Some Peace in Hard Times

Megan Venturella

I live smack dab in the suburbs and had always hoped to have some land in the country by the time things really started to fall apart. I feel like we are at the brink and I'm not where I wanted to be in terms of location or preparedness. I have goats and chickens and a garden, but I live on a little tiny lot which backs up to a very steep hillside covered with not much more than foxtails and crumbly clay leading down to the street below. If things get really bad I just don't think I'll have many options to feed my family enough or keep the animals alive. It has been weighing on me so heavily for the last few months that I've had trouble sleeping at night.

Yesterday a friend came over who had suggested that I try to use the (SUPER STEEP!) hillside to graze my goats during the months of the year that we get a little rain here. She asked me to walk out to the back and take a look at the hillside. Well, she walked past the neighbor's tree which went around a corner. I've never walked that way because you have to really squeeze past the tree, and I had assumed that just around the corner would be exactly the same because it certainly looks the same from the street below.

It turns out I was wrong- around the corner and a little ways past it turns into a little flat, open area with plants that the goats can graze on. And the foxtails? It turns out that they're wild oats!!! I guess I've been identifying the weeds wrong since preschool and never knew! This means that 50 feet from my kitchen where I'm sitting right now, I have had the perfect spot to graze my goats. I've lived here 7 years and had no clue. It's empty, unusable to most people, and right smack dab in the middle of the suburbs. It was like I had walked through the wardrobe and made it to Narnia.

I can't tell you how shocked and relieved I was to find this. I told my friend how surprised I was, and she said, "What? You're surprised that God loves you? And put you right where you need to be?"

Wow.

Maybe some of you are going through similar worries right now, so I thought I'd share this in case it's a comfort to you as well.

LaurieLovesLearning

That is great! But...I would harvest those wild oats before the goats get them. Those are higher in protein than regular oats and could make a great milky oat tincture if caught at the right time.

tuliv4

Thanks for sharing your happy discovery. Wonderful you were able to share with a friend who brought a new perspective and helped to find your treasure. I enjoy the uplifting nature of it and and wonder what treasures I’ll find close by.

RustBeltCowgirl

Sometimes, all you need is a change of perspective to make things better.

herbantherapy

Oh what a beautiful story!! Thank you for sharing 💕

Paradox

Awesome!

Megan Venturella

@LaurieLovesLearning It’s so funny, I have a seed packet for oats because I wanted to make a tincture. I figure if anyone needs something for the nerves, it’s me, LOL.

Jannajo

Love this story, many take-aways; for starters, I am planting oats very soon in my (little) garden..I do always say: With God, one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. He DOES care.

dottile46

@Megan Venturella isn't it amazing what we are given when we need it. You never really "needed" this before. Now, you are receiving a blessing, make the most of it.

ieducate2008

Thank you for sharing! You made my day much brighter.