homesteading now today what a difference

I am currently reading a series of books about a family who came to homestead in the mid 1800's and I am totally in awe in their bravery and most of all their faith. As you know I just recently started homesteading on my piece of property and am enjoying it thoroughly. The joy I get gathering my chickens eggs, harvesting a meal from my garden is unmeasurable. Now that I am reading these books I am finding it an honor to carry on the traditions of my forefathers.

In today's world everything is so easy. You need food you go to the store, you need water you turn the tap on, you need heat you turn the furnace on, you need electricity its the flip of a switch and you have it, You get sick you go to the doctor. Our forefathers and mothers had none of the sort. Everyday was a struggle to survive. They did not have the convenience of driving five minutes to get anything they needed. They needed a home so they would work their behinds off cutting sod to make the walls and trees to make the roof. They needed food they hunted and grew their own. If their crops failed they went hungry. The tedious jobs of just surviving blow my mind away.

Just think for a moment put yourself in their place. Most of the settlers were from other countries so after working hard to save the money for passage to America they headed out for the unknown with the promise once they landed they could get free land to homestead. They had to leave their families knowing that they would probably never see them again. We complain when our family members are a short distance away just think about never seeing your sisters, brothers, mothers and fathers ever again. These settlers knew that but the drive to give their families a better way of living won out. So they finally land in America most of them not speaking our language. They need to find passage to where ever they were going. They get on the trains to take them out to the middle of nowhere they finally arrive to where they are going and the real work begins. They find a piece of land that has nothing on it except vast prairie and a form of water which comes from a river or a creek. They look around and realize that they are the only living beings within miles, I can't help but feel lonely when I think of that. They are in complete mercy of the land and of course God. Their faith is strong which is good because that is what gets them through all the hard times ahead of them. They begin to work their land hope they can get everything done to survive before the first winter comes. Winter comes and they realize how harsh the prairie really is. The storms are horrible and they still need to do all their chores so they find ways to survive in the snow. One of the main ways was tying a rope to the house and barn so they wouldn't get lost in the storms. Can you imagine living through that? Heck we get mad when it takes forever for the snow plows to come down our streets. Spring finally arrives after being stuck in a tiny 10by14 soddy all winter long they are so grateful they can get out that they don't even mind all the mud and bugs it brings. Now they start their work again and hope they can get all the things done that were not able to the first year. They pray that sickness doesn't hit because there is no way to get to a doctor. Many families lost their loved ones this way and many more were completely wiped out.

When I think of the struggles they had to go through it really makes me grateful that my homesteading is way easier than theirs. Often I say I have an old soul because even after reading about what they had to do it still intrigues me. It challenges me to really put extra effort out when I do my chores and makes me want to try things that I never would have. My motto is if they could do it then so can I. So fellow homesteaders enjoy what we have and always remember the ones that came before us. If it wasn't for all their hard work none of us would have what we all appreciate so well. Happy homesteading.