I continue to be amazed at the impact some time on a farm can do — for kids AND grownups! Tonight a friend I grew up spending parts of my summers with left me another point of evidence to this fact. She simply said “I thought of you today, when my son, David, won First Place in 4-H for his speech on Soil Conservation!!!“
What great news! I love that her son’s enthusiasm for agriculture is so clear — he’s in fourth grade and learning so much. Putting the time in to get his speech together makes it all the better. And I also love that she wantedto tell me so soon of the success!
Margaret and I met when we were in elementary school. In other places and times, people may have assumed we wouldn’t have been automatic friends. I was one of those city kids and played in a land with lots of concrete & asphalt. Margaret was from a community that was more closely connected to rural roots. But we met at a summer camp and we both loved walking in a creek in our old sneakers, and the time around campfire and…. all those other things. My memory has us as becoming “fast friends.” Later we shared those awkward teenage years. We met up in spring & fall as we got older and I still have stacks of letters that were written back in the day — amazing what seemed newsworthy!
We lost touch with each other decades ago and I’m not sure how many times I wondered how to find her. We’ve all heard it before, through the wonder of social media, we reconnected. It’s been a year or so. While at first we connected simply based on those experiences all those years ago…. we’ve also caught up on so many things. My involvement in and passion for ag probably surprised Margaret, but it’s something we definitely share. And when I saw her post, I immediately replied with equal excitement and got more info. Margaret told me:
Thought you would enjoy that! My dad won Soil Conservation Farmer for his county this year and David was really excited, because he and Rebecca had helped with sowing all the high grass seed and planting the trees. My husband and dad installed the water pumps in the field..so he had first hand experience with it!! His ribbon is on his pillow tonight! I am not kidding!!
I love that excitement! And his excitement… so much comes from knowing how great it is to be on a farm, and how responsibility comes into play. David obviously gets so much of that from the people around him. I’m lucky enough to get to share in his excitement and celebration! I’m celebrating both the environmental achievements on the farm and David’s success in 4H — we certainly have room for more people who want to speak up for agriculture! I can hardly wait to see Margaret — maybe we’ll celebrate by roasting marshmellows for smores!
