Delight can be a hard word to explain. I think it's much more than a feeling. It's a source of joy. A way of life. Delight seems to be connected with action. Delightful people always seem to be on the move. Delight isn't motivated by a "what about me" attitude.
The boys started a project. Kurt brought over his 1972 JD 4320. He purchased it from an older neighbor earlier. Back in the day the classic tractors folks like to restore were the ones they grew up on. Like an A John Deere, or an M Farmall, or a WD45. Today's classic tractors from the 1960s and 70s are the ones I drove growing up.
Our crew is more than happy (delighted) to help Kurt clean it up, fix the oil leaks, and repaint it. After cleaning it gets sanded, then a primer coat, then several coats of color, and finally a clear coat before reassembling it. Stay tuned.
On the first Sunday of every year our church passes the plate with upside down cards. These are called Star words. As you can see I have kept my star words for the last seven years. It's a suggestion for something to work on for the year. My star word for 2022 is Delight. Which explains why I'm thinking and sharing about it.
Events in our lives are a constant story. A story I've shared often is about grain carts and how we seem to wear them out. The picture below is the front bottom where the horizontal auger turns and brings the grain to the vertical auger. After many bushels the floor in front wears thin and needs patching which is what Kurt did in this picture.
However we tend to wear this section out every couple of years. Below is the wore out version of the last patch we put in. Plus the floor was getting thinner making it harder to weld in the patch.
So we decided to go to Plan B and install a whole new floor the full 20 foot length. It required some disassembly. Next we installed a quarter inch thick heavy plastic. After putting things back together and replacing the tarp we pulled it out of the shop midweek.
I don't think Jan fully realizes what a delight it is when she takes the time to bring us a meal to the shop. This was a dish she tried for the first time. It's tenderloin in a sauce covered with cheese and then bacon. With doctored up baked beans in the middle.
Kristin took this picture of Malaki and Sydnie and I wanted to share it with the rest of you all. They are looking at a Becks PFR book which stands for Practical Farm Research. Every year the Becks team does hundreds of replicated tests on the cutting edge of equipment, or technology, or tillage, or planting dates that has nothing to do their seed genetics or traits. They just want to help all farmers become better at what they do.
This past week we went to a meeting in Colfax to hear about the research that stood out. The topics were nitrogen management, fungicide application timing, taking care of the details, and proper planter attachments and preparation.
Below is a picture of a puzzle with all the things that need to be put together in order to have the best job possible for the most important trip across the field when putting in a crop. We usually bring our planters in the shop in March, after our heavy dirt moving equipment. However this year parts need to be ordered and on hand possibly months in advance.
We have been watching some football on TV. I was encouraged to see an advertisement of real life America (there aren't many good advertisements left). In a very short time-slot it tells a story of a guy who lost his wife. Of a daughter who decides to give, including her time, by restoring her father's old Chevrolet. And the delight and good memories she gives him.
As most of you already know there is a double delight in giving. Both for the one giving and the one receiving. Then there can be an additional delight to the giving person if a note of thanks is received.
Delight in giving isn't limited to things and money. Often time for a visit or a conversation is a more sacrificial gift because of how busy everyone is. Sunday afternoon Mike, Suzanne, and Cody went to see my mother in Montezuma Care Center.
There is another way to give, and that is to use our abilities to help others. 4th grader Natalie stacked a bunch of fire wood for BJ, Cassia, and their family in preparing for the late week storm warning.
There is a delight in being productive. I find delight in watching our children and grandchildren be productive. We honor God with our words. We glorify God with our actions. In the Bible Jesus says, "My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and prove to be my disciples." That's a delight. And that's our purpose in real life.
Below is a shop Mark and Stacy built this past summer. I'm posting a bit early this week. Thanks for stopping by. And let's visit again next week.
No comments:
Post a Comment