The Home Poem

Each and every one of my farmgirl pals is a “homebody”. We enjoy gadding about, but home is our nest and the place we love best.

A Farmgirl Home
by Shery Jespersen

Home is where my rocker sits,

Home is where my needles knit,

Home is where my heart gives,

Home is where my true love lives,

Home is where my pillow waits,

Home is where my horse nickers at the gate,

Home is where I rake leaves,

Home is where I clean the eaves,

Home is where I make pies & cakes,

Home is where my squash bakes,

Home is laundry on the line,

Home is a pretty clock keeping time,

Home is where an old, wooden box,

Hides feathers & cards and special rocks,

Home is where I hang my coat and tack,

Home always says, “Welcome back”,

Home is “Matilda” in the barn,

Home is a kitten playing with yarn,

Home is where the pantry stores…

Pickles & jam and so much more,

Home is daisies, lettuce and beets,

Home is a freezer filled with meat,

Home watches over my many loves,

Photos, heirlooms and a wooden dove,

Home is where I close my eyes,

And pray for rain or sunny skies,

Home is where my chickens scratch,

Home is where their babies hatch,

Home looks over stacks of hay,

Harvested now, ’twas grass in May,

Home is where stars shine down,

upon my house and me in my gown,

Home is where I keep myself,

Until I leave this earthy shelf.

Home in Heaven will better be,

But, for now, my home here is a haven for me.

~~~~~~~

To some folks, home is a place to land. For others, home is much more than a storage unit. Even if “work” demands that a “nester” move around quite a bit, they make each house “homey”. My mother did that very thing when we took to moving frequently because of my father’s job. Later, when I married the military, so to speak, I did the same thing. She taught me a very valuable coping skill. Being homesick can be held at bay, if you save “home” seeds and plant them wherever you find yourself.

I’ve been blessed. For quite awhile, I’ve been able to work at home.

For the past 25 years, I’ve been peddling freelance writing and design work for magazine and book publishers. For the last 5 years, I’ve also been making and selling jewelry at shows & nearby galleries. Most recently, I went to work for MaryJanesFarm and from day one, it felt like home-sweet-home. I’m so grateful to MaryJane. I also have you to thank for making this possible. Thank you.

The backbone of my husband and I making a living is ranching. In my mid-30s, the Lord guided me back home and to a lifestyle that I’m well suited for. When I married a rancher, it was truly the first time in my life that I felt wholeheartedly confident about the work that lay ahead of me, my future as a whole and my role in all of it. I finally found the box with my name on it. Home is a place you come back to for many reasons. Destiny might be one of them.

The best home site isn’t necessarily where you came from. It is the place you commit your heart to … and it may change many times.

The above photo and some of the others were taken at my farmgirl friend’s homes. The pictures blended nicely for this piece, don’t you think? We were just talking the other day about how our tastes are similar, yet very unique to each person. “Same song, different verse” came to mind. One thing stands out. Home, our love of home. Farmgirls are homegirls.

Happy Trails,

Shery

  1. auntpammy says:

    The poem is so lovely. The sentiment was just right. Home IS such an important part of my life, that this entry really touched my heart! Thanks for sharing. Pam

  2. Marie says:

    Oh so wonderful to know how special it is to have a home ~ and to know that IS where your heart is..and most likely the things you love most !!!!! I also have a horse love affair ~ 4 at my home with me, my baby being a Belgian Morgan who is 28~oh,talk about love??? Well then I’d also be talking about my husband of 34 yrs. who took a job in North Dakota[our home is in MN.] in November after an early lay-off in construction. Looks like the future may be uncertain, but for now, we are grateful for what we have : our home, our children and our animals !!! Thanks for sharing about your life !!! Marie

  3. bonnie ellis says:

    Shery: "Yer darn tootin’ home is where they love you" even when you share it with thousands of folks on line. You are blessed with many gifts – writing, photographing, decorating, crafting and caring for horses and people. Bless you for you. Bonnie

  4. Donna Kelso says:

    Lovely…the pictures are heartwarming…simple beauty…Spring is right around the corner and I can’t wait to see which flower sticks its’ head out first on my own High Plains home.

  5. Shannon says:

    Dear Shery – Your poems, stories and pictures just speak to my heart! I soooo enjoy your blog! Thank you for taking the time to uplift us all. I’m in awe of your beautiful horses and miss that part of my life. Anyway, thank you so much for your inspiration.
    God Bless!
    Shannon

  6. Grace~katmom says:

    Oh Shery,
    So true! Home truly is where and what you make of it.
    We are so very Blessed.

    oh & by-the-by,,,the 18th picture down (from the top)…I spotted a sweet lil blue & white vintage trailer….yours by chance?
    Having a wee old trailer to glam-up and farmgirl cutsiefy is the Best!
    Wagons HO & happy trails to you too!

  7. Terces says:

    Hi Sheri,
    I so love your writing and way of sharing, I look forward to your blog all the time. We are currently living out of doors mostly, we sleep in a yurt and have an outdoor kitchen and bath house, saving money for building a home on our 21 acre farm where we grow food for our restaurants. Some days I think I may never have a home, and others I think I don’t want to move inside … I so loved your sentiments about what makes a home a home. Thank you once again. Terces

  8. Kristina says:

    Amen, Amen! I love the poem and the beautiful pictures.

  9. Ronnie Brushaber says:

    Dear Shery…the sheer beauty in this poem is priceless! You are truly blessed! Your poem makes me yearn even more for the big sky country. THANKS AGAIN Happy Trails and lots of WAGS

  10. Jan says:

    I loved your poem about home. Home has always been very important to me, so I really identified with your words, even if I don’t get to live in the country which is my hearts desire. I’m not getting any younger, but I am still hoping and praying for my little peace of heaven. 🙂

  11. julie Scherbarth says:

    Your poem says it all. Makes us appreciate what we have for sure. When I was young I was restless and probably didn’t appreciate what home was all about and now that I’m 63 I love what its all about. Peace, security, a haven from the world. Sitting on my front porch in my rocker looking out over the river below me and just losing myself in the beauty.

  12. Debbie says:

    Shery J!
    This entire entry today has beauty and blessings galore!So many of your lines hit home with me, but the one for me was,
    "The best home site isn’t necessarily where you came from. It is the place you commit your heart to".

    We simply must do our best to make each house a home…and I agree…Farmgirls ARE HOMEGIRLS!
    The longer I’m home(13 years now)the more blessed and grateful I feel for everything!
    Thank you for you special way of sharing your world and blessings.
    Beach Blessings to you!
    Deb~

  13. bobbie calgaro says:

    Shery,
    Your blogs always give me joy; the photography and the sentiment are truly shared by me. Thanks for letting me know how many others feel like this. So many of us in our 50’s remember the joy of home and the good life of our moms as homemakers. I was blessed to be a homemaker for the whole of my daughter’s young life and school career. She is out of the house now, married and making a life of her own. But I would never trade those days for what would have been considered a "richer" life. Life has taken unexpected turns and now I work full time outside my home but coming home every day to the house and husband I love, is the true joy in my life. Thanks for sharing that love with me.
    bobbie calgaro

  14. Kristy says:

    Lovely. I could relate to it all….But what are those wild flowers after the poem? I learn something new every time I read/look at your blog, but this wasn’t identified, and I feel today’s knowledge is incomplete.

  15. Janice says:

    I have been trying to decide whether to stay home or go out and get a job…thanks for reminding me that staying home is a legitimate option…and a blessed place to be.

  16. Brigitte Farmgirl with a heart says:

    MY HOME IS the place to be…Where ever I go, nothing and no one can keep me away for very long from my "nest of love!" HERE is the place my sister and I rescued abandoned little ones…HERE is a place where all kind of animals can rest in peace…HERE we all live together in the respect of life…We are vegetarians and we prefer our little ones sitting on us, singing their love to us, than in our plates…HERE is the place I want to be…Thank you for this sweet poem…In our modern world, too many people seem to have lost the true values of life and family…Brigitte

  17. Cora Jo says:

    Shery, but, of course, home is best. Having been a Foster kid, I spent so many years not daring to unpack, so to speak. Even after I was on my own. The good thing about this is that I have lived in so many beautiful places over the years…I can call up so much beauty to call "home". right now the White Mountains of New Hampshire is home to me. One of my favorite places so far, though, has been Dayton, Wyoming. Love that place. Love this place too… you can see my problem! Oh, boy. Home IS where we hang our hearts, for sure. Thanks for such a great blog.
    Cora jo

  18. Claudia says:

    Thank you for making me take a break for awhile and really read your poem. Lovely way to drink a cup of tea. Thank you!

  19. Cheri says:

    We moved quite a bit growing up also. But we always had each other and our traditions. Mom always brought along sheets and blankets so she could make our beds as soon as they were off the moving van. This made it home sooner. We then found all the favorite things in new places, ice cream, parks etc. Our final family move brought us home to my parent’s hometown. And I got to bring my horse along. I had him for 18 years. Now my horses are in my backyard. Gotta love that. Being a quilter, scrap-booker,baker and well you name it- there are lots of pieces of your poem that ring true to me.

    Thanks

  20. Breanna says:

    Oh, your pictures are beautiful! I am a home-girl to the core. I’m constantly realizing, "Oh, I haven’t been to town in 3 days", or "…a week!" 🙂 Home is very sweet. Thanks for posting such a sweet poem. What a talent to have! Blessings on your home~ Breanna

  21. Raynita says:

    Shery,

    Just read your poem with my 8 year old farmgirl. We loved it! She hasn’t been feeling her best the last couple of days. Thanks for making her smile:) Love the statement about home being where you commit your heart. I am seeing my family’s future changing, possibly moving from the only home we have known. I needed to hear that it may not be about where we came from or a site, it’s where you commit to with hearts and souls together. Again, Thanks!…….Raynita & Kamryn

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