There’s something about warm light that illuminates the surrounding area as night falls. Outside of the obvious assistance to seeing, it offers hope and gratefulness: a sense of home.

Some of my favorite lights are the headlights and shadows of a combine as I pass a field my dad is harvesting in; the soft lights that illuminate the front porch and left on for loved ones, as they come in late after a day’s work; the sunlight at the start of a new day and enjoying nature’s sounds before the rest of the world is up and interrupting.

Then there’s the symbolic meaning of light: the promise of a new day, the light that shines bright within. Our spirit.

Now that I’m in my 30s with children, I realize how easy it is to get off track at times, and let the world swallow you whole, trying to conform to what you think you should be; sometimes not who you truly are, unapologetically. Sometimes you must find yourself back (the light).

In my office, near my computer is a photo of myself at age 6. I often look at her (pink flowered dress and braided hair, tender heart), and say, “am I being kind to her, am I giving her grace, would she be proud of me, what parts of her do I need to find back.”

I know for some, they are a completely different form of themselves, they’ve rose from the ashes and that’s their destiny. For me, I realize so many of the things I enjoyed and made my heart sing at age 6, ring true today. We are all different.

I am excited to combine my roots and foundation of that small girl with the love and passion for art, creating, education and agriculture into a new venture, Barn Light Press. Barn Light comes from the illumination of a “barn light,” a hurricane lantern with a flat-wick lamp made for outdoors in the earlier days, to illuminate the space. It is symbolic to shedding light on the journey of today’s families (like mine) and the commodities they raise.

This endeavor will focus on telling the story of food and farming, through education resource development, print and digital. It will also serve as the vehicle to my authored work—children’s books, both Honest Emmett, and other books around faith and food. So many exciting things in the works. The firewood has been smoldering for a while behind the scenes (as I raise small busy boys), I am excited to share some of these things with the world (eek).

Thanks for being here.

Blessings,

LG