I’ve been blogging for five years now. In that time I’ve slowed way down on the farm blog writing for various reasons. A couple of the reasons is my heart wasn’t in it and to be honest I miss my old blog. I don’t regret changing to Farming Grace Daily but I do miss my old blog name and what it stood for. It’s just a personal thing.
Just as my old blog has personal ties to my heart, the farming operation is a personal type of business. It has changed in those five years as well.
Today I’d like to share more than what crop season we are in or a cute shot of our farm kid. There’s a story in everything I like to think and if we leave out the golden nuggets of this life the next generation will never know them. The golden nugget I speak of is my father – in – law.
My husband and his father are not able to farm side by side daily any longer. (RV is very soon to be 89 years old) We are blessed to still have him with us and able to visit whenever we like just by walking into their house or meeting him in the farm yard.
Unfortunately the time arrived in the last couple years when Milton’s father’s health declined to the point that it wasn’t possible for him to physically work as hard as the farm requires. If you know any farmer or RV, you know this is not an easy thing to give up.
The days of Milton having his Dad right by his side are more or less gone. I can’t truly know how this has affected either of them, but I do get a feeling. Their eyes and a few statements here and there give me a good idea.
The treasure that lay within that gift, working together for so long, is one that not many people get to experience, including myself. A father and son working side by side and taking risks together builds a special bond, especially in a farming atmosphere. There were seasons where the days were long, hot, and physically hard on both of them. I’m sure there were moments of tempers flared and unspoken thankfulness, that’s just the way it is with them.
Neither would trade it for the world. I know this. Grateful does not begin to really even come close to how my husband feels about his father and the lessons he taught him in life. They are precious and no one can ever take that from him. It’s a gift that will be treasured forever and with each day becomes even more valuable.
I have watched during our marriage, my husband and his Dad work together to create something to be proud of. They began long before I came along 14 years ago, RV has been farming his entire life. In just the few years I have been involved in the farm, I have witnessed and felt both the hardship that farming gives and the blessings. The combination of those things creates a farm family. Hopefully generation after generation in some capacity.
Milton has learned a great deal from his Dad and also his own farming experiences. I will admit it’s scary at times for me. I don’t have that DNA (or emotion) that ties me to the soil or the love of farming, like my husband has. I guess I have to say that Milton’s love of farming came from the man that helped create him. His Dad isn’t just a father to him, but a mentor, a guide, a friend, a teacher, and so much more.
The other night I asked my husband if he missed not having his Dad right by his side daily.
“Yes” was his answer.
Although quite a simple statement to most, in reality it was very profound. Perhaps because I am his wife and although we were in the darkness when it was said, I could tell by his voice the true meaning of what he was saying in a word we all use several times a day nonchalantly.
I think , the treasure of this story is the one that taught good work ethic, devotion to God, mixed it with an unspoken love, and threw in a few splashes of toughness along the way. The result is one lucky little toe headed boy that grew up to be a man not only his Dad but his family could be proud of.
I dedicate this post to not only RV but my husband Milton.
Love your wife,
Julie
In Between the Sunsets of Life 