The Farmer's Confession

 His confession came out unexpectedly.

We were working on the last of the rooted cuttings

of our shrubs.  I was potting them up,

and my Farmer was watering them and then loading them on the trailer.

 

The kids had helped load most of them,
but having just a dozen or so left,
we'd let them race away to the swing set.

I complained of a headache.
"Is there something in the air because Levi has sniffles
and seems to have allergies as well?"

"I don't think so.  Not with all this moisture in the air."
He set the plants down.
"Here, do you want a sip of coffee?"

With that he opened his truck door and grabbed
the capped cup from a fast food restaurant.

"What is this from?"
I asked as I took a sip of the coffee
and then struggled to swallow it's cold bitterness,
wondering why I'd thought it would be hot.


"It's from this morning..."


.................

This morning I had slept in.
Violet and Levi had as well.
It was an unusual situation as we never really get to sleep in
because the youngest member of the family wakes early,
digs through all of our closets trying on every body's shoes
til she finds the pair that pleases her most,
then stomps into my bedroom and pries my eyelids open with,
"Get up, Mommy.  I want breaksest."

She's a morning person, like her father.
She wakes up prattling and singing and smiling,
while I mumble through my fog,
"Wait a minute.
  Let me change your diaper before we go down."


So when Shawn was home a day this week,
he decided to take Lillie out with him to do some errands.

They'd been gone for well over an hour.

Such peace.
Sweet sleep.

No clomping high heels to waken me.

...............

"It's from this morning,"
he said,
"Lillie and I went out for breakfast,
but don't tell the other two."


It wasn't until later that I thought of the sweet breakfast scene...

a father eating with his two-year-old daughter,
sharing pancakes and sips of coffee.

It made me smile.
I'm glad he takes time to do things individually with the kids.

I sometimes complain about farming;
I love it and hate it.
I know it is rotten of me to even think of complaining;


 but sometimes I let it get to me:
how much time, energy, and money it takes my husband
after a long day at a regular job.

I get impatient.

The sacrifice of the immediate makes me forget about the rewards.

It's a demanding way to make a little extra money
after the initial investments of calves, seed, etc;
but hard work and sweat are good for all of us,
it teaches good work ethic to the kids,
and gives us rewards and a life we all enjoy;



but more than that, it's what my husband loves.
 
It is his stress relief and passion.

I should always support that.





When the hay season has passed
and fall starts to creep in,

I know there will be lots of time to make up for those hot summer days...



lots of time for unrushed dinners,

 for house projects,

evening games with the kids,

for sitting by the fire and watching movies;...



lots of time for making memories over simple things...


like a breakfast of pancakes and coffee.

"To every thing there is a season,

and a time to every purpose under the heaven:"

Ecclesiastes 3:1

"And also that every man should eat and drink,

and enjoy the good of all his labour,

it is the gift of God."

Ecclesiastes 3:13

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