- Apr 28, 2022
There are so many books and blogs on lifestyle and making your home a beautiful place. But I want to know, how does my home get its heart? Why does it matter to be involved in a community? Why does it matter to remember and pass on the legacy of family and place? Is gardening truly worthwhile, or is it a lofty, cute waste of time and money? I would call these three books my "starter pack" for going a bit deeper, and two of them actually have 'root' in their titles. Makes sense, doesn't it?
Humble Roots by Hannah Anderson is a beautiful, short, and easy read. It's thoughtful and poetic, but you could also take it to the beach or read a few pages before bed. Start out with this one and be inspired by Hannah's gift for storytelling where she considers her gardening and small community practices alongside her faith and personal anxiety. It's a lovely read strengthened by well-curated quotes and bits of horticulture.
Uprooted: Recovering the Legacy of the Places We've Left Behind by Grace Olmstead is part memoir, part journalism, a picture of the evolving rural community and farming situation in Idaho and across the United States. It's an inspiring read, especially for those of us who grew up on farms or in rural parts of the world. And if you didn't grew up in the countryside, I'd almost recommend it even more. Part of what Olmstead covers is the lack of understanding and care from those who have little to no understanding of people who work the land. Time and time again we see farmers or "country folk" mocked and minimized. It's time for that to stop and for us to realize the importance of rural communities, of small farms, of the farmer's autonomy. Perhaps Big Ag and the government have gotten a bit out of control. But the situation is complicated, and Olmstead handles the nuances fairly and minimizes political bias by sharing both statistics and stories.
Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry is one of my favorite novels of all time. The only way to know the depth, beauty, and agony of this book is to read it. A bright torch for family, marriage, land, community, heartache, and hope, Hannah Coulter is the only novel my husband, an avid nonfiction reader, has ever enjoyed. And (I'm telling a secret here, shhh) he may have teared up at the end. It's that good. *
Listen, I don't own chickens and just recently learned to bake sourdough bread. When I'm in the States, I enjoy the occasional stroll through Target like the next girl. The concept of homesteading and investing in one piece of property has never seemed realistic, because I move frequently. But I'm learning there are both principles and practices that we all can carry with us wherever we go. In this fast-paced world where even the kindest people seem to idealize being busy and running around like those chickens (I don't own) with their heads chopped off, these are three books to help us sit back and think, "What do I want to build with my home, with my life?"
This doesn't mean you need to buy ten acres and wear overalls. Maybe it does, but most likely it means something a little different and more personalized. City living is for some of you, and that's amazing. I write of rural life because that's what I know in my bones and I believe even if you don't choose it yourself, learning the beauty of it will aid any lifestyle you choose. It's all about tending to your place and community of choice with care with dignity. Being a part, being a member.
As much as I enjoy moving around, I want to be engaged, giving, present rather than pillaging for my own ephemeral experiences. 'Home' isn't just where we store our belongings, and the search for it will inevitably take us a little deeper into what it means to be here, to be human, to be made for something more.
And the world cannot be discovered by a journey of miles,
no matter how long,
but only by a spiritual journey,
a journey of one inch,
very arduous and humbling and joyful,
by which we arrive at the ground at our feet,
and learn to be at home.
Wendell Berry, "A Spiritual Journey"
I hope you enjoy these books, if you give them a go. Please let me know what I need to add to the list!
You can also follow along on Instagram at audreyann.masur to chat about these kinds of things and see photos of our life in the Cotswolds (beautiful English countryside)!
*Full Disclosure: All three of these books do come from a Christian perspective, but only Humble Roots is directly overt. I hope you enjoy them!
- Feb 15, 2022
“I have never thought, for my part, that man's freedom consists in his being able to do whatever he wills, but that he should not, by any human power, be forced to do what is against his will.”
― Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Reveries of the Solitary Walker
This is the one I didn’t want to write. It was just too controversial and as a small-scale writer I felt I needed to stay in my lane. But here's the thing, I write about home, and sometimes loving your home means speaking up. Sometimes it's not just noticing the beautiful flowers it's talking about the dangers. Please allow me to share with you that I am vaccinated against COVID-19, but more importantly I am for freedom, and I am against the mandates.
In March of 2020 I was nervous about the virus, by May of 2020 I was worried about the government. This is not to downplay the severity of the virus to some, it is to address the freedoms at stake. I have read, talked to, and listened to people on various sides of this conversation. I have friends in healthcare, a husband in emergency services, and I have worked to keep a humble heart and mind. I have wept with those who wept.
The point of this blog post is not to argue for or against the vaccine, it is to promote the concept of bodily autonomy. Freedom is not a luxury belief, but thinking it’s trivial certainly is. There seems to be a push to demonize those who tout the importance of freedom. There is a push to make us "pick sides" and distinctly label one another.
Please, do not allow the word 'freedom' to be branded by crude loudmouths who abuse it. Freedom creates possibilities, possibilities people will risk their lives to have a chance to experience, for their children to experience. These possibilities can lead to health, happiness, safety, innovation, and the ability to help others.
Is the free world perfect? No. Have we made wealth off the backs of enslaved peoples? Yes. Is that shameful? Absolutely, yes.
This does not change the beauty of freedom. If anything, it should reveal the dangers of taking a person's rights, of deeming some people worthy of certain treatment over others. Even if the lack of freedom does not lead to slavery, we don't have to look very far to see how people fare under oppressive dictatorships. They do not fare well.
...
The leaves were turning beautiful colors when we moved to England in October of 2020. The next month we entered a lockdown and then yet another one before the spring. We were in a new country, and our family had lived in a total of five homes in a year. One of our children was majorly struggling with all the change and simultaneous isolation.
When we would get outside the house, all around us were signs and voices to stay back, stay masked, get vaccinated. The headlines shouted the possibility of vaccine passports. I'll be honest; I was afraid. My husband helped me process my fears emotionally, and months later so would my vicar and a therapist. I was able to see how much I was allowing fear into my life, and that is really no way to live. Honestly, England was probably one of the best countries in all of Europe to ride out this time in the world, and I knew that. But it still came with hard times.
Navigating our personal beliefs as small-government-lovin’ Americans in a different country has been a good and hard exercise. I’ve learned to listen respectfully to opinions different than mine. I’ve been encouraged there can be love even when there is deep, sincere disagreement. Some of our closest friends here hold starkly different views. It’s been good to hear their perspectives and know there is much we do not know.
And yet today and every day, I believe in freedom. Mine and yours.
Even if you believe vaccines are a one size fits all, do you want the government to be able to tell you what to put in your body, in your children’s bodies or suffer their chosen consequences if not? There is a disconnect with (fairly recent) history if we believe segregating in the name of science will lead to a better world.
This kind of rhetoric and punitive measures should alarm all of us no matter how you feel or think about this particular preventative treatment. You may agree with the mandates, for now; perhaps they make you feel safe or even charitable towards the physically vulnerable. But for how long? Imagine a drug that comes on the market you *don’t* agree with, but all medical freedom has been removed, so you and your children are forced to get it or live as second class citizens. How does that sit with you? Like with so many societal things, they snowball. Precedents are set. Cultures are changed. People end up in less control of their own bodies and minds. They are censored to stay quiet, they are brushed off, they are called liars.
The question is: do you want the government to have the right to inject you with something and refuse you a life in society if you don’t?
It’s a simply question really, whether or not you want or have had the shot, whether or not you’ve had a poor reaction. I chose to get the vaccine in order to travel more and ensure my children could see their grandparents. Did I feel coerced? If I'm being brutally honest, yes I did. But so many have had to choose whether or not to give up their retirements or risk not being able to put food on the table.
There are nuances to lots of things—even thoughts on freedom, vaccines, even how we should be talking about this. But you don’t have to wear a tin foil hat to believe governments can get out of hand. At the same time, will there be a number folks who take it too far when a protest against the government presents itself? Yes, nearly always. But let's listen to the majority of people just asking to be heard, for their bodily autonomy to be honored, for the free world to be preserved for their children.
I told myself I should stay in my lane, but this is a dangerous highway and we are all on it. While I do believe there are truly caring, upright politicians wanting to be of service, this pandemic has unleashed a worldwide trend of swelling governmental control. They're flexing, and I am not impressed.
Let's start civil conversations, sign petitions, listen well, and peacefully say our piece. And in the words of Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton, "Raise a glass to freedom, something they can never take away, no matter what they tell you." Freedom is for those who want it. Do you?
Q: Hello, Cristi! Can you tell us a little bit about who you are and the moves you've made?
A: Audrey Ann, thanks for giving me the opportunity to tell my story. Brad and I have been married twenty-three years and have four kids--Drake, born in Germany, Lillia(Lilly), Dane, and Kade. I homeschool the younger two since the pandemic, and the older two go to the area public high school.
Brad and I were set up on a blind church date. We were engaged a month after meeting and married a year later, with only my student teaching remaining. While engaged, we purchased a home on seven acres in Logansport, Indiana USA and gutted and remodeled it. I should have known then I was in for a wild ride!
By our seventh year of marriage we had moved nine times (various towns in Indiana, then to Germany and now Tipton, Indiana). I also lived in Dallas for a few years as a child and went to college one year in Pensacola, Florida. In 2004 we built our dream home on a pond in Kokomo, Indiana.
About the same time Brad starting hearing talk of an exchange with a German man from Mercedes-Benz. Brad is an engineer by trade and was working at the time on satellite radio and predictive learning in cars. We were almost passed over for the opportunity in Germany because of our new home, but we were up for the next adventure and sold our new home it in a heart beat. We had even planed and stained every board on our staircase! Everyone thought we were crazy!
From seventh grade until I was a senior in high school, I went on a missions trip every year (including a reservation in North Dakota, Mexico, Cabrini-Green in Chicago, Spain, and Peru, South America). My grandparents were missionaries in Peru for Wycliffe Bible Translators. I have always loved foreign cultures and am intrigued by the diversity and the sociology. So, when we chose to spend the next few years in Germany, we decided to have full emersion experience. We received a brief nine week session of German, visited for a “look-see”, choose a home, and moved in the next month.
Q: Wow! That sounds like an amazing whirlwind. So what were some challenging and rewarding aspects of moving to Germany?
A: We had not had any children up to this point, so why not have a baby?!! I was home for the first time, after teaching special education for five years. We were pregnant within a month! Nothing like moving to a foreign country, not knowing the language, choosing a village without a train, not having a car, and having a baby! We even tried to attend a German-speaking church, but quickly realized we needed to hear English and some friends we could relate to. Through networking, my army wife cousin was able to find a nearby church for us to attend, near a military base. I also met with a group of older German ladies at a coffee shop weekly so they could practice their English, and I taught English at a preschool as well. I acquired the most German from the preschoolers--hearing them speak so basically and repetitively.
I have a million stories I could tell you about our time there and the lessons and experiences we had--cultural differences, our naivety, and once again the language barrier. Some of the funniest stories being: taking a beautiful wreath to a friend when we went to dinner and later finding out it was a burial wreath, nakedness at public swimming areas, nursing Drake group-style, like a giant milking barn at the hospital, not realizing we had to validate our ticket to get out of the parking garage, “recycling nazi’s," stinky cheese, eating pate while pregnant and not realizing what it was and SO, SO much more!!
I was very grateful for four years of Spanish in high school and two years in college. It really gave me insight into languages and understanding how they work. The combination of German and Spanish has opened my eyes to the importance of Latin, root words, and understanding how languages work hand in hand.
We began to dream in German after being there for several months. We finally jumped on a plane to England for a weekend just to hear English. Everything was hard. We couldn’t even read the letters that came in the mail about utilities and speeding ticket--everything had to be translated. We lived there for 18months, but it feels like years more! Every experience was meaningful and monumental.
Q: Wow. The language barrier is a game changer for sure, as well as all the other differences, both pronounced and nuanced, of living abroad. Was it hard to move back to the States, or were you ready?
A: It was a hard transition when coming home. You wouldn’t think so, since it’s home, right, but all your friends continue with their lives while you are gone and you have to find your place again. I returned to teaching, but soon became pregnant again. We also ended up changing churches because the fit at our old church just wasn’t right anymore. Of course God works all things for good, and within a year we had a new community had established new roots.
Q. I love seeing photos of your holiday greenery business. Could you tell us more about what you do and why you love it?
A: Germany is what inspired me to start my greenery business. The people never left their flower pots bare, in winter they were always covered in some type of pine, holly or cypress. Flower shops were found on every corner. Beauty was their way of life--always having a flower arrangement on their table, and being a weekly grocery purchase (part of the reason I love visiting Whole Foods).
After Brad and I had three kids, around our fifteenth anniversary, we decided to go on a Hawaiian cruise without kids. We had the money to pay for the cruise and flights, but were short on funds for the excursions. I had to dig deep in my mind of creativity to devise a plan to make some extra cash. Being a stay-at-home mom and living on three acres and loving to garden, my mind quickly returned to our days in Germany. Our property is surrounded by pine trees. I made up a few greenery swags and took them up to the local hardware, boutique and brokered a deal.
I was able to make enough money that winter to pay for the excursions, and a business was born. For the past 8 years it’s been a side gig, but as my kids are now school age I am little by little expanding it and considering my possibilities. What’s the old saying, if you do what you love it’s never work?! Also growing up on a farm, dirt and hard work are in my blood. I started making hydrangea arrangements on the front porch in an old milk can as a child. Maybe that was telling!
Q: I love how you integrate who you are as a farm girl from Indiana and what you learned in Germany and on other travel adventures. Do you feel your time in Germany changed you in any way or influences you to this day?
A: My time in Germany added another piece of glass to the mosaic of life. My thoughts and opinions about the importance of things, family, culture and travel were all enhanced.
Even my business logo was inspired by my time in Germany. I started collecting handmade pottery pitchers there and throughout Europe. I have an entire collection of them. I love to use them for floral arrangements and last year commissioned a local pottery to make be an assortment of pitchers, mostly in white, to use in my sales. I love to decorate with treasures that tell stories that have a meaning. I rarely buy something new from a shop, but love a hunt. I would travel to a new place every month if I had a chance. So many places left to explore! My life verse has always been: Matthew 6:19-21 “For where your treasure is there your heart will be also.”
>>Thank you for reading this interview with Cristi! If you'd ever like to share your story, please reach out to me via the share-your-story box on the main page.
