Dear Honey Run Friends,
The start of the New Year always provides a logical and somewhat obligatory review of my past year accomplishments, but this year my reflection has been different. While I certainly need to increase my exercise levels and reduce my fat intake I must admit these things are not ranking high on my priority list.
The Pond at Honey Run
Instead, my heart has been heavy thinking of my friends in Uganda and their struggles. They cannot even imagine having such a problem as too much food. Forget food, they don’t know what it is like to turn on a faucet and have unlimited safe drinking water. Water! I can honestly say that until I made my maiden voyage to Africa I had never thought about the blessing of abundant water in my life. And yet, I am stressed about marketing or coping with scuffed paint.
Perspective in life is a powerful tool. If you allow yourself to gain proper perspective your troubles will be balanced with your blessings. Life, while painful and hard at times, is rich and full of joy at other moments. To miss this fact and be blind to this perspective is a tragedy.
I’ve grown to love The Inn at Honey Run in my tenure at the property. Even though there are daily challenges to keep things working smoothly, when I apply perspective and I look at the whole picture, this place becomes magical. Over the past few months, I had the pleasure and honor of personally helping my maintenance team and a loyal guest build a new barn for the Honey Run sheep on our grounds.
To work in the elements and get out from behind the desk was refreshing to my soul. To see our daily progress and now to watch the sheep inhabit the result of our hard work is rewarding. The time crunch to finish the barn was stressful toward the end of December — we are now just days away from welcoming our first lamb of the season with a number of lambs to follow over the coming weeks. It is an exciting time of renewal watching life come to be and observing the curiosity of the lambs. Seeing the youthful creatures leap with joy in the field on a sunny cold day brings a childlike joy to my heart.
This truly is a wonderful life and I pray that you have moments of perspective to see this reality for yourself. The joy I witness in the poorest people in the world is lost on most of us. Why, with all our needs met, do we still find misery in life? If you are in need of a retreat and a renewal of perspective I would welcome you to come and renew yourself in right spirit while allowing your soul to rest at Honey Run.
A refreshed soul is not a luxury, it is a necessity. I hope this year brings you much joy and success. I wish for you good health and positive life changing experiences. And while I know we will each face hardships in the midst of our joy, I pray that you are able to keep perspective as you march forward. And finally, I hope our paths cross this year so I can share with you the many blessings and joys that inhabit this special haven at Honey Run.
Happy New Year!
Jason
Comments
The barn is beautiful. Thank you for “perspective” I have been refreshed and refurbished at Honey Run many times through the years. My husband and I often came in the spring to lunch and walk the trails enjoying the wild flowers and birds. Thank you for sharing with us and maintaining this tranquil place. Hope to visit in 2015. Joy and blessings. Lee
Spring is certainly a stunning time to be at Honey Run! Thank you for that beautiful picture, Lee. We hope to see you and your husband soon.
Totally agree with your thoughts on perspective. What stuck out to me was this question “Why, with all our needs met, do we still find misery in life? “. You also eluded to part of the answer when mentioning your trip to Africa, getting our eyes off of ourselves, seeing what hardships others are enduring and bringing to mind that which we should be thankful for. From an old Switchfoot tune, “perspective is a lovely hand to hold.” Thanks for the reminder Jason. Hope to visit your peaceful inn again soon. Many blessings! Tod.
Same to you, Tod. Thanks.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Can’t wait to visit with the new lambs. It seems many things have changed since our last visit. May husband and I are looking forward to it.
Jason, we completely agree about the necessity of “refreshing one’s soul.” It is the reason we return to the Inn at Honey Run each year. It IS a blessing in our lives and something we never take for granted.
God’s goodness and faithfulness is something for which we are humbly grateful and at which we are always amazed.
We thank you for this “perspective” message, and keep you and your staff in our prayers.
Jason,
Many thanks for your thought-filled message. You are so right in challenging us to have a perspective beyond ourselves. I have had the privilege of spending time in one of the poorest parts of Peru and found that I came back with a greater appreciation for so many things that we in the States take for granted. During my recent stay at the Inn I had the pleasure of seeing the sheep being herded into the new barn and watching them enjoying their new home. Thanks for all that you and your staff do to provide your guests with a chance to enjoy the beauty and tranquility of the Inn.
Mary Faith
Thank you for your note, Mary. We’re lucky if we can find perspective in both the exceptional experiences and the everyday. I’m very glad you enjoyed your recent visit — your kind words about the Inn and our staff are much appreciated. Thank you!
My husband ( Bob ) and I are retired Delta Air Lines employees and have traveled the world ! We discovered Honey Run last year and fell in love with it. We are returning for our third time next month and plan on making it a destination at least twice a year. It is so lovely, great food, and an amazing staff (especially Linda, and Liz)!! Blessings for 2015, Sherry
Sherry,
We’re so happy that you’ve found us for some R&R! I’ll share your comments with our staff — thank you. We’re looking forward to seeing you soon!
You hit the nail on the head about how hard it is to delegate in the beginning. In my first year, I wasted so much energy trying to handle all my own bookkeeping until I finally outsourced it and gained back nearly ten hours a week. It’s definitely scary to spend that money upfront, but freeing up that headspace to focus on actual revenue-generating work makes all the difference.