BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT A FARMER

I’m not a farmer.  My husband is a farmer. I was catapulted into it through marriage at the age of 35. Before that, I was just living my suburban life, having dreams of a creative job and making enough money to have a place to live. Not once did I think about the American farmer and what they do to keep our country self-sustaining.

It took me years after marrying a cattle farmer that I only grasped the mindset. I had to get over the irritation of him never being home and when he was, a mind that was always planning the next farm day or year. If it was light out, I never saw him. Dinner was usually kept warm for him in the oven long after the rest of the family has eaten.  A few cool things I learned on those nights listening to his worry about his cattle and his farm; Did you know that if a cow eats the leaves off a cherry tree after its cut down, it will kill them? Or if they engorge themselves on acorns, which they love, they will bloat, and you have to run them like crazy for them to digest or else they will die?  They have to be fed hay bales every day of the non-grass seasons no matter the weather, they need minerals in the spring and summer to compliment the grass or they get sick, and if you don’t have solid fences, they will end up on your neighbor’s farm, and lastly, you have to spend the entire summer baling hay so they can eat all winter.

My point being farming is a 24/7 mission.  A mission they learned from their parents and grandparents as an obligation to feed America. And America has been so blessed by the hard work of farmers that we have had enough for ourselves and enough left over to feed other countries as well!

This comes at a cost though.  Most farmers I know also have to work full time jobs to be able to afford farming. In the past years, the powers that be have been driving down cattle pricing, raising feed and supply prices and charging customers even more. They tried running out the family farm but quickly found out that these farmers have more resilience and steadfastness than they could even imagine! I remember one year our tax lady told us that if we don’t make a profit in three years, its considered a hobby farm and you can’t get an allowance for the interest on the tractor you needed to feed your cows.  Farming is not a hobby, it’s a deep seeded responsibility these people have to their country.  You will not see farmers living in extravagant homes and vacationing anywhere. Mostly, it’s the exact opposite.  Every dime made goes back into the farm. So you can eat.

So my personal story?  My highly intelligent, educated husband works swing shifts and makes pretty good money.  Money that needs to be saved for farm equipment, fertilizers, minerals, fencing, etc. because like I said, cows are selling cheap and supplies are expensive. A few years after we were married, He was bitten by a Lonestar tick on the farm and developed an allergy to all mammal meat.  If he ate it, he could go into anaphylactic shock. He kept farming his beef cattle. Years after that, he was diagnosis with a rare blood disease where the treatment and outcome was as rare as the disease itself.  Plagued with fatigue, treatments, extreme sickness, he kept working and kept farming. I pleaded with him a few times to give up all this but I knew it was futile even mentioning it. He is my hero.  So here we are, April 2020. Let me tell you, this covid stuff? It can’t match what we’ve endured already.

So the mind set of the farmer? This country has to eat. Without local farming, there would be a mass starvation worse than any plague we have ever seen.  Stop being afraid of going back to work. If my husband can continue to do what he does for you, unable to eat meat himself, with a rare, debilitating blood cancer, then I think you can wash your hands or wear a mask.  You have a better chance of dying of a fear induced heart attack.  We do our part in our part of the country like so many others exactly like us. Together we feed a nation, without us, the nation crumbles. 

The takeaway; Understand all that goes into what you pick up at the grocery store.  That prime rib you’re grilling next Saturday was compliments of a family that sacrificed “family time”, vacations, and personal well being to have it on that shelf.  Also the distributors and slaughterhouses that process the food prepping it for sale to get it to you. They are all still working to the best of their ability to make sure you get fed.  Stop slamming factories for their sacrifice of working through this pandemic.  There are so many unsung heroes in this invisible war.

THE TREE

We have a tree on our farm.  This massive tree in the middle of a field photobombs every picture I try to take of our mountainous landscapes.  Just the other day, as I was photographing the sunset, I grumbled at this tree with its awkward, mismatched branches and its un-tree like presence corrupting my view.  The tree wasn’t always decrepit like this.

This tree was a pillar of strength.  One of the largest in this part of the field. It had these huge branches that seemed to reach to heaven.  In the summer the shade from this tree would cover a vast amount of space keeping our area cool.  This tree was doing exactly what it was intended for in all it’s glory and beauty.  Then it happened.  The first wave was a severe thunderstorm.  The lightning had struck it so intensely, it seemed to have seared it down one side.  A few years later while having some woods cleared, the loggers attempted to cut this one for us but informed us that it was just too dangerous and unstable of a tree to mess with.  They did what they could and moved on.  So now we have this tree; dead, lightning struck, partially amputated and a major eyesore in my quest for the perfect shot.

Then yesterday happened.  As I stood out on my front porch, enjoying a relaxed mountain view, my eyes went to this tree. I watched it. I thought, this looks different. Something is just not as it seems. You know this when you look at the same thing every day and suddenly, a change is made.  This tree was budding. It was showing the signs that new life is coming.  That’s impossible or maybe I’m crazy.

As I call for my husband to confirm my craziness, he agrees in my vision, turns to me and says, “You know, there is nothing on this earth that God considers a lost cause.  He can make something new out of something people say is completely dead.”

 Wow.  This really encouraged me today.  It’s never too late.  You are never too far past the edge to be pulled back to safety.  You are never so far away to come home.  I call it a reset button. You may call it a second chance. Or 3^rd. or 4^th.

Don’t write people or situations off because it's gone too far. Nothing is too far for God to reach, renew and give new life. Nothing and No One.

An Apocryphal Story

There is too much chatter.  Too much assumption and opinion without taking into consideration foundational principles or truth.  To calm my mind sometimes, I have to think, "Ok, what is true right this minute. I am here, doing the things that need to be done and at this time, I'm ok"  If that's not you right now, you may need  this story I found and never forgot in a Sean Covey book I use for teen classes.

The following is a transcript of an apocryphal radio conversation between a US Naval ship and Canadian authorities off the coast of Newfoundland:

Americans:  "Please divert your course 15 degrees to the north to avoid a collision."

Canadians: " Recommend you divert your course 15 degrees to the south to avoid a collision."

Americans: "This is the captain of a U.S. Navy ship. I say again, divert YOUR course."

Canadians: "No, I say again, you divert your course."

Americans: "This is the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, the second largest ship in the United States Atlantic fleet. We are accompanied by three destroyers, three cruisers, and numerous support vessels.  I demand that you change your course 15 degrees north.  That's one-five degrees north, or countermeasures will be taken to ensure the safety of this ship."

Canadians: "This is a lighthouse.  Your call."

Principals, or as I refer to truths, are like lighthouses. They're timeless, universal, and self evident. You can't break the truth, you can only break yourself against it, no matter who you are.  -Sean Covey, The 6 Most Important Decisions You'll Ever Make.

Don't waste the precious time God gave you smashing yourself up against a lighthouse. Maybe it's time to divert your course and a new plan of action to keep your peace and focus on what is really, truly important in life. Know what the truth is, and act accordingly. Make adjustments when necessary. The stuff out there won't change, but you can change how you respond.


The lighthouse is there to guide you.

RACING TO THE FINISH

One of my favorite past times in the 90s was NASCAR.  I loved watching the races.  It was a time of the triple threat. The Dale Earnhart, Rusty Wallace, Ernie Irvin show.  The original men in black. Watching the races on television was ok but being there in person was a whole different experience. The one thing I loved about Nascar that you couldn’t get with any other sport was the inside scoop.

Driving a car around a track at high speeds, especially my favorite ½ mile Bristol track, the drivers had a limited view.  You have 40 cars racing around a ½ mile circle. It was insanity.  Every driver had their own spotter.  The spotter was seated at the top of the track watching it all from above and communicating via radio with the driver about who is in front or behind them, how close they are and if its ok to bank a corner on the inside or outside of it. 

As a fan in the stands, we were able to have a radio and headphones that could listen to the drivers and spotters during the race.  I can’t imagine driving a track without them. The drivers are so buckled in and secured, that they couldn’t turn their heads around to even see what’s coming up beside them.  The view of the spotter and what they were telling the drivers could win or lose you the race.  The drivers listened, trusted what they were hearing and acted accordingly.

That’s how I imagine life.  There has never been a time I could see the whole picture. The only view I have from where I am standing is directly around me. I need a spotter with the bigger picture. A view from a higher angle that can see the whole track. 

As the God of the universe whispers in my ear, I usually try to listen. When I don’t know whats coming up behind me, I wait to hear. Should I drift right or left to avoid a collision.  If I’m not in a place where I can get the signal, I readjust my position.  The best way to make it through life with minimal wrecks is to be tuned in to the creator, who sees and knows all things and has a much better view than me.

If all you see is what you see, then you are not seeing all there is to be seen. - Tony Evans