I look at places and photographs such as these and they exhilarate my soul.  Something begins to dance and flutter at the space....the majesty...the color.  There is light and movement, growth and time happening in synchronized glory.  I want to twirl and run...maybe shout to see how much sound and excitement the expanse can absorb and embrace!  There is history and soft whispers of the past connecting with what is present.  Stories.  Mysteries.  Sweat.  Tears.  Years.  A grand painting of what God touching man might look like.  As there seems to be no end to the rolling background, so is there no end to speculation of what might have taken place in this very field....this very barn.  It is an open book.  A magnificent display of God grace to this America the Beautiful....rolling fields of green and gold, skies as blue as the sea playing with wispy, poofs of white billows...and man's simple shelter humbly accepting His favor and increase as well as turmoil and tragedy.

I took this picture on a little road trip heading towards Hannibal Missouri along the Mississippi River on a warm summer day about a year ago.  Along the way I found myself stopping to breathe in so many beautiful scenes similar to this.  I stood amidst rural farm land that has served as the backbone of my country.  This is one example of what hard-working men, women and children have done to make a living and build a nation that has served us well.  Much has changed as the years have come and gone.  However, if one pays attention, he can find the very same beauty that the generations before us admired at the end of those hard-earned days.  

Oh that we might take more time to stop and contemplate what God has done.  Oh that we might appreciate what those before us provided, and cherish the hands and hearts that cared enough to live and work honestly.  They have set an example for those of us who might willingly inherit the same qualities and respect for our blessings.  I thank God for the land I have grown up in and the people who have continued the traditions with enduring simplicity and kindness.  "God bless America....land that I love...."