For 7 years, my husband worked away from home in road construction: Sunday afternoon through Friday evening, from April to November, he was gone. It was an adjustment when he left for a job and an equally big adjustment when he returned, but it was doable for us, until we had our second child. Once we had two, I discovered how much I wanted a partner in raising our kids. Last year, we put a double wide out on the family farm and moved out to the farm. I never specifically wanted to be a “farmer’s wife” and it has not all been roses, but here are some things that I have found to be thankful for so far.
Time spent with dad, for my children. This was the main reason we decided to uproot our lives and make the move. We wanted the kids to not only know their dad but to be able learn from him in a hands-on, every day, kind of way that seems unique to the farming way of life. I am sure that soon they will have disassembled my microwave and I will regret this one, but also, we want them to have the ability to understand how things work and be able to fix them (or at least not be afraid to try). Even with the long hours in farming, there are times when they spend long hours with dad on the tractor or combine. No other job seems to have as many “bring your child to work day”’s as farming does.
Living close to family. As author Mark Andrew Junkin’s book title says, “Farming With Family Ain’t Always Easy!” The truth is, farming is not easy for anyone, but having your boss/business partners also being your parents can lead to holidays gatherings turning in to business meetings and to do lists (of which I am the guiltiest). Farming with family can also lead to grandparents having a different kind of relationship with their grandkids; a closer one and one that I hope will give them memories and skills for a lifetime. Specifically, I am thankful for my mother-in-law watching my kids so much. My sister-in-law (on the farm) and I know that we will never be the “cool” aunt (the way that the aunt who lives in Helena can be), it is the price of living close; but we will also fill our niece and nephews’ memories in a way that we couldn’t do if living far away.
Small town community. Big Sandy, and the surrounding areas, sure know how to rally around people. From the canned food drive at Halloween, benefits, anniversaries and birthday parties, supporting small businesses at the Christmas Stroll (hint: you should go), funerals, and general activities; people are wanting to welcome you to the community. We jumped in at our church, the community theater group, and are also frequent patrons of the Elevating Grains bakery, The Grocery Store, and children’s sections of the library. In a large city, you are constantly around people but may feel alone much of the time. In a small town, you cannot go anywhere without running in to people that you know.
Living close to nature. My family is able to get outside, pretty much every day. My children learn the seasons based on farming timelines. They learn about life and death by being around animals. We were able to clearly see the Northern Lights a few months ago with them. My children will learn to be reliant on God by us being reliant on God in providing the weather needed to produce a successful harvest.
It is so common to be looking on to the next thing. I hope that this season, you will look around where you are (not where you might wish to be) and take time to be thankful for all that you have now. You just might be surprised what makes the list.
