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AppyLover2

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Old Barns and Old People

Barn1.jpg


A stranger came by the other day with an offer that set me to thinking.

He wanted to buy the old barn that sits out by the highway.

I told him right off he was crazy.

He was a city type, you could tell by his clothes, his car,

his hands, and the way he talked.

He said he was driving by and saw that beautiful barn

sitting out in the tall grass and wanted to know if it was for sale.

I told him he had a funny idea of beauty..

barn2.jpg


Sure, it was a handsome building in its day. But then, there's

been a lot of winters pass with their snow and ice and howling wind.

The summer sun's beat down on that old barn till all the paint's

gone, and the wood has turned silver gray.

Now the old building leans a good deal, looking kind of tired.

Yet, that fellow called it beautiful..

barn3.jpg


That set me to thinking. I walked out to the field and just stood there,

gazing at that old barn.

The stranger said he planned to use the lumber to line the walls

of his den in a new country home he's building down the road.

He said you couldn't get paint that beautiful.

Only years of standing in the weather, bearing the storms and

scorching sun, only that can produce beautiful barn wood.

barn4.jpg


It came to me then. We're a lot like that old barn, you and I.

Only it's on the inside that the beauty grows with us.

Sure we turn silver gray too... and lean a bit more than

we did when we were young and full of sap.

But the Good Lord knows what He's doing.

And as the years pass He's busy using the hard weather of our lives,

the dry spells and the stormy seasons to do a job of beautifying

our souls that nothing else can produce.

And to think how often folks holler because they want life easy!

barn5.jpg


They took the old barn down today and hauled it away

to beautify a rich man's house.

And I reckon someday you and I'll be hauled off

to Heaven to take on whatever chores the Good Lord

has for us on the Great Sky Ranch.

barn6.jpg


And I suspect we'll be more beautiful

then for the seasons we've been through here...

and just maybe even add a bit of beauty to our Father's house.

barn8.jpg


May there be peace within you today.

May you trust God that you are

exactly where you are meant to be.

barn7.jpg


I do sincerely Thank God for the wonderful people

who care about me even though I show signs of weathering.!
 
this is very wonderful, it really makes you stop and think. thank you soooo much for sharing this with us. the pictures and words are wonderful.
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Beautiful words Donna. I knew the minute I started reading this he wanted the boards. Here in Wisconsin there is big demand for old barn boards at times. We have a table, chest of drawers and frames in the store. They are beautiful. Thanks for sharing those beautiful pictures and words. You said it perfectly.
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Thanks for sharing the pictures and words. I love old barns. When ever I see one I wonder what animals may have been sheltered there or farm equipment. Who built them and did they have small children that played hide and seek inside. I think of the memories they made for someone. So often I think, how could anyone let the old barns sit empty and falling down. They are still beautiful to me and I picture in my mind how they were used when they were newly built.
 
That was lovely.

I live in an old barn (built in the 1670s) and I love it, it's made of local stone and the walls are about 2 feet thick. I love to think about all the animals housed here and the people who worked here all those hundreds of years.

Maria
 
Thank you for your comments. It always surprises me that, when you share something, people look at it but so often fail to acknowledge it.

Maria.....how neat that you live in such a wonderful sounding place. Lucky lady!
 
Thank you for your comments. It always surprises me that, when you share something, people look at it but so often fail to acknowledge it.
Maria.....how neat that you live in such a wonderful sounding place. Lucky lady!
Thanks Donna, here it is in the snow!

The bit on the left is newer - 1800s, while the bit on the right is the 1670s part. Mother in Law calls it a tumbledown shack but she has a soul bereft of romance!

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I know what you mean about reading and not posting - and am sometimes guilty of it myself - but your original post really was so nice.
 
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Donna

I love old barns. in 2002 when DH and I drove thru Canada to Alaska every old barn we came to I took pictures. I did a collage of them and I will try to find and post.

Your's are beautiful~~

Maria Your live in barn is wonderful!! Thank you for sharing.

Gini
 
I can't take credit for anything but a copy and post on the Old Barns and Old People thing. I just thought it was worth sharing.

Maria that is really beautiful. Lovely place. What a shame it is that your MIL can't see it's beauty.

I guess I could add that, although the exterior of my barn doesn't look it, it's 102 years old on the inside. Put together with pegs in some places; upright beams standing on huge rocks, etc. The exterior was rusty tin that really had to be replaced when I got here. It looks modern from the outside but is surprising when you walk through the door.
 
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I can't take credit for anything but a copy and post on the Old Barns and Old People thing. I just thought it was worth sharing.
Maria that is really beautiful. Lovely place. What a shame it is that your MIL can't see it's beauty.

I guess I could add that, although the exterior of my barn doesn't look it, it's 102 years old on the inside. Put together with pegs in some places; upright beams standing on huge rocks, etc. The exterior was rusty tin that really had to be replaced when I got here. It looks modern from the outside but is surprising when you walk through the door.
Sounds beautiful!!
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Oh that is so very beautiful! I just adore old barns and the ones whose paint is all glossed off and the wood is old are even better! I got a new barn put up by the Amish this past spring. It's white pine board and batten. I had the option to have it painted or stained and decided to let it go natural. People tell me I'm nuts to do that, but the Amish builder told me that with that wood out where we live, it will hold up for many years to come without being sealed or painted. I guess I'll have to wait and see if we do decide to seal it, but it will be clear sealant if anything. But I'm glad you posted that, sure made me reflect.
 

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