Take Joy

Below is a letter written by Fra Giovanni Giocondo to Countess Allagia Aldobrandeschi on Christmas Eve, 1513. Fra Giovanni was a Franciscan Monk as well as an architect, scholar and many other things. The specific quote “take joy” has always inspired me. I hope you’ll enjoy the beautiful words below. I wish they were my own but second best is being able to share them!

I salute you. I am your friend, and my love for you goes deep.  There is nothing I can give you which you have not. But there is much, very much, that, while I cannot give it, you can take. No heaven can come to us unless our hearts find rest in it today. Take heaven! No peace lies in the future which is not hidden in this present little instant.

Take peace! The gloom of the world is but a shadow. Behind it, yet within our reach, is joy. TAKE JOY! There is radiance and glory in darkness, could we but see.  And to see, we have only to look. I beseech you to look!

Life is so generous a giver. But we, judging its gifts by their covering, cast them away as ugly or heavy or hard. Remove the covering, and you will find beneath it a living splendor, woven of love by wisdom, with power. Welcome it, grasp it, and you touch the angel’s hand that brings it to you.

Everything we call a trial, a sorrow or a duty, believe me, that angel’s hand is there. The gift is there and the wonder of an overshadowing presence. Your joys, too, be not content with them as joys. They, too, conceal diviner gifts.

Life is so full of meaning and purpose, so full of beauty beneath its covering, that you will find earth but cloaks your heaven. Courage then to claim it; that is all! But courage you have, and the knowledge that we are pilgrims together, wending through unknown country home.

And so, at this Christmas time,
I greet you,
with the prayer that for you,
now and forever, the day breaks
and the shadows flee away.

Fra Giovanni Giocondo (c.1435–1515)

2025 Farm Stand Season Is Over

I drive by my farm stand several times a day, as it is on the way to most of our family activities. I love looking out my window with anticipation, to see if flowers have sold or if any shoppers are admiring candles. It’s always exciting!

The height of farm season changes quickly and comes to an end with the first frost. Each year the weather brings new challenges. Sometimes keeping the stand open is a breeze and other times it can be more complex. Egg production slowed down early this year and I recently sold out of all our candles, bath soaks, produce and other goodies (thanks to our local patrons! :) While I had hoped to keep the stand open until the first week of December, the farm often decides for me. It felt like a good moment to let everything rest until Spring.

I can’t thank you all enough for all the farm stand support! I’ll still be posting projects here on the journal and on Instagram. The holidays are my favorite time of year for creating wreaths, candles and gifts for friends, so I hope you’ll enjoy glimpses of that. I feel so lucky to have a little farm and it’s a joy to share bits and pieces :)

We look forward to opening again in the Spring! See you then!

Morning On The Farm

As I write this, an owl is perched in one of our large pines. It has been perched on a moss covered branch for hours, watching. I suspect this bird of prey is waiting for the chickens to come out. The Owl must be eager for a quick breakfast. I can’t let the chickens out to free range because our tiny bantam, Harriett, is small enough to be carried off. Truly, an Owl can make quick work of any unsuspecting chicken.

Luckily, our chickens are well protected in their run and have space to forage safely inside. However, we have one particular chicken who takes to eating eggs when she isn’t free ranging. In protest to her lack of freedom, she will wander into the nesting boxes and eat as many eggs as she can find. Sometimes this is due to vitamin deficiency or stress. In Sweetie Bug’s case (that’s her name), she’s just bored and looking to cause problems.

This Owl scenario has left me running back and forth from the house collecting eggs as quickly as possible. I can’t let too many pile up and let Sweetie Bug lay waste to them.

This silly scenario has me thinking about the delicate balance of farm life. The presence of a silly Owl in a tree has altered my entire morning. What a strange thought…

Nature continues to amaze me here on Josephine Farm. The other night I found a skunk sleeping in the chicken coop. I screamed when I discovered it simply because I wasn’t expecting to see fur but rather feathers. The skunk looked at me and sauntered off, totally unaffected. It clearly lacked humility and was the most entitled skunk I’ve ever encountered. Last fall I watched squirrels carry whole apples away from our orchard until there were no more to pick. I had no idea a squirrel could be so bold.

Every farmer and gardener will tell you…there is no controlling nature. I just hope Mr Owl moves shortly so I stop rescuing eggs from Sweetie Bug!