<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Forty Acres and a Dream]]></title><description><![CDATA[Forty Acres and a Dream follows the wanderings of one country girl turned prosecutor as she bridges the gap between her childhood home and the criminal justice system in which she serves. Through ongoing conversations about life, God, and the pursuit of peace, she pays especial tribute to those who have influenced the author’s journey.]]></description><link>https://www.fortyacresdream.com/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Sun, 19 Apr 2026 10:31:24 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.fortyacresdream.com/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[The Perspective Tells the Weight]]></title><description><![CDATA[      I sat in comfortable silence, just me and my dogs beside. No fire in the hearth, no music on the radio, just a quiet evening pause.
     It had been a long time and I had struggled in the interim to keep perspective.]]></description><link>https://www.fortyacresdream.com/post/the-perspective-tells-the-weight</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69e46520a96d49e56ec1b040</guid><pubDate>Tue, 14 Apr 2026 05:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a02521_31e96b1f5ca941099ea4bfaf5efec1b0~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Germaine Cousin</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[La Joie de Vivre]]></title><description><![CDATA[ I couldn’t shake the joy of wildflowers that spring. Bluebonnets, buttercups, Indian paintbrushes bloomed in abundance roadside, painting the world blue, pinkish white, and red-orange.  Texas dogwoods added their soft hues while honeysuckle vines slowly unfolded along fence and abandoned gate.]]></description><link>https://www.fortyacresdream.com/post/la-joie-de-vivre</link><guid isPermaLink="false">699e6e36bf1bf6f6a2a5a751</guid><pubDate>Wed, 08 Apr 2026 02:36:22 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a02521_f6163bdd7e3848a79dbccaffc0f54f63~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Germaine Cousin</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Things We Can't Forget]]></title><description><![CDATA[          I remember rain falling that Easter, cool, crystalline drops.  I remember racing, laughing, for the patio and shelter; I remember cheap, plastic eggs coloring the yard like wildflowers.  Days like today, I can almost hear my grandmother’s soft, ready laughter and taste the slightly melted chocolate of a Hershey bar left too long in the heat.]]></description><link>https://www.fortyacresdream.com/post/the-things-we-cant-forget</link><guid isPermaLink="false">699e6e368f4f3ef74a9d3895</guid><pubDate>Wed, 01 Apr 2026 02:36:22 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a02521_52cf73d80f7b4e63819dc0958bdac7ce~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Germaine Cousin</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Forty Acres and a Dream]]></title><description><![CDATA[	The land bore scars like we all did: great gashes where a tornado fell century-old oaks, where a shed had once stood, and where a trailer had moved several yards east.
	I saw the blossoms more: of the dewberry vines creeping back, of daffodils left unattended for a handful of springs, and the light green of budding elms.  Clover grew thick near ditches and away from cattle’s reach while Bahia grass stretched across pastures.]]></description><link>https://www.fortyacresdream.com/post/forty-acres-and-a-dream</link><guid isPermaLink="false">699e6e368f4f3ef74a9d3894</guid><pubDate>Wed, 25 Mar 2026 02:36:22 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a02521_115907564e884f1787fcb60ffd290d3d~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Germaine Cousin</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>