Return to the Land

Why do I feel so close to the church? I often wonder if it is an inherited trait? Great great grandfather Charles Miller was a Methodist minister as well as my great-grandfather Dr. Lorenzo John Miller. My grandfather, John Harvey Miller, was a strong supporter of the Salem Methodist Church on Kimberling and held offices in the church. My parents made a point to take me to Wesendonck as a child and I loved the stories told of the Old and New Testaments. I feel if one doesn’t have spirituality in life there surely is a dimension missing in the total being. I feel it brings solitude and peace. What a great injustice is done to a child if this aspect is not taught early. Farming is not for everyone. In fact, living in the later part of the 20 th -century I can see farm life has fallen into economic chaos. What a shame it will be if this way of life passes in this country. We will have lost a great heritage that our forefathers strove so hard to establish and to pass on to succeeding generations. What a joy it is to see nature at its best, and worse at times and to witness the fields bringing forth crops in the spring and summer. I relish the opportunity to harvest as a result of my toils. It is miraculous to behold a mother cow bring forth its young and how she knows precisely what to do without being instructed. During the winter months I find contentment in feeding the animals and knowing I make their life a little more comfortable in the harsh elements. I don’t farm for the economic benefits for they are few, but I do so for the sheer spiritual rewards I receive. Contentment is sitting down on the porch in the cool of the evening and watching the sun slowly sink beneath the ridge in the west. I think this may be what our creator intended for man from the beginning. Now is the evening of my life. Thus I can afford to be philosophical in expressing my views to the next generation. I hope I have been of some comfort to my fellow man during my professional life. The greatest reward in life comes from serving others who are less fortunate. Consoling the sick and dying brought out the best in me even though I could not always control the outcome. Each person is given special talents to assist others in times of need; they should not be squandered on folly. Lastly I hope I’ve been a good steward of the earth. The responsibility was bestowed on me as custodian of a small portion of Virginia soil as were my ancestors. To honor their memory is reward in itself. I fully expect those who inherit this land I call The Oaks to cherish it and care for it in a reverent manner. This book was written primarily for the future generations who will not have an opportunity to have fellowship with their ancestors. In some small way those yet to be born will be able to read of those who paved the way and that they will still carry genetic code of those who founded this country. They will take pride in knowing who they are and from whence they came.

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