Thanksliving

When I was 10 years old my Dad took me to Farmers Savings Bank in Leighton to open a checking account. Howard, the bank president, thought I was a little young to have a checkbook.

I was also 10 years old when my folks allowed me to be in 4H. Adams Champs. I bought my first club calf off of Granvel, a neighbor. I bought feed from New Sharon Elevator. My Dad cosigned my first loan when I went back to Howard at Leighton Bank to ask for an operating loan for my 4H calves.

When I sold those club calves at the 4H auction I again went to Howard at Leighton Bank and paid my 4H loan off with around 7% interest. When my Dad asked what I was going to spend the profit on, I didn't know. I just wanted to write one of those checks in my new checkbook where I had to sign my name in cursive. He told me my first check had to be my tithe. Dad taught me to share with God and the church no matter how tough times were. Mom taught me to share with others.

Two years ago this morning I found Dad had passed away at his home when I went to bring him a hot breakfast that Jan always prepared for him on Sunday morning. He usually chose not to go to coffee and breakfast with his friends on Sundays. My father was not a financial success. But he said his financial losses were spiritual gains. And he taught his oldest son about Thanksliving.

We've been working on hauling Karl's hog manure this week. With fertilizer prices off the charts "hog honey" has been valuable.

We have also tankered a couple of hundred loads of hog manure for ourselves and others. That's when we use semis to haul it to the honey wagon. As hog honey gets more valuable it pays to use it on fields farther away.

We still have NH3 (nitrogen) to apply as the fields allow. Things have been either a touch wet or a touch frozen.

Recently we purchased a torch caddie with pallet slots on the bottom for loading and hauling. I really like it. It's also built strong. The caddie alone weighs over 250 pounds. I found it on the internet and have recently learned how to purchase "on-line".

Karl and I are busy helping our customers with their seed needs for next year. Alex picked up our first load of seed corn in this week as well. I attended a meeting in Colfax on Tuesday. We discussed seed, supply, what did well, and what was up and down. However what I like about Becks is we also talked about relationships. The power of moments. And not being the best in the world, but being the best for the world. That's Thanksliving.

Last week after the daily responsibilities were accomplished we spent a couple of evenings cleaning the shop across the road for our family Thanksgiving dinner. The shop and attached bunkhouse work well for our get-togethers since our cabin is often busy. The smaller grandkids enjoy the large shop area for playing with their ride-on toys.

After a Thanksgiving church service where our family was the praise team, those of us who didn't have commitments with other family enjoyed a couple of turkeys, real mashed potatoes from the garden, two kinds of sweet potatoes, also garden grown, green beans, creamed and cheesy corn, from this summer's sweetcorn patch, homemade rolls with real butter, a layer salad, a grape salad, peach pie, and cherry pie. There were more dishes but those were the ones I tried. Then Jan is always ready with take-home containers and encourages our kids to take the leftovers home.

After that big dinner Mike and I went to move his dozer to his next job. We had a flat tire. It was off the bead, meaning the tire had come loose from the rim. Fortunately we had an air hose, either, and a torch. For those of you who are wondering we have the air hose ready on the air chuck. Then we spray the inside of the tire full of either. Then light the either with the torch. The large explosion remounts the tire. So you then hurry and add air. Since it was a holiday we just came through Pella with a wide load.

I took this picture from the back side of the farm where Jan grew up. While hauling hog honey. If you look close you can see the old country school she attended in the upper right side of the picture. I'm so thankful for her and the fact that God had our paths cross those many years ago.

Thursday was Thanksgiving Day. Friday was the start of the rest of the year for Thanksliving. Thanksliving is gratitude and grit in action. I have many thoughts about this. However I've used enough words for one week so I will just summarize. Be grateful. Be generous. Find the good. Have a can-do attitude. A big one is move over and become less so those following you, or those you give responsibilities to can become more. I have experienced that surrender brings blessings we never expect. 

We live in a culture today that stresses being entitled and self focused. Like my parents, teach the next generations to share. With God. With others. When we shovel out, God shovels back. And God has a bigger shovel. That's Thanksliving. Blessings. 

The painting below is a Norman Rockwell from the early 1940s called, Freedom from Want, a whole nother subject.