"Held" sung by Natalie Grant

Karlyn has the song HELD sung by Natalie Grant on her ipod and I listened to it on the drive to Georgia last week.

At first the words were baffling and I listened three or four times before the message of hope struck me. I was intrigued by her use of the phrase "when the sacred is torn from your life" so I did a little research on lyrics by Christa Wells .
In light of Amy Wellborn's recent loss and my own secret fear of losing a child, this song grips me in a way that no other contemporary

Christian song can. It reminds me of the lyrics of the Old Rugged Cross that my grandmother used to sing; an unearthly mixture of suffering and joy that I hope to accomplish in my own life.The "sacred", Christa Wells explains, means

the idea of us "giving" everything over to God, except for some unspoken
"sacred" parts of our life. We mean to say: "Of course, you won't ask this
of me."

The Old Hay Barn in Georgia

I said I wouldn't post unless it was earth-shattering. Well, in my book, this is: the dear old hay barn has been dismantled.

Home to many childhood memories......

My cousins and I used to haul the Christmas tree up there, real tinsel dragging behind, for a coke and cookies party after New Year's Eve.

Lots of hide and seek with siblings and cousins.

watching cattle being rounded up for sale from the open door,

cutting, raking, flailing, stacking square bales in the hot Georgia sun...

the time my brother bumped me lightly on the rear with a hay bale and I fell out on to the tailgate of my uncle's truck....

Carrying cold cokes from the outdoor fridge to the 'men' working in the field - I had to walk throught the barn lot to get there

More recently, Karlyn hitting the side of the barn with the four wheeler...yes, she CAN hit the broad side of a barn... :)

Well, it's not gone yet! And my kids are still making memories in the old hay barn.....a bit more dangerous than when it had all its floor boards!