Big Blog Announcement

A new name and a new look, and a new store coming soon!

Why a new name?

I know I'm the one that chose it, but I was never thrilled with the original name.  Mostly I just wanted to get started blogging and I couldn't think of anything better and I didn't want to wait to start until I did think of something better.

Why Rehoboth?  

Rehoboth comes from a story in Genesis.  Isaac's herdsmen dig two wells and end up quarreling with other herdsmen about who they belong to.  They dig a third well and no one quarrels over it.  Isaac named it Rehoboth, saying, "Now the Lord has made room for us and we will be fruitful in the land."  When I read this passage about a year ago, I connected with it so strongly because it's precisely what my family is asking the Lord for.  This word has come to symbolize for me and sum up our family's vision to multi-generationally reconnect with the land.  If we name our farm, I'm sure we'll choose the name as a family, but I hope to call it Rehoboth.  In the meantime, Rehoboth is what I ask the Lord for (nearly) every day.

Why Herbal?

I have loved plants and gardening for many years now, but if you had asked me not so long ago what my opinion of herbal medicine was, I would have scoffed and put it in the box labeled weird/new age/hippie/folklore/waste of money.  As I started to become more interested in a more natural lifestyle, I read a sentence somewhere that stuck in my mind like a thorn.  "Why wouldn't God have given us everything we need?"  It's a good question, and in pondering it, I believe it's more likely that He did.  This is not to say that I don't believe in doctors and modern medicine or that I think any or all plants are miracle working wonders.  I do think that many Americans (myself included) have outsourced their health, are disconnected from creation, and too often medicated for profit.  I think there's a time and a place for each, and a balanced middle ground.  I think there are vast, untapped resources that God has given us, and I'm enjoying learning more about them.

Why a new look?

The new look is to go with the new name.

Why a store?

The idea for the store was an organic process, no pun intended.  I'm excited about the products I'm making and using, and in talking to other people I realized that many are interested in natural products but not as excited about making them.  I've mentioned before that I hope to someday earn a living from the farm, and this could be a stepping stone.  It could be a way for me to earn income from home while moving toward eventually transitioning out of my job, and someday maybe I'll grow my own herbs to use in my products!  I don't know what will happen, but this has become part of the adventure for me, and I'm excited to try.

Thank you to my many dear friends who have supported and encouraged me and my family through this process!!  I appreciate it more than you know.