This is what Christmas is all about … Sharing, Giving, Loving
And it happens every day at Dogwood Hills Guest Farm near Marshall, Arkansas. Just check out this quote from Ruth Pepler who, along with husband Thomas and daughter Grace demonstrated the true meaning of the Spirit of Christmas:
Christmas was unexpectedly wonderful. We have a potluck supper in the barn loft every 2nd and 4th Sunday. Everyone had said they had plans for Christmas, so we canceled it. Saturday night, one of the ladies posted on Facebook that they were looking for a place to eat in Marshall on Christmas and mentioned about it being hard not having family in the area. My husband had to work Christmas at the Hospice House in Harrison, so it was going to be a quiet day here. I called the lady and asked her to come for dinner. She started crying and said she would be there. I thought for half a second and started calling the rest of the folks who come out on Sundays. Would you believe only one family had something to do? So Gracie and I started cooking and the folks who work with us on the farm started setting up the loft and in a few hours we had 18 people for roast beef dinner with all of the trimmings! It was an amazing day filled with laughter and tears as this group of people realized they really did have family. That really is the heartbeat of our farm, a place to belong, to break bread and fellowship. Everything else flows from that.
Blessing for the New Year,
Ruth
Below, a photo of Ruth, Thomas and Grace plus a collage photo of the Christmas dinner.
I am a member of the Arkansas State Parks and Tourism Commission and met Ruth at the Governor’s Conference on Tourism. I was so impressed and inspired by what this family is doing in rural Ozarks Arkansas that I have been doing what I can to support their Guest Farm.
Check it out on their web site for more details … and plan a visit, a stay and a prayer of thanks for this special place.
http://www.dogwoodhillsbb.com … or call them … 870 448 4870
Happy New Year and blessings to you as you read this beautiful story.
Jim Dailey 