Day 20-Dedication
Today I am thankful for ALL of the families that allow their dads and husbands to spend their free time with us here on the farm to make harvest and the fall field work happen.
Good ole’ fashioned work ethic hasn’t been lost here on the farm with any of our employees. In recent conversations with several of the guys, it is very clear that they aren’t afraid of the work and they will take on the hours and even be excited about it!
For guys with families at home, if the families are not happy with the Dad working long hours, then the Dad doesn’t do it! It’s a little like the “If mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy!” saying. So we really want these ladies to know how much we appreciate THEM!
It can be rough on the mom to be a single parent to kiddos while dad is working ground after his 9-5 or when he is here at the farm before the sun comes up and stays here well into the evening. Often these guys will grab a quick supper after work and head on out to the field to work ground well into the wee hours of the morning or put in long hours here at the farm during the day and on into the night. Then they will sleep a little and do it all over again. Yes, they get paid, but it is still a hardship on the family. Many of these dads don’t see their kids awake for more than 10 minutes each day (or less) throughout the farming season. Once this harvest, my hubby mentioned he hasn’t seen the kids awake in a whole week. Wow.
Another conversation I had recently with a guy and his wife, that works ground after his 9-5, made me realize just how much a part of their family life OUR farm is! They were jokingly talking about them finishing a room for him to sleep in during harvest so he can SLEEP IN a little and not be awoken by his wife’s hairdryer early in the morning. I know that our harvest and planting seasons mean a real change for our family in it’s routine. (Actually harvest lasts so long it’s like a real NEW routine, not a temporary change in the old one.)
But to hear from both spouses how OUR harvest season is a real change in THEIR family routine made me appreciate their dedication even more.
Justin and I hope that our kiddos can see the importance of hard work and integrity and the value of doing a job right and seeing it through to the end. We try to instill that into their lives on a daily basis.
So today, I am thankful for ALL of the people involved in our harvest. We are doing important work here people and I’m glad you are on OUR team! You can see a few of the people that put in long hours here on the farm at our farm website. There are more not pictured that work seasonally but many aren’t pictured because the photog (me) isn’t available to photograph them the crazy overnight hours that they work and the photog (me) is a little behind on the updating.
Want to start at the beginning? Day 1
Want to follow along and learn more about farming and food? Click on over to 30 Days on a Prairie Farm Series.
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