Sleigh Ride

Romance. I have always been a sucker for it. It doesn't take much to touch my heart and I suppose that the tendency every so often to let a tear drop in happy appreciation at the sight of a beautiful scene is a quality I get from my Dad. He still picks wildflowers and arranges them into lovely bouquets for my Mom when they are at camp, and he never fails to buy her chocolate, an indulgence she'd be quick to forgo if not for his thoughtfulness. So taking his lead, this Christmas I booked a two night stay at a nearby country inn for my husband and I. Our time together was carefree, easy, and yes, romantic.

On our way home we stopped for one final adventure, a sleigh ride. Neither of us had ever gone on one. As we drove up the road to the barn, two shelties and one border collie greeted us excitedly. The farmer waved and I smiled and never stopped smiling the entire time. His wife introduced all of the animals to us--Maddie and Red would be the Belgian horses to take us on our late morning ride, but Maddie's three children were there too along with two jersey cows chomping on the hay nearby. The farmer's daughter, a pretty redheaded girl, helped her Dad hook up the horses while the farmer's wife got us situated under two blankets in the sleigh. And then we were off! Over the snow cover fields in the dazzling December sunshine and down the wooded path. The farmer told us of how he'd worked the land his entire life and how the farm has been in his family for 200 years, since 1810.

In what seemed to be the blink of an eye, but what was actually an hour or so later, we returned to the barn. We promised we would be back soon with our children. "Are you headed home now?" the farmer asked. When I replied that we were indeed he said, "Well, that's not so bad either going home, is it?!" No, it's not sir. Not at all.

And as we headed home, that tear of happy appreciation fell down my cheek. I am richly blessed. Meeting this family of farmers, experiencing their friendly ways and that sleigh ride, sharing it all with my best friend, and knowing this romance is all in my backyard...it takes my breath away.