Welcome to the Farm.  We are Mike and Marsha Riggs and we live at Branch and Vine Farm in southeast Georgia.  Our children, Brian and Laura, live in Atlanta and Tampa, respectively, but are a big part of the life we are building here.  The property here has been in the Riggs family for well over 100 years although we have actually lived on this property only a little over a year and a half ourselves.  Mike grew up here and moved away when we married.  That was 45 years ago and we have had several wonderful places to call home.  This place, however, is really Home.  We have childhood memories here, our children have childhood memories here and now our grandchildren are making memories here.

We had just retired, or at least I retired, when we arrived back here and moved into Mike’s parents’ home.  This has been our dream and goal for many years now and the realization of it is so exciting.  Of course, there is much to do and we have been working through lists of projects for quite some time now.  We’ve always loved this place and this house but are loving it even more as we make it our own.

We hope to make this into a place that is meaningful for our family and also a blessing to others.  Some call that Placemaking and while we are making the place, the place is also making us.  It is my first experience in living outside of a city and I love every minute of it.  We are still at the beginning of our journey here and learning more to live in a way that enables us to appreciate all that surrounds us.

I hope you will join us in seeking ways to live intentionally, in quiet and in rest.  Even though we have finally landed in the place for which we’ve waited many years, you don’t have to wait to be in the ultimate home to be at Home.  Places really are what you make it and every spot has just what you need if you look for it.  It can be in the inner city, the suburbs or the countryside.  One’s happiness or contentedness does not come from acquiring certain places or things.  It can only come as we understand our heart’s desires and make a place for those things wherever we can.  

As we begin 2021, it seems everyone is talking about how frustrating life is during this Pandemic and challenging time.  We have had to make our homes more in tune with our desires as we have had to spend so much more time in them.  I think this can be a huge silver lining as we begin to look at our lives a little differently and make space for what is most important to us.

Thanks for stopping in.  I hope you will enjoy thinking about some of these things with me.