Faith, Family, Farming and Fun!
- Abby Thomas
- Jul 5
- 3 min read
The week of the Fourth of July is buzzing with excitement as people prepare for their Independence Day celebrations! But there is an unmatched level of intensity among the farmers of central Minnesota working in the fields to get the hay made before their celebrations begin.
I have countless memories of being fueled by adrenaline as I hauled bales home from the field, in hopes we would finish before the first blast of fireworks.
This summer, I pulled myself out of retirement, or maybe you could consider it an extended maternity leave, and agreed to help make hay. As I drove from farm to field and back again, I was filled with nostalgia. It seems like a lifetime ago since I was white-knuckling every wide turn the summer after my 16th birthday.
The part of farming that I admire the most is family. Related by blood or through a lifelong employment/commitment to the farm, those earliest summers were the good ol' days with multiple generations working side by side. There was something magical about working alongside my dad, my sisters, and my grandpa.
Proverbs 22:6:
"Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it."
One of the many benefits of growing up on a farm is learning valuable life lessons. For starters, we learned the importance of prayer. Both my grandpa and my dad had a deep devotion to the rosary. Our Blessed Mother must have been working alongside us on those hot summer days!
I learned to always load the trailer in the direction of home and to never underestimate the importance of a wide turn. Taking things too short often resulted in getting hung up on a field approach, dragging dirt with the back wheels, or accidentally hitting a tree with the side of the trailer. Grace was always given when a mistake was made but I was always reminded to call for help when I didn't feel comfortable or safe.
We learned it's okay to balance work with a little fun and humor! One summer, I distinctly remember seeing a small tuft of hay stuck to a mailbox. As our workday concluded, my grandpa, who was hauling bales with a tractor, brought up the mailbox. Naturally, I blamed him for driving a little too far over the white line. I will never forget how hard he laughed as we both knew I was to blame.
I was encouraged to invite passengers to ride along. My cousin Lizzy or closest friend Jessie were often there to make the long days go faster. It was in the cab of the hot truck (without air conditioning) that we talked about everything from boys and high school drama to college endeavors, and eventually, we planned my wedding. In fact, the very day my husband and I got engaged, my sisters threw me a surprise engagement party in the field.
One night, we had a dance party on the bed of the trailer, and another evening, we all piled into my sister Hannah's truck, and with a 40 ft trailer still attached, we made a snack run to the gas station. We stopped at a garage sale with the farming equipment and had pizza parties between loads. We would exchange waves or put peace signs out the window as we passed one another on the road.
Jeremiah 29:11
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Since that first summer 13 years ago, my life has been full of joy, sorrow, fear, love, laughter, uncertainties, and so much more. Sometimes my life did not make sense. Sometimes it felt unfair. Sometimes life was so incredible it did not even feel real or that I was worthy of all the goodness surrounding me. But through it all, the Lord was there and will continue to be there for the many farming memories yet to be made! It is a true gift to be enriched by a farming lifestyle that was enriched with faith, family, and fun.
Until next time, your sister in Christ,
Abby
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