As we head into the last hours of 2019 and get ready to not only welcome a new year but also a new decade I thought I would share this story from a very special guest writer, My Dad. He shared a treasured memory with me of a New Year’s Eve about 60 years ago that took place back in Ohio on the Avey farm. I love how he was able to capture a glimpse of farm life so many, many decades ago. This picture is of the Avey farm in Jeffersonville, Ohio. I myself have countless treasured memories at this beautiful farm and it will always, always hold a most special place in my heart as it’s where my love for the land and agriculture and the life lessons therein first began. As you head into a new decade I hope that this story will serve as a reminder to stop and ENJOY life, not just caught up in getting through it or living it on autopilot which we can all so easily do. I encourage you to set your mind and heart to both notice and savor the small things that we can take for granted on a daily basis. This is something that I’m becoming more keenly aware of and thus I’m giving attention to opening myself up to a heart of wonder and appreciation all the more. Without further ado, let’s travel back in time to a New Year’s Eve 6 decades ago on a farm in Ohio…
"While growing up on a Midwest grain and livestock farm in the 1950's and 60's it was not my family's custom to stay up and "watch the ball drop" in Times Square to ring in the new year. A full day working outside in the harsh winter elements left my dad and I pretty well spent by the time we finished the evening chores of checking our livestock (hogs, chickens, and a milk cow) to make sure they were safe, warm and well fed. But one New Years Eve, my mother and I decided we'd stay up and see the New Year in. I laid down about 9:00 with my mother's promise to wake me up in time. Sure enough she did and we watched the new year arrive. Truthfully it was kinda anti-climatic like "That's it ???". On the way back to bed I happened to glance out the utility room window to the nightlight between the garage and the barn. It was snowing, but not like a normal snow. Because of the flat terrain the wind speeds in the Winter months were a constant 10-15 MPH with gusts much higher at times. But this night there was no wind, the snow was falling ever so lazily out of the sky. I alerted my mother, we bundled up and went for a midnight New Years walk. It was absolutely glorious. There was what I can only describe as a quiet, muffled roar to the landscape. Our dog King accompanied us. The snow, because there was no wind piled straight up on whatever it landed on. It was a true winter wonderland and survives as a great memory today."
Cheers to 2020, friends!!