The Knoll

I warm my hands around my St. Petersburg mug, steaming with tea, and pull to tighten the blanket cocooning me. The early chill of an autumn morning graces us, and I couldn’t be happier to be bundled up in my favorite Princeton sweater. The grey-blue skies tinge the distant forests and mountain ranges blue. Today, Cayuga is still. Acorns crack and ricochet off the roof to the patio...or to my head. Amidst the chirping of a bird and barely-audible hum of cicadas, leaves rustle from the intense chase between squirrels and chipmunks. Just before, a nutbrown deer meandered through our backyard and into the dense woods. Right now, a chubby groundhog furrows his head in our lawn. He stops, notices me spying from the edge of the deck, and dashes away. I’ve been calling him Dale...

Life in the woods. Life at the Knoll. Life in the mountains.  // 9.8.18

Please believe me when I say that I didn't edit these:

Disclaimer: life isn't as rosy and peachy here as these photos may convey. We have beautiful memories made and more to come, but there's been plenty of challenges, ones that have driven me to tear-soaked calls to my mom and ones that required me to physically distance myself in order to come back with a clear mind. Living in community is hard, and God's been unearthing my pride day in and day out. That being said, I am so sure that this is part of His plan for me to soften and grow wiser. 

A little excerpt from Instagram to illustrate my point: 

i was recently floored by the meek and unassuming manner by which two brothers served. he didn’t have to wash and dry and organize our dishes for an entire week. he didn’t have to grab a broom and sweep our flour and pasta dough littered floor. neither were asked to do these favors, yet they did them anyways. cheerfully. quietly. their generous love, their eagerness to pursue others’ good more than their own recognition, has warmed and chilled my heart, has exposed my selfishness and pride. how pure to serve in a life where you can do anything. // 9.3.18