The View from the Tractor

September is busy! Kids in school. Every night of the week has something for them. Especially when you have one in HS, two in elementary, and one preschooler. I can’t wait to see how it goes when we have two in HS and one in Junior High. Football, Cub Scouts, Soccer and probably a few more I can’t remember.
Farming isn’t any better. It’s time to drill wheat. Plant it in September, and wait until July to harvest it. Sometimes that is a long 9 months. Then there is millet to harvest. If it rains on the millet which is win rowed and laid down in swaths waiting to be picked up by the combine, then it may take some time to dry. I have harvested millet in March of the next year before. This is all compounded with the fact that I drive by and see the corn is really turning fast and it won’t be long before the combine needs to be switched over from small grains like wheat and millet to coarse grain settings like corn.

No matter how stressed I get about this time of year, it always seems to get done. I just wish there were about three of me.

This is the last week of school in these parts.  Warning to parents,  your kids will be home all day, everyday, for a few months.  I am a little worried as it seems the weekends when the kids are home, the house Sunday night looks like a tornado blew threw the bedrooms and into the living areas.

I want to thank all the teachers for the work that you do.

I posted on Facebook recently that there is one word to describe the K-2 grade teachers at our children’s school and that is LOVE.  I have personally witnessed their hearts and souls being poured out into these kids.  One teacher even remarked that a real teacher is one who at the end of the day has at least one student in which they want to take home and adopt for their own.

What amazes me the most is when I am talking with my children and out of the blue, they comment or amaze me with some fact that I know they did not learn at home or on TV.  I am amazed at how much they are shaped and educated at school.  And even if it is something that is bad that one of their friends may have taught them, I am glad I get the chance to correct it as a parent.

I remember one time making the statement, “I want my kids to fail.”  An older gentleman said, “You WHAT?  You want them to fail?”  I said, “Yes, I want them to fail.  Because the lesson at this young of an age is much less painful than the consequences when they get older.”  I hope they learn to make good choices at this age than when they are teenagers.  When they become teenagers, they will already know the good choices they need to make.

So THANK YOU teachers!  You hold a special place in my heart and the work you do is not going unnoticed.  Feel free to thank a teacher in the comments section below.

We have been very fortunate this school year. I don’t think any of our kids have been sick. That was until last night

Now, I don’t want to suggest anything but as I graze across Facebook, I notice that kids are getting sick all over the place. Parents telling the woes of their children’s illness are obviously a sign of the times.

One mother tells of her twins both being sick. That unleashed a fury of comments of consolation. One friend helped comfort the mother by looking at the bright side suggesting that it was good both were sick simultaneously. That way, it was only one week of illness instead of two.

Another mother commended her young child. Her little one suddenly felt the need to regurgitate that last meal in the living room. The little trooper performed well holding it all in her mouth until she could make it to a proper disposal place, avoiding an embarrassing mess in the living room.

And what parent hasn’t suffered through a night of unexpectedly being awakened by a suffering young one? The problem is even more complicated when the youngster fails to speak legibly so one can decipher the actual problem. Of course it is mom who must play the role of nurse and doctor. I try and do my part in the middle of the night by just staying out of the way. But on occasion, I have been brought in for the second opinion consult. Let’s face it, Dads solution is commonly, pump them full of NyQuil so we can all get some sleep.

Sick kids are something that will always be with us. God be with those who hurt right along with the kids, who try and make everything better. I am off to give another dose of the sleepy juice.

Today is January 26th.  It’s not a Holiday.  We don’t take today to remember our military in any special way.  But I want too.

I was recently reminded how terrible war is. In fact, when you think of it, much of life contains terrible things.  Car crashes, catastrophes, frightening events can be around any turn for any of us.  But for those serving in Iraq and Afghanistan it is a common way of life.

I am about to be vague on purpose. The details are not important and I don’t want to get anyone in trouble.

Some friends of mine received a call.  The caller was telling them that their son was a mess.  He is serving a tour overseas.  He had just witnessed something horrific.  Evidently some kids had approached the base gate and were begging and pleading with the personnel inside to let them in.  They needed help and were in fear for their lives.

Those guarding the gates were ordered to let no one in.  They could not let them in because it was possible that these kids had bombs strapped to them or they were used as decoys for something worse.

As they yelled to the kids to go away, suddenly, the innocent children were killed.  How or why is uncertain, but it had quite a traumatic effect on the brave men and women who were witness to this grave tragedy.

It’s hard to describe and difficult to imagine.  My heart goes out to what these young men and women servants are subject too.  Harsh weather extremes, difficult uncomfortable circumstances, away from home, a challenge for their marriages, and then dealing with horrific ordeals like this.  I attended the funeral of a man whose Grandson was in the Navy and stationed in Japan.  He carries a heavy heart thousands of miles away from a grieving family.  Nothing is easy for these men and women.

Jesus once said: “ Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

I am proud, honored and humbled by the things that these people do for us. Not a day goes by when something doesn’t remind me of the service our military provide to keep us safe.  They serve those who may never get the chance to personally thank them and their families.  Let us never forget the price that was paid for what we enjoy here.

It’s easy to do something on Veterans Day.  Do something for a family whose son or father is overseas serving a tour in the military today.

How are your New Year Resolutions?

I don’t make any, so I don’t have to break any.  Yes, it was a flipping of the calendar.  It was the start of a brand new year, a fresh beginning.  So why do we have to have a fresh beginning on a certain date?

I once heard Jim Rohn question as to  why should one wait to make a change that would benefit your life.  Great point!  However, being a weak and conformist human that I am, I have engulfed myself to starting something on the 1st day of January.  Its, called reading.  As in reading a book which is something I partake of in so rarely.  I prefer audible.  I love to listen to audio books and podcasts.  It works much easier for me except for those books which aren’t in the audio format.

In fact, I have taken on reading the entire Bible.  In fact, our entire church has undertaken this project.  We are reading the The Daily Bible, by F. LaGard Smith.  The challenge: to read this with fresh eyes.  The Daily Bible is written in what is thought to be the order in which it was written, not in the order it is actually placed in the Bible that we commonly know today.  Just another way of reading it.

Let me admit, I have never read the entire Bible in my life.  I have gone to church my entire life, but I have never just engrossed myself in this book from cover to cover.  I find it amazing that the most popular book in the world is one I haven’t completely read.  Gonna change that.  In fact, I’m willing to garner a guess that a majority of those who wear the name Christian have also failed to have read this entire book.

Judging a book by reading a few select passages really isn’t any different than understanding the book by looking at the cover.

 

As I have started out this year, I have been intrigued by the things I have thought I knew about the stories in Genesis.  Its absolutely fascinating stuff.  Its not too late to join in.  Pick it up and get started.

Do you remember when you skipped lunch because  you knew at supper that night, you were going to eat the most amazing meal of your life?  Maybe something like this:

Do you remember that first bite?  Juicy, Scrumptious, Heavenly….

Now, how about the last bite?  Something like this: (If I put this in my mouth, chew, and then swallow, there is a chance I may throw up)

How about a new car?  It’s never the same three years later as it was that first day you drove it.  It’s called the Law of Diminishing Returns.

I find that it is always occurring and we all take part in it.  For example, remember email?  When it came out and everyone started getting an email address, they would forward everything that was forwarded to them.  Spammers came out and email boxes were stuffed full of junk like real mail boxes and people were changing email addresses to escape the inundation of flak flying at them.

Then came Blogs, Facebook and Twitter.  People jumped on and would post a half dozen times.  Some would do that per minute.  But then, they would eventually lose their luster also.  I question the numbers that Facebook and Twitter throw out.  Facebook has over 550 million users.  Are they really using it? Everyday?  Twitter folks talk about their followers, but, really, how many are they interacting with and having a conversation with?

What is it about us that things like this happen?  How is it they lose the luster? Are people not as interested on day two through eternity?  Are the people they come in contact with not as interesting on day two through eternity?

Please don’t get me wrong?  I am not trying to devalue the value of Social Media. Heaven knows I play in that spectrum quite a bit and I greatly value the people that I have befriended over the years of its existence.  But, it really isn’t the saviour of business or  the amazing discovery of the century.  It really is just another way to communicate and connect in a real time manner.  However, it only works if there are people on the other end listening.

I am interested in your thoughts about how the Law of Diminishing Returns is playing in your life.

Technologically? Materially?  Spiritually?  Relationally?  In business? Tell me what you think?