It was early May and farming season was just beginning. It was one of those days where the weather was perfect. My son and I went to ride in the tractor, but in all reality it was the only way to spend time with Dad.  Summer for us looks different then most peoples.  Summer is a farmer’s BUSY season which means they work a TON of hours! The days are long, hot, hard and lonely. And my husband truly works in….
                                                           ACRES NOT HOURSÂ
Let me be clear, it’s not my intent to paint a negative picture. I’m just being open and real about our life. Less than 2 percent of Americans are directly employed by agricultural jobs. WHAT?? I find that hard to believe because we all eat/need food! Farming is hard…it’s a labor of love. You may spend hours working in the field with little or no pay.  You’ll spend hours away from your family. You’ll spend endless hours working day and/or night until the crop is finished.  It’s one of the most underappreciated jobs that we, as Americans, depend on. We take for granted going to the store and buying food. Having no idea the sacrifices that are made on the field. 
This crazy, busy ‘harvest’ time sneaks up on me and then slaps me in the face! March and April are easing back into work for my husband. We can have supper together as a family and have weekends together. Then comes May…and Memorial Day…it seems everyone is posting “family fun” on social media. And I’m over here just trying to survive solo parenting while my husband works insane hours. This when I had a Come to Jesus Moment! I had to get out of my pity-party and come up with a game plan to survive summer.
I decided with God’s help I would make fun summer memories with our son… even if this meant taking him to do things alone. We went swimming, did many miles of stroller running & bike rides, play dates, parks visits, library story time, a trip to the zoo, the 4th of July parade and the County Fair (I’ll add we did sneak in a family weekend to the coast & a camping trip). Liam asked and cried more times then I can count “Where’s Dad?; When’s Dad coming home?; I want to see Dad” My reply became: “Dad is working hard so we can go shopping at Costco & Target and so we can have food & a home”. (I’ll add so others can have food too!) There were times when I lost my temper (just ask my husband); times when the long days got the better of me… days where we had lots of tears. But with each new day comes God’s mercy and grace! It’s a time to start over and a new day to make memories. I’ve learned a lot about myself through these long days: where my weaknesses are, where I need to improve, where I need a lot more of Grace. Although it might not be my “ideal” summer for our family..it is where God has placed us. I can flourish and grow or wither up and die just like crops in the field. The hard, busy, and difficult days are just a season in my life.
This quote sums it up well….                        
“Don’t be afraid of changing
   seasons in your life.
   Each one was sent to
teach you something different.
   Don’t be afraid to
let go and move on”
-Brittany Moses