Welcome my friend, come on in & we’ll enjoy a cuppa together while reflecting upon a poignant phrase in a poem that has stuck with me for decades & I saw come into play recently.

But before we start let’s grab our mugs, a treat & get comfy.

We’ve had rain for the past week here on the east coast of Australia with little glimpses of sunshine but it’s still raining & cold as I write this, so it calls for a lovely hot cuppa & a toasted slice of gf Banana Bread.

Now we’re comfy let’s begin…

Memories of the Farm

Those of you who join me here often may remember that I’ve shared a few posts of my life as a Farmer’s wife with my late husband Ed. But what I haven’t shared is that during that time we had started to fully restore our century old Australian country homestead before he was diagnosed with Brain Cancer. I completed the restoration on my own after his passing.

It was not only fully restored when I handed it over to the new owners a few years later, when God called me back to the east coast to live, but it had been emotionally restorative, in my time of  grief to complete what Ed & I had begun.

There are so many sweet, sweet memories that I hold dear of our time working the farm & on the restoration of our home together.

Memories of beautiful mantles over three fireplaces that Ed had handcrafted from timber & wrought iron to surprise me. Original cypress pine timber floors we had sanded & lacquered, the verandah timber boards we had replaced, as close to the originals as possible, & the verandah post finials we had travelled to Sydney to purchase, as they were specialised pieces (after researching old photos of the house to see what the originals had been).

There had been the arduous task of scraping back layers & layers of paint in each room to see the original wall colours to try & match them or have lighter hues of that colour for a more light filled home than the darker hues of c.1899.

Many hours of elbow grease, the painting of walls & pressed metal ceilings went into bringing it back to it’s original glory.

Sadly, Ed passed away just as the exterior had been completed with still many things in the interior needing completion. It took me a further year to complete what we had begun, in between working the farm with his son.

And when it was finished it looked amazing, it was the delight of the our small community that the old homestead once neglected had been brought back to life.

The new owners appreciated the restoration we had done & lived in it for fourteen years not changing a thing right up to the day they sold it in 2017 which gladdened my heart no end. All that hard work had been truly appreciated.

What you spend years building (restoring) someone could destroy…

Recently, I had the feeling that the homestead was on the market again, & I was right it had recently been sold.

Unfortunately, when the photos popped up online the 2017-24 owners had completely ripped out the fully restored original kitchen replacing it with a modern kitchen, the mantles Ed had handcrafted, two out of three were gone & the living room’s mantle had been replaced with a modern timber surround, the original chimney render had been completely removed & the house had been painted throughout in modern colours. My heart sank…

The c.1899 beautifully restored homestead that we had spent years restoring had lost it’s cosy restored authenticity.

The following line from that poem instantly came to mind;

“…What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight…”

It’s from the following poem;

Do it Anyway

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centred.
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind,
people may accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful,
you will win some false friends and some true enemies.
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank,
people may cheat you.
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building,
someone could destroy overnight.
Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness,
they may be jealous.
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today,
people will often forget tomorrow.
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have,
and it may never be enough.
Give the best you’ve got anyway.

You see,
because it’s between you and God ;
it was never between you and them anyway.

Interpreted by Mother Teresa & displayed in her Calcutta Orphanage

Getting a different Perspective

I had a chat with my husband Steve about this & he pointed out that we too have changed the home we live in over the years, granted it’s not a historic heritage home, but it definitely isn’t what was originally built due to our renovations.

We started renovating this home when we were first married to make it work for our two families coming together. And as we prepare to put some finishing touches to this home I conceded his point.

So the next day I went back & looked at the online photos again with a new perspective at the modern changes that had been done & I could see that actually they were mostly improvements to make it work better for this decade.

While the basis of what Ed & I had restored was still evident, the 2017-24 owners had increased the light in the rooms with the modern colours & although two of the three mantles were sadly gone,  the fireplaces & chimneys did look fresher with their new look.

The Poem

The poem above is really an allegory of the two commandments that Jesus emphasised in Matthew 22: 37-40 ;

 Jesus declared, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” BSB

So to love the Lord your God with all your being & in everything you do, do it for Him first & foremost. Secondly, to love your neighbours as yourself.

Jesus pointed out that there are no greater commandments than these & that these two cover all the commandments & law! For when we are fully loving God with our whole being & loving people no matter who they are, how they react to us or what they do with what we have built, we will be in the centre of His will.

Please Note: While the Sale photos initially saddened my heart, I am fully aware that new owners are perfectly within their rights to do whatever they like to their new home to make it work for them within local building permissions. 

The Take Away

We may spend many years building homes, families, relationships, ministries, finances & careers, however what we need to remember is that nothing is permanent in this world & that someone or something may literally destroy, overnight, what we have spent years building. C.T Studd’s following words echo throughout my mind often;

“Only one Earth Life, soon it will pass, only what’s done for Jesus will last”.

So in everything we do, let’s do it for Jesus my friend.

Until next time,

Jennifer

You’re most welcome to join me in The Reading Nook

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In Prayer

© 2025 Jennifer M. Ross, All Rights Reserved. Photo by Pixabay at www.pexels.com & Alex P at pexels.com

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