Harvest

As a little girl who grew up on a farm, my favorite time of year was always harvest.  When I was little, I would help my mom cook for the guys during the day, and then we would bring the meal to the field each night.  After supper, I would stay with my dad on the combine till quitting time, which was usually pretty late at night.  It was my daddy and I's special time together.  I would always pack a special snack for us to eat during the evening too.  I even had a special shirt I wore every year that said, "I'm Proud to be a Farmer's Daughter." I think I had at least 3 of those t-shirts over the years.  (My mom always found someone who could paint the design on a bigger size when I would outgrow the smaller one.)  It was my favorite shirt!

Four summers ago, Eric and I came home for harvest from North Dakota.  Eric enjoyed harvest too (minus his allergies).  His job that summer was to be the grain cart driver.  He and my dad had fun pretending they were "flying formation" as my dad drove the combine.  They would do that, or imagine that the combine was the KC-135 and the grain cart was the B-52, and they were "refueling" as they unloaded the grain on the go (which is when the combine keeps on cutting at the same time it is unloading the grain into the moving grain cart and tractor). Oh the memories!

This was my second year that I had the opportunity to expose Landon to harvest through my brother's farming practice.  Landon absolutely loved riding on the combine ("bombine" as he called it).  My dad took him out every night that he could.  What a beautiful wheat crop my brother and his wife had this year. The Lord protected their crop from several different hailstorms that seemed to threaten it this past spring.  The wheat crop was such a beautiful display of God's creation.

Taking it all in

Only a few more years before he will be driving this on his own!

Strutting his Wranglers!

"The waving wheat can sure smell sweet!"

The wheat was so tall this year---as tall as Landon!

Hanging out with Uncle Ryan and Newt

With Mama

Hanging out like one of the "guys"

Grandpa's boots

John 12:24-26

"Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me."