The Best Life: The Farm Life

There's something about being back on the farm that brings life to my soul. Yesterday was a beautiful day. Beautiful land, the beautiful smell of harvest, and beautiful people. The sun was behind the clouds and the heat was bearable. 

I miss working on this farm. Everything has pretty much remained the same. The rumble of gigantic machines that you get to drive and name weird names. The funny inside jokes you have with your co-workers over the short-wave radios.The dust and the seed that gets everywhere- in your cab, in your clothes, in your food. The lunchbox full of goodies that you wait to eat until the lunchtime traffic update comes on. The Country Top-40 that you know by heart. 

Zap, with his respectable handlebar mustache, is still one of the nicest men I have ever met, and he still drives around in his fix-it truck with the uncanny ability to immobilize any possible conflicting situations with his gentle spirit. He still brings his two little girls with him from time to time, who aren't as little anymore. Hans is now the supervisor of the harvest crew, and walks around the field with his new black lab puppy, Widget. He specializes in the sarcastic. Casey stopped by with a new grass seed truck and talked for a while, even though he had to get on a windrower at 3am the next morning to work night crew. Although he is not as sarcastic as Hans, he is still the Master of Making Fun. Oh, and then there's Stefan. First summer on the farm, he's doing pretty darn good driving truck and learning everything in a language that's not German. With his dry wit and ready laugh, he fits right in.

Elle's still driving the bank-out wagon, and drives that thing better than anybody. Donald did do some adjustments this past winter, so it now is not quite as bouncy but only goes a whopping 2 miles per hour at top road speed. She laments about now being the slowest piece of machinery on the road, but I can tell she wouldn't trade it for anything. Emma no longer drives a combine and has now been promoted to truck driver status. In honor for "Trucker Tuesday," she even dressed the part, complete with a Kenworth hat and cowboy boots. All she's missing is the beer belly and 3 ex-wives. 

There's something about sitting with your best friends in dusty machinery, putting in a hard days work (well, they were, I just sat there) that's good for the soul. Playing catch with some wrenches. Watching the sun go down. Heading in for the day. Talking by the truck. Riding with the windows down and letting the evening air blow your hair on the way back to the house. Helping Dona set the table while Keith Urban blared in the kitchen. It was when we joined hands for dinner and we thanked the Lord for everything that my heart overflowed with the joy of being blessed with friends such as these. The food was hearty and satisfied something deep inside. Donald cracked jokes and we all laughed. The day was done and the day had been good. 

Emma and I walked down the road by the moonlight and talked about dreams and hopes and plans. Some people in your life bring out the best in you. They do not demand of you, but instead remind you of who you really are and flame that passion for life that sometimes gets quenched by everyday life. We talked of travel and adventure, love and true joy. We also hid behind bushes whenever cars went by, though that probably looks a lot stranger than just walking down the road like regular people. Sometimes we get caught up in what life is supposed to look like. What we're supposed to be doing, what we're not doing, how we are failing at this or that. Moral of the story is this: We are made for unending joy. The fruit of a life with Christ is first and foremost joy. Generosity, kindness, excitement, love, an overflow of happiness. We are so very loved by God and we are redeemed! Therefore, let joy flow out of every pore of us, and let all anxiety and feelings of sadness be kept on their knees! We are children of light; let us live transformed lives!

This life is the best life. It's a hard life, full of long days and early mornings, tears and sweat and sometimes blood when a finger or two gets caught in a gear. It's a culture of teamwork, a culture of hard work, and a culture of respect. As Elle puts it, "It's Agriculture."

Signing off,

B