Little foxes

Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom. Song of Solomon 2:15 (NIV)

I am so tired from my farming adventure that I can hardly think. Even though we went to bed at 8:00 PM last night, I am still worn out. All I can do is give you a typical day’s schedule.

5:00 AM: Rise and shine. Take the dogs for a walk. Feed them their breakfast. Feed the cats. Make coffee for husband. Put meat in the roasting pan to cook all day for dinner. Get dressed for work. Walk the dogs one more time. Put them on the screen porch for the day.

6:00 AM: Pick up worms from the barn and take them out to the pasture for the bluebirds’ breakfast. Feed the horses their grain which I mixed the night before and hay. Drive 45 minutes to work.

7:00AM – 6:00 PM: Work all day at my real job. On my lunch break, run to the grocery store for stuff I forgot to take out with me.

6:00 PM: Leave work to pick husband up from his job. Reverse the trip out.

7:00 PM: Change into work clothes. Take dogs for a walk. Feed dogs and cats. Get worms and feed bluebirds. Feed horses hay. Mix grain for horses. Feed horses grain. Feed fish in pond. Go back to house to fix dinner. Eat. Watch for fox to come up to the house to finish outside cats’ food. Go back to the pasture to retrieve horse buckets. Mix grain for in the morning. Walk dogs one more time.

9:00 PM: Shower. Clean up kitchen. Throw a load of laundry in the washer. Stare at craft projects and books I brought to read. Realize I am too tired to do anything more. Walk dogs. Go to bed!

So, what does the verse about the little foxes have to do with that to do list? Other than go with the fox pictures I took out the window of my friend’s front door? The best part of our country stay was the ride together into and from work each day. Because of the distance, we shared the commute in an effort to conserve gas. In our regular life only 15 minutes from our jobs, we drive separate cars leaving and arriving home at different times. Once home, we gravitate to different interests, he to his computer or television, me to my horse, crafts or laptop. Instead, we had an hour and a half each day to talk, review our day or just sit quietly together. It’s the little foxes, the things on our to do lists, the things that distract us from focusing in on the ones that we love, that endanger our love for each other and drive us apart. The little foxes ruin our marriages and relationships. Take time to be with those you love. Not just for a few minutes, but for some quality time. See what a difference being together with nothing else to do but communicate can make. Don’t let the little foxes destroy your vineyard.