Life, Death, Sunshine, and Storms

by Michele Boy | December 24, 2024

Here we are, Christmas! Temperatures in the fifties and sixties doesn’t make it feel like Christmas. 
 I feel like it should be cold, wet, and white out. 
  There is a good chance of rain on Thursday. Moisture always makes farmers feel good.
  My social media memories remind me how two years ago it was -8 and with the wind chill it was -34. 
 Just like my mind is going in twelve directions, so is this column. Between getting this paper out, getting Christmas presents wrapped (and by wrapped I mean stuffed in sacks with tissue paper), and all the other end of year things, I am still running behind. 
  So proceed with caution but these are just a few of the thoughts I have. 
  We are getting ready to lamb. Our first babies should be born the first week of January, then another a few weeks after that.
  I feel like the excitement of newborn lambs on the way is kind of biblical. Tending sheep much like they did in the bible  helps me feel connected to God. 
  Maybe that is why farming and faith are so connected.  Farmers and ranchers care for livestock, they watch the weather, and they cultuvate the land. 
 Day in and day out they pay attention to the smallest signs. 
They watch for bugs, disease, and worry over the crops like we worry over our children. 
   I read something that said nothing prepares you for the changes from Mama to Mom to Bruh. 
I laughed. 
But the truth is nothing prepares you for all of life’s changes. 
As I write this, a man I have known and admired for many years is preparing to pass on to the other side.  
  His life stories he shared with me warm my heart and make me smile.  He has lived a good life.  I am honored to have known him.
 Moments like this remind me about living life to the fullest. It also reminds me the world keeps spinning and changes keep happening. 
   As I sat in church Sunday, I thought of those who I knew that sat in those pews who have passed on, moved away, or attend different churches now. 
  I miss them all. For the girl who moved all the time, staying in one place creates a new set of emotions as you watch others pass on, or move away, go to college, marry, have children,  etc. 
  Times and people change. 
2024 is coming to an end, can you look back and say you grew? You learned? You build memories and friendships?
 Did you lose loved ones? Did you cry or hurt? 
   Life, death, sunshine, storms, politics, all of it can play a role in terrifying you.
  This is where I hold on to God. This is where I hold on to Jesus. 
Without him, the world is a frightening place. With him, the world is a frightening place.  But I know with him, there is a bigger plan, one I can’t see. 
 Whatever you might be facing today, doing it on your own is too hard. I pray you reach out to someone. I pray you reach out to God, open your bible, or just call out, “God please show me your way.”