checking calves
a gratitude poem
the snow glowed purple electric blue and magenta stripes dancing above and below the frozen prairie. this night, this three-in-the-morning, everything stopped. the soft breath of the cattle was the only sound – even the wind laid down to watch. a mother dragged her tongue over her newborn what joy, to open your eyes and see all the glory of creation celebrating around you. the hard days – the sore udders, the stress of survival, trampling snakes, keeping night watch – can wait. in the truck bed my grandma reaches out to take my grandpa's hand.
This poem is dedicated to my Grandma, married for over 50 years to a Nebraska farmer.
A recent study on the mental health of female farmers married to men revealed the unique joys and stressors of farming on women. The researchers interviewed over two dozen farm women and found that they fill many roles. These women play a part in managing the farm, the household and family, and the emotions of themselves and others, all while often feeling quite lonely and isolated.
But they wouldn’t trade it for the world. These women are tremendously proud of the hard work their families do. They find solace in their faith and the joys of farm life, describing it as “A great life, if you can stand it.”
This research immediately brought back childhood memories of summer days on my Grandparents’ farm. Daily life revolved around the farmhouse, where a hot cup of coffee and good company waited for all. My Grandma raised chickens and had an overflowing garden where I first learned the joys of a sun-ripened tomato eaten off the vine. She supported my Grandpa and he supported her, always bringing her little boquets of wildflowers from the pastures (pictured above).
I asked my Grandma once if she had ever seen the northern lights and she said, “Oh yeah, all the time, when we were out checking for newborn calves in the middle of the night.” Such is life on the farm. They worked round the clock, through blizzards and heatwaves, through moments of great beauty and pain.
Today is Thanksgiving, a day that many Americans celebrate by bringing their families together with food. The hardworking families who grew and raised that food deserve our gratitude.