The Haven that is Peachy Canyon

I moved to the property on Peachy Canyon Road almost 17 years ago. I had always dreamed of living in the country but never really thought it would happen. I didn't even pray about it. Isn't God good? He gave me one of my heart's desires without my even asking! Anyway, when we moved in, the house had been vacant for three years. We dealt with mice, black widows, snakes, weeds, etc. Actually, nothing has changed. We still deal with all that. But over the years, what a wonderful refuge this place has been.

We started off here in 1995 with Paul and I and our two younger daughters, Jenny and Melissa. My parents moved into the second, smaller house. What a privilege it has been to live so close to my folks for so many years. But God had plans to shelter many more people here on Peachy Canyon. A year or so after moving up here, our oldest daughter, Sarah, joined us. Later, when her boyfriend, Jason,  (now her husband), needed a place to live, we made him some floor space in the office. He was the first future son-in-law to live with us but he wasn't the last. After Zac and Jenny got engaged and Zac started working in L.A., he lived here on the weekends. After they were married, they lived here together for short times both before they moved up north for Jenny to finish college and then afterwards while they waited to buy their house. Donny, son-in-law number three, moved in when he returned from a year at Hume Lake. His parents had moved to Wisconsin and he needed a place to live until he moved into the little house that he and Melissa would later share. And let's not forget the two "vintage" vehicles that accompanied Jason and Donny and found space up next to the shop.

Sons-in-law weren't  the only people to take advantage of all the space God had given us. We met our sweet Tammera when she was just 14 and her family needed places to stay after the house they were renting was no longer available. We took her in for what we thought was just a few months but she was soon staying here more often than not and God graciously grafted her into our family. She is my 4th daughter and her children are my grandchildren and I am so grateful for her. She lives with her husband, Eli, and their children in Tucson now and I miss her terribly. But Peachy Canyon will always be her home.

We've had others stay here, too. James, Danielle and her two dogs (twice ☺), Crystal and her two boys...I can't even remember everyone. But each in their way have blessed me and I think, been blessed by the peacefulness that surrounds us here. Not everyone actually moved in. For many years we have been privileged to use the property for youth group pool parties, college group dinners, gatherings of all sorts. Currently, Donny and Melissa are renting from me and the tables are turned a bit. They could have continued renting in town but God knew I would need some help, after Paul left, with both the finances and the land. What a blessing their presence has been. And to add to the party, Jenny and her three kids have been staying with me during the week. Zac has been working in L.A. for almost a year and only home on weekends. Jenny was just feeling too isolated out at the lake. What fun it is to come home from work to such a houseful! And it doesn't stop at my house, either. My dad, now alone since my mom died almost a year ago, has a friend staying with him due to a family crisis.

I've been thinking about the day when I will sell this place. It's inevitable. I can't take care of 14 acres forever and I'll need to get out from under the mortgage. But even then, Peachy Canyon will continue to shelter me. My hope and prayer is that with the eventual sale of the property, I will be able to buy a smaller place for me and my dad but one that would have no mortgage, hopefully allowing me to quit working sometime before I drop dead. But it will be bittersweet to leave here; so many memories and so many lives. But my peace and my security is not in a place, a home, a property, or a person. My security is in the Lord and He will provide!

The little drawing below was a doodle that I drew on the back of some sermon notes. The notes are dated April 12, 1992. I was daydreaming about a winding, country road and a house at the end of a long driveway. I have kept that drawing in my Bible ever since then. If you've been out to my place, you can see the similarity in the drawing to my Peachy Canyon property. This little sketch was done three and a half years before I ever laid eyes on Peachy Canyon. It is a constant reminder to me that God knows my every thought! The shelter that He has provided to so many over the years assures me that He will continue to be my refuge.

Psalm 91:1

   Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High 
   will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 

Psalm 18:2

   The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield  and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.