Don't Miss The Blessing

"Children are a blessing and gift from the Lord". Psalms 127:3. Meet Tatum Timothy. A seven and a half pound boy. He was born late last Sunday evening.

"Children born to a young man are like arrows in a warrior's hands. Blessings to the man who's quiver is full of them". Psalms 127:4-5. Tatum joins Malaki, Sydnie, and Brynn as part of Karl and Kristin's family. Thanks for the picture.

We worked on five farms custom combining this past week. The blessing of working for others is the relationships it builds. The corn moisture is dry coming out of the field and yields are still remarkable. We have a fair amount of our own acres to go yet. Our Achilles heel all fall  has been getting the contracted bushels into the processor.

BJ and Cassia's girls (Rachel, Adi, and Natalie) brought us out supper one evening. The older we get the more we realize the greatest blessings in life start with family.

Suppers in the field are amazing. Pork loin, mashed potatoes with cheese, cream corn, and pumpkin bars for dessert. Thanks to some wonderful granddaughters.

I enjoyed watching the comradery of cousins, Ezra (Becky and Brian), Elijah (Mark and Stacy), and Jackson (Kurt and Emily) yesterday as they ran grain carts and brought the corn from the fields to the semis. They were all either encouraging or teasing each other. There is a value in the blessing of cousins growing up and working together.

One evening Papa Jon and Glenda's daughter Brooke hung out with us as we finished up one job and headed to another.

It's amazing and a blessing to watch God at work. Sometimes in our country's dark and corrupted culture the light shines. After a season of debacle at trying to pick a speaker in the United States House of Representatives, a virtually unknown was elected. Representative from Louisiana, Mike Johnson is a Christ follower. He says, "My faith informs everything I do". He and his wife Kelly have 4 children.

One of the many blessings of a diverse family operation is the folks we get to interact with. We miss so much if we don't dare or care to interact with others. When you work with people like landlords, bankers, crop input suppliers, customers, and friends, great things can be accomplished.

Mark and Stacy and daughter Amelia went to Dordt University in Sioux Center this week for a college visit. Mike and Suzanne went up yesterday to watch Cody play football in the snow. Jan and I head up today after church for an Ag Advisory board meeting tomorrow. Thanks for the picture.

Sometimes when we fill our lives full of sand and pebbles, the little things that fill and demand our everyday activities, we miss the big rocks, the things that really matter. Often the urgent overshadows the important. Thanks for the picture.

It's easy for me to miss the blessing. Especially during health concerns. Please keep Tatum, Kristin, and Karl in your prayers as they hang out at Blanke Hospital in Des Moines. And also their three older kids as they patiently wait to be family at home again. Thanks for all your friendships.