Kim Hudson: Take a moment to learn about your surroundings

There is a barn that I see almost every day. It sits back from the road that leads me home. It’s just a simple barn, one of many buildings that sit on this particular farm.

But this barn is different. This barn demands attention.

You see, on the side of this barn is a sign, illuminated 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It’s a sign that has been there for 23 years.

And it’s a sign that had me asking a lot of questions -- until one day my curiosity got the best of me.

Driving in the car is a different experience for parents today. Most of the time kids have their noses buried in some type of electronic device, never even noticing the sights around them.

I had a vision a while ago of my children riding with friends and not being able to find their way back home. And I was frustrated with the lack of conversation taking place in the car, so we changed things up a bit and the car became a tech free zone (except during long drives).

I wanted my kids to become more aware of their surroundings and to use that drive time more productively.

Without the distraction from their electronics my kids noticed things they hadn’t before. Suddenly it seemed everyone in my family became aware of the barn with the sign that demanded our attention.

You might have seen it – the letters are huge and they spell JESUS.

My daughter had a lot of questions about this sign. She really wanted to know who lived there and why they had that sign on their barn.

Her curiosity was contagious and before long I found myself thinking about those questions every time I saw the sign – which was just about every day.

I did that for at least two years – looked at the sign as I drove by and thought about it. I even did a little research and looked online for information about the barn with the sign – no luck.

I asked a few friends if they knew anything – no one did. So one day I just couldn’t stand it anymore. I totally stepped out of my comfort zone and drove my car to the lane of that barn.

You have to know that was really hard for me. I’m still a shy girl at heart and walking up to a stranger’s house is not easy. But I knew I had to do it.

Can I just tell you how glad I am I did?

I was greeted in the driveway by the owner of the sign. After explaining why I was there, she warmly invited me in and answered all of my questions.

She even invited me to come back so I could bring my daughter along too.

How many times do we drive by a person or a place and never take the time to learn anything about them?

I learned so much from my short time at that barn. Did you know the bulbs on the JESUS sign are checked every day – every day!

I realized there are many places and people all around me that I’ve never taken the time to learn about.

There is so much to see and learn when we can look beyond all the distractions. What do you pass by every day?

Maybe it’s time to stop in.

Contact Kim Hudson at tkhudson@comcast.net.