“Farming is a profession of Hope.” – Brian Brett
Sometimes and many times you don’t choose to be a farmer,
you are chosen. It’s that undeniable
desire to watch something grow from nothing into something amazing and to know
that you made that happen. It’s that tug
that pull, that fact that no matter what you aren’t complete doing anything
else.
That’s how it is for Derrick and I. Trust me there have been a lot of times where
things go wrong and they are devastating and you ask “why am I doing this”. Farming is a profession of faith, there is no
doubt about that. There are hard times,
financial struggles, lost cattle, lost crops and 60 to 70+ hour work weeks
where you miss your family time and social events. I can tell you of times where I personally
have dropped to my knees because of an event and asked God that question. “Why am I doing this job”, “Why did this have
to happen”, and of course as a Christian I should not ask why for I know He has
a plan.
My first experience with this was when I lost a cow that my
husband bought for me as an engagement present.
He had brought her home as a surprise for me from Virginia. I loved that cow when I was down in Virginia and
he surprised me with it as a gift. She
was going to have a calf and I was so excited and then in a horrible storm she
was taken from us. I cried and asked
these questions. That was in my first
few months as a farmer. But it taught me
that all things live and all things pass.
God was testing me to see if I had the grit to handle what farming could
throw at me.
And then there are times when God blesses you as well for your
faith and devotion not only to Him but also to the land, the animals, to your
family, to all the gifts he has given you.
I have mentioned my 4 kids many times so far…and I will probably keep
reminding you of them…yes 4, oh I know!
But my last two were twins and I was on bed rest and in and out of the
hospital and at home with nursing care.
It was like this from 6 weeks into my pregnancy until they were
born. This was a hard time for my
family, I was very ill, our other children didn’t understand what was always
happening and my husband was working full time, running our farm by himself and
taking care of me and the kids. To be
honest, he looked horrible and I was more worried about him than me. At the time we didn’t know why God had given
us these babies but after they were born and we saw what we all went through
and how tight and strong our bonds were we understood His plan. There is always a light after the storm.
Farming and raising a family is without a doubt about believing
in and following God. Those calves that
are born every season and, those crops that give your farm a bountiful
harvest. All that hard work, seeing it
pay off. Being able to give your
children the opportunity to be raised on a farm and teach them what a strong
work ethic is. To be able to raise them
with a love and understanding of farming and that God will always provide for
you on any path you follow. That He always
has a plan. That is a farmer’s legacy to
the next generation. That is our legacy
to our next generation.
They are so cute, right?
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