What Drives Us

We work well as a team. Even with three year old Jayden giving orders from on top of the welding bench. And his five year old brother Jackson spraying the shop floor with a garden hose while 8th grade cousin John runs the power washer wand.

I'm not a real detail oriented person (it's probably one of my many weaknesses) when it comes to managing help. If the shop floor is dirty, and the dirt is heading in the general direction of the door to the outside, I'm good. What drives me on a Saturday morning? I love seeing different generations and different families working together for a common cause. In this case, a clean shop. Even when Uncle BJ dares Jackson to spray Grandpa with a garden hose. And he does! Below BJ and his son John are working together changing oil in their track hoe.

I've had fellows tell me about jobs where they were micro managed by an employer, a fellow worker, or a father. Even to the point of telling them which direction to sweep the floor. Or constantly watching over their shoulder afraid the job might get done differently. Sometimes perfection drives folks. Below Jackson is making sure his dad doesn't miss a grease zerk on the kingpins of their semi.

Another thing that drives me is to encourage folks to give their best effort, not to be scared of responsibility, and try their hardest. When people do their best, it makes them good at what they do. I'm not as good as Mike on a dozer, or Becky with a camera, or BJ on a tiling machine, or Mark on a trackhoe, or Karl with hogs or in a sprayer, or Kurt with planting or in law enforcement. And that's ok. However if someone would have kept their thumb on them, and not let them fly, they would have never reached their full potential. Having team members become more talented than you is an opportunity, not a threat.

Cousins Jackson and Malaki were given the responsibility and the tools to clean the dirt off the digging wheel of BJ's trencher.

BJ was missing a seat so Jackson and I came up with the idea of dismantling an office chair late Friday. However it took BJ and Matt on Saturday morning to come up with a plan to mount it on BJ's machine.

This past Monday morning shortly before 7 we met at Karl's hogsheds for breakfast pizza, courtesy of Karl.

All of us plus Josh, an electrician, went to work and tackled the job of getting ready for a new batch of pigs. Working together a half day tackling a task that would have taken an individual a week is a blessing

Many of the farming entities in our operation belong to and are managed and run by our children. Another thing I feel drives me is to allow and encourage kids to have as much independence as they choose. The only way that works in the framework of a family operation is that everyone cares as much about each others operation as they do their own.

The newcomers come in to a clean 75 degree building with starter feed and fresh water waiting for them. They sleep under brooder heaters.

There is an old saying that you don't just teach your children. You teach your children to teach their children. Believe me when I say I didn't always get it right. However it's a huge blessing to see 5 year old Malaki up at 4:30 in the morning helping his Dad pen pigs.

Jan has many talents. One of the many good things that drives her is her ability to cook. I think she fed us lunch just about every day last week.

The family structure is the glue that has held our country together and helped it thrive for the last 245 years. As we lose that drive as a nation, we lose the very basic "gear" that keeps us moving forward. Below seven month old Lane came with his Dad (Kurt) yesterday. Lane did go in to Grandma later to help her decorate cookies and take a nap.

I listened to my son-in-law Brian last Sunday evening talk about fasting and what controls us. When what drives us turns into what controls us we have a problem. I don't smoke, chew, or drink. And Jan has been my one and only sweetheart (Valentines Day, Friday). However do I think about possibilities that can have tendencies to control me? Do I dare to talk about them? Maybe I push too hard under work stress. Or maybe I lose confidence and think, "Am I enough?" under people stress.

Can we become controlled by a good thing. I got to thinking this past week about our visits. I have written this blog weekly about our faith, our family, our friends, and our farming for the past ten years. Is getting up at 4am every Sunday morning something that drives me or controls me? I asked around some at morning coffee. I asked God. I think even with good things, it's good to step back and ask ourselves questions. Yesterday I received an encouraging text from a lady in Kentucky I have never met who happened upon our visits and thanked me for taking a stand in an upside down culture. Laura, you didn't realize it but God specifically used you to dare to call me. Thanks. I am going to keep writing. However if some week it seems short, seems to lack thought, or isn't timely, just know that my goal is to keep my priorities straight. Thanks for stopping by. Have a good week. Oh, by the way, the stained glass picture below was done by our son-in-law Brian's parents. It's a picture of our farm and is above our sun room door just off our kitchen.