Neat. What did your parents grow/raise on the farm?
Well, it changed over the years. We had almost every farm animal when I was born. I remember cows, pigs, chickens, geese, horses, barn cats, dogs, etc....as the years went by we had fewer and fewer animals on the farm. My parent's have one barn cat now!
My Dad started to work in a steel mill when I was about four or five. My grandfather still lived with us and took care of a lot of the chores. As my grandfather got older and less capable of doing the chores, I was given more and more tasks to do. By the time I was fourteen, and my grandfather gone, I was running most of the farm, but by that time we only had a few chickens and the land to take care of. By the time I was in my late teens I was practically doing everything...preparing the soil, planting, culivating and harvesting.
There were times when I felt burdened as a teenager and in my very early twenties. I stayed on the farm until I was almost 21 years old. After that I left and finished college and haven't done any farming since. Looking back, it wasn't a burden at all. And although we didn't have enough land to make a go of it alone by farming, it was still a good place to live. I'm glad I grew up where I did. As I said in an earlier post, I may return.
My parent's are still living on the farm. They lease out the land now and make a tidy sum doing so. My Dad only went through eighth grade, but by hard work, wise investments and careful living, it's safe to say that my parent's are worth over a million dollars now.
Not bad for a eighth grade education. Of course, eighth grade was a little different back then.
My former life taught be another valuable lesson for the pastorate....patience!
