This Kind of Love

                 When I married my farmer I became a farmer's wife. This transition was almost 8 years ago. A wife is a help mate, a sounding board for her husband, an encourager and friend. When I  become the farmer's wife that added a whole new dimension; I then became a business partner and co-worker. Day to day activities are different from a 9-5/40hr a week working husband because farming is a lifestyle. There are no set hours to farming; when there's work to be done you do it. We work side by side most days. I say I don't "work" but really I do I just don't get dressed for a desk job. I enjoy my "work" of running farm errands such as: meals to the field during planting and harvest time, getting parts from the tractor store, bank deposits, escorting equipment down the road to the next field, and just about anything else. The saying, "No one works harder than a farmer except the farmer's wife," rings true to me. My farmer does work very hard to provide for our family. I'm happy to be by his side daily in this journey.

                When our first son was born 6 years ago I added "mom" to my farmer's wife role. I'm still first and foremost a wife but now I have 3 little boys to tag along. On top of all the errands to run there is more laundry to wash and mouths to feed. And 3 little boys get clothes dirty quick and can eat quick too. They get boo boos that need a bandaid, muddy feet to clean, and toys all over the house. I wouldn't trade this part of my role though. I'm still in the "trenches of motherhood" with little ones under foot. It's very busy at our house. I'm fortunate to stay home with them. I also laugh at the stay-at-home-mom role because when we are in planting and harvesting of corn, soybeans or wheat we aren't "home" very much but out in the field helping with as much as we can. I’m fortunate to be able to see my boys' first and watch them discover the world. When we aren't doing field work my farmer stops in periodically to see us, keep up with bookkeeping, or eat a meal. We enjoy the flexibility of our farming lifestyle.

                As Mother's Day is approaching I think about the farm moms who put in long hours to keep the family going. They get up early and stay up late. These mothers have responsibilities on the farm and in the house; it's a challenging but rewarding role.  Moms come in all forms but we all have this Kind of Love for our kids.  If you are a farm mom, city mom or somewhere in between we all have this Kind of Love for our kids that is selfless and serving of others. I did not have an example of the "farm mom" but I did have a mom who taught me how to be a mom and wife.

I hope you all have a great Mother's Day! 
 
Enjoy this short video thanks to CommonGround called This Kind of Love made with some farm mom's across the country I'm fortunate enough to work with sharing our farming story. My boys and I open and close the video and are in a few more clips.

click here for This Kind of Love

God's Promise

Planting season started in early April and we pushed hard to get acres planted. We were successful in planting about half of our corn acres. The ground was getting dry and we were praying for rain. We had a little rain shower which gave us a 2 day break to rest from planting. We were back at it again and then in the last 8 days we have gotten 5 inches of rain.

 

One thing I have learned from living on the farm is to watch the weather. Growing up living in Florida it rained a lot but I never checked the forecast or radar to see how long it would last. When it rained; it rained. I've learned to be a pretty good predictor of weather. Ten years ago 5 inches of rain wouldn't have meant anything; now that means muddy fields.

We are now playing the waiting game; waiting on the sun to shine. Looking at the forecast there is still a bunch of rain in the next 2 weeks. Rain is great for the corn in the ground but not the corn still in the bag.

 

As I was in the yard playing with the boys this evening I saw a sign that reminded me of God's promise that he will never flood the earth again. This is a comforting promise and knowing we will get in the field again to plant. 

 

We have been able to watch the wheat planted around the house put on it's grain head.

 

 

Another thing I have learned from my 8th spring on the farm is that each planting season is different. It keeps life interesting. Farmers are at the mercy of the weather which is a risky game to play.

And for 3 of those springs I have had a baby. So we are planning birthday parties right now around this planting season.