I have much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving Day. I firmly believe that how we think determines how we feel. If we look forward to each day believing, and telling ourselves that, “Today is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it,” (Psalm 118:24) no matter what we face, we will go into the day with a grateful heart, even in the midst of calamity, for we trust the One Who holds the future.
My dad taught us that concept well. He lived it, especially as his years on earth were fading as his health declined. Even when he struggled to walk and then confined to a wheelchair, every time before our goodbyes, he would quote that verse from the Bible.
Farming for a living is a highly stressful, very physical job. There are decisions one must make that determine how the entire year will go: what to plant, where to plant it, when to harvest, how to harvest, how to treat a sick cow, when to sell an animal, what calves to keep, which ones to ship, maintaining the cows’ cycles, what to feed, keeping them healthy and eating and having enough feed. So many decisions! Animals depend on their humans making the right choices which controls their very survival.
The work is never ending, the routine full of the physical labor of tending to animals. Pushing, pulling, sweeping, scraping, wiping, carrying, cleaning, milking, feeding, scooping, shoveling and forking, all on a daily basis.
That being said, I dwell on the positives of being a farmer. I get to walk to work in the pre-dawn morning, look up to a sky full of twinkling stars and crisp fresh air and fill my lungs with the sweetness of it. Every morning as I walk outside, sick at heart or with a spring to my step, I greet my Maker: “Good morning, Lord!” I realize daily that we are only caretakers of this farm, for the whole of it belongs to our Heavenly Father.
I am thankful that, throughout the course of our livelihood, we’ve had the blessing of raising chickens, pigs and even a litter of puppies along with our dairy animals. Raising our family on our farm has been a journey of learning and experiences I would not trade for anything. Even though our children do not have the desire to farm for a living, they have learned the value of good, hard, honest work that will carry them far in this life.
I also have the perk of working with my best friend, my husband. I respect him for years of arranging our work around our children’s schedules so that, despite farming for a living, we have been able to support each one of them throughout their entire school careers, attending just about every event they participated in. What a blessing that has been! Oh, how glad I am that we have those memories to cherish!
He has supported me through each of our kids leaving home and now as we face the empty nest head-on, he’s given me countless wrap-around hugs as I fell into his arms in tears, barn duds and all, right there in the middle of the aisle as the milkers chugged in rhythm around us. Seriously, wouldn’t you think that would get old?
What I am most thankful for about my husband is that he is a man of God. He has a strong, rich faith and is compassionate toward all of God’s people, especially those others may think less of. Together we worship God our Father, having accepted the free gift of salvation through the grace, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, so we know that we will be joint heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven when we leave this earth.
Yes, I am thankful for much this Thanksgiving Day as I trust God with the unknown future, for it belongs to Him, and I know as He has, so He will, continue to take care of us.
(“Today is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!” Psalm 118:24)
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