of our existence.
It is what draws and attracts others.
It is the message of life and hope!
It sends a message to the world that there is a future!
It is the shivering hand of the "chilled" child...walking with grandma!
It lasts long after the seeds are gone...
It is the aroma that permeates our being to the core of our existence.
It is what draws and attracts others.
It is the message of life and hope!
It sends a message to the world that there is a future!
It is the shivering hand of the "chilled" child...walking with grandma!
It lasts long after the seeds are gone...
It is already in you!
Do not live as a silo...but recognize that you are a granary...your hopes and dreams are the seeds of tomorrow...
Your next step is to decide...where and when to plant them!
ENOUGH SAID!
The granary is the house of "the Decided Life"
