Think About This

"If someone says something unkind about me, I must live so that no one will believe it."

Spring is Here

Spring has officially arrived. The Cardinals have been playing for almost a month (with a winning record), but that isn't what officially heralds spring here in central Illinois -- it's the mowing (or perhaps the Cubs losing -- again/still). Mike hopped on the tractor yesterday after work and mowed his ditches (he's fanatical about keeping them neat), the parklands and the half acre. I am going to pick the yard of dog poop later this morning and when the dew dries, get the yard and orchard mowed before it gets out of hand. Flash is doing her part by keeping the green lot grazed low and the pastures won't need hit for another couple weeks since they were overgrazed last fall.

This starts our three-day cycle of spring mowing. We have three acres which is broken up by horse fences and each area has a name. In order to stay ahead of the mowing, we do 1/3 of the mowing each day on a rotational basis. That way we're not mowing for hours on one day and if it gets rainy it doesn't all get ahead of us to where it needs baled.

Sometimes this cycle gets to be inconvenient, but as summer approaches and the spring flush of growth slows, we actually get several days without mowing. So if we can get thru the next four to six weeks of rapid spring growth, things will settle into a more leisurely routine.

On Life

Just as you're going along thinking everything is fine, life sends you a curve ball. Out of the blue, you get news. It can be good news or bad news, but either way it can change your life forever. How you deal with that news and the changes it makes defines you as a person.

I have lost several family members in a relatively close amount of time. I lost a nephew in 1998, my mom in 1999, my baby brother in 2003, my dad in 2004, my heart dog in 2004, my favorite horse in 2006, and my nephew also in 2006. Each of those loses were devastating and made me think about my life with and without them.

Life without them in it is not as sweet as it was before they passed. But their passing has strengthened me and showed me that life and all that it gives us is nothing without the love of family and friends. I found a lot of friends I didn't realize I had during this dark period -- friends I am eternally grateful to have in my life.

Life can throw you a curve ball, but whether you take it as a strike or knock it out of the park is up to you.