A graduation speech not given….  

A pep talk not shared…. 

Advice only for myself!  

(Or if it works for you!)

   

What do you want?

Good news/bad news.  Which do you want first?  OK - I’ll choose for you.

1 The Bad News - the sadness and pain don’t stop hurting but they may ease a bit.

2 The Good News - they don’t have to stop hurting for you to see good things happen.

Here’s the plan…

Whether it’s physical pain or emotional, whether it’s rejection or failure…  it’s rough, but here’s a plan:

• You don’t stop hurting… you just take one step and then another.
• You don’t stop being scared… you just take one step and then another.
• You don’t wait until you feel happy… you just take one step and then another.
• You don’t stop loving… you just - well, you know the routine.

Figuring out a plan…

Whether someone leaves you… or you find your job is no longer there… or your health is challenged…  

You might do some difficult things.

Then one thing looks pretty easy.  But you can’t do it.

So you put it aside… for another day.

And then you can take that step… or decide to give yourself a break and avoid it for awhile.

But you’ve considered aspects of the problem… and that’s taking a step too I guess.

Consider…

This is not the life I would have chosen… but it’s still good.

Just consider all the different choices I would have made for my life.

What do you want to be 

when you grow up?

As a little girl I would have chosen to be a “princess”!

Or a cowgirl!  (Actually, being a cowboy looked a lot better.  The girls in those western movies seemed kind of “dorky”.)

Then I would have chosen to have 12 children!

(Two were just fine, thank you!)

Or I would have chosen to be a space ranger.

Then I wanted to be a journalist!

Then I wanted to be with a guy named Paul!

Got the picture?

Some of those life choices came true.

But none of them were for “ever”.

The challenge now is to enjoy the choices that are available.

They can be good.

***

So, instead of being a “princess”… 

maybe I’ll be a “queen” … 

when I grow up!

  How dumb do you have to be... 

to be a farmer?

A recent political quote got some folks thinking about how dumb a farmer is. Although I’m not a politician, I’ve said some stupid things over the years myself. But I appreciated someone taking the time to educate me instead of just attacking my remark!
So here is some educating done by Anna Beckman, 20-year-old daughter of Jeff and Cheryl Beckman at Golden Meadows Dairy Farm south of Cannon Falls, as to what a dumb farmer - and his kids - really do out here in the country.

4 a.m.

Anna explains: “A typical day starts at 4 a.m. Why? Because we create a raw product that needs to be to the market quickly, or converted into a different product that can be stored.
“So the first thing we do in the morning is walk the animals to make sure all are healthy and doing well. This consists of looking at their eyes, watching how they walk, checking to see if they are chewing cud, which means that they are doing well and eating good, among checking a few other things.”

Next... cleaning and milking

“After that, we move the cows out of their area, clean that, then bring them in to get milked. When milking, we check each cow to see what their milk looks like and test it if something does not look right.
“It is important that I know and understand how to test the milk to make sure that the milk is safe for us to drink, as well as for where we ship it that it is safe to consume.”

Three hours later...

“Milking takes roughly three hours including prep beforehand and after. It is critical that our lines are sanitary so that our product is consumable, so we have been taught from a young age the importance of being careful and responsible to take care in everything we do.”

Time for a break...

“Now, if all goes well, we can take a break and go get some breakfast!
“But if a cow decides it’s time to have her calf, then we are there watching her to see if we are needed to assist in the birth.”

She delivered a calf!

“By the time I was 15, I was able to deliver a calf on my own, understanding when and how best to help, when to just watch, and when to call the veterinarian for additional help.”

Other aspects of farming...

“We work with a nutritionist and veterinarian every two weeks. This is to make sure our animals are healthy and taken care of. I have learned the importance of providing the right feed at the right time and how to care for the animals in the best way possible.
“Most families don’t see a nutritionist even once a year, let alone every two weeks. The point is, our cows are well cared for.”

Nutrition and nurturing...

“I am learning how to balance meals for the animals to meet all their nutrition needs as well as how to take care of a sore foot when that comes up. I am responsible for the animals when my parents are not around. The first time was at the age of 17.”

Why be a farmer?

“Why do I do this? It started because it was a part of our life as a family... that we all work together. Now it has turned into a passion for me.
“I love the cows and enjoy working with them as well as seeing the difference I can make first hand. It is hard work--mentally and physically, but it is also very rewarding.
“To know that I am responsible for the animal’s health and remembering the animals cannot tell me verbally what’s wrong... it is of huge importance that I understand and know how to accurately read the signs of a sick animal by looking at her and checking her over.
“After considering the possibilities and consulting with the veterinarian we treat them naturally when possible and make sure they are well cared for.”
And so Anna concludes her explanation of what it means to be a farmer.

***

Thank you Anna. 

And to Mr. Politician... this farmer sure sounds smart to me!

Whatever you call it... act of kindness... a day brightener... 

or finding “flecks of gold” sparkling in our lives. Share the good things you notice.  

 Ripples... a ripple of kindness
reaches the farthest shore

Ever thought of doing something nice but "dorky"? And then wonder why you would do it because no one would ever see it?

Sad reminder...

So maybe just do it for yourself. And then the surprise can come when it means something to someone else!

An old toppled pine tree...

A couple of years ago, tornados tore through the Cannon Valley. My house was spared, but many beautiful trees were toppled.

One huge pine tree partially covered my roadway. I sawed off some branches but the main tree would have to wait.

It was so sad to look at, so I decided to put a sign on it... just a laminated piece of paper with a red heart and the words: “Love Lives”. Or something like that. Just to remind me of something better every time I passed by.

Maybe it was kind of “dorky”. But I smiled when I drove by. And who would ever see it?

Time goes by... 

A year went by. Then two. My little laminated sign got weathered and I took it down. 

But wait!

That’s when I met someone who had loved my old sign! He stopped by because he missed seeing it! It had meant so much to him.

He is a “sanitation driver”. I would hear the crunch of his truck coming down our gravel road. He would wave at me if I was outside. Then, after picking up my recyclables he would head back up the driveway.

Here’s the amazing part of the story...

Recently he stopped to share something with me. It was a beautiful hand crafted wooden sign he had made that said ‘WELCOME’ on one side... and “LOVE LIVES” on the other!

Here's how he explains his reason...

“I waited a long time to be married and have a family. Then I met the woman I fell deeply in love with. I wish I could tell you that it was going to be a happy ever-after but after several years it didn’t work out.
“I took the truck driving job and put my mind into my work. I had my fair days and days I just could hardly breathe.

“The only thing I knew to do was to push forward.

 Then...

“One day, when learning my new job, I was leaving your driveway and saw your sign.... “Love Lives”. I broke down and cried.

“I wanted to believe that “love lives” but my heart was so broken. I found myself wishing I could turn back time.

“But time kept going by... and every time I read your sign I prayed that the pain would be less and life was waiting to show me some happiness.

“I don’t know if it has but I’ve done my best to push forward.

“After two years of reading your sign and then seeing that it was gone... I couldn’t let it go.

“I knew from our visit that you were a widow. I thought to myself that you had had a special time with someone you loved. I enjoyed our conversation from time to time and to me this was something I had to do... your sign meant so much to me. But to me you needed to keep that sentiment as much as I did.

“Maybe someday love will live in my heart again. Until then I will just keep being me.”

Thank you my friend... and as for me, 
I will keep your gift in my heart forever.