Today we had the livestock auction, and that wraps up Preston’s last fair, and his 4-H career. I would be lying if I said I didn’t shed a few tears today. I went looking for this picture- my favorite of Preston at his first fair, with his first pig, and it got me in all the feels. I remember being sort of worried, he was about a 60 pound boy trying to maneuver a 300 pound hog. He was so excited to finally be included, and jumped right in and worked as hard as he could to do all the stuff himself.
Nothing has changed. Well, except perhaps his enthusiasm level. He still works hard. He cleaned all the pens today in exchange for the girls washing his goat. He had everything done, cleared and loaded before they were done washing. He is ready to be done. He is ready to move on with new hobbies, new plans, new friends and newfound freedom to make his own choices. I hope someday he will look back on his 4-H days with fondness. I hope he can clearly remember the fun we had, the time we spent together, and even the hard work and heartbreak that occasionally goes with raising livestock and know that we have always just wanted the best for him. We tried to expose him to many things, teach him all the lessons we think are important, and spend time soaking it all up. Last stuff is hard for me. The thing you can’t know when you have a baby is how fast their childhood will go by, and how very hard it is to let them go. Nothing good comes from holding them back, but man it is a hard part of life.
Anyway, all the goats were sold tonight. The buyers were once again overly generous. My kids feel blessed and happy. I cannot express how overwhelming it is to be given so much by a community. Their love and support for our family is just truly amazing.
Preston may be done, but I don’t believe we are done as a family. The girls are full of plans for the future. I am happy to indulge it because although it has its faults, I am a true believer in the 4-H program. I think it teaches invaluable lessons. Not just at the fair, but all year long. The skills you can acquire, the things you can learn, the work you do are all only limited by how involved you are willing to be. I also know, for me at least, all the best memories are county fair memories.
One more thing - if you will indulge me - and you will because this is my blog! My husband was in training this week. At one point he sent me a text to thank me for helping the kids with their fair stuff and for the time I put into it. It was a sweet text, and it made me very happy. I do think, as we have evolved as a couple, 4-H is generally more my thing than Jim’s. Which is fine. The thing I don’t say enough about is how much Jim is a believer in supporting dreams. The kids or I continually come up with new things to try. New projects to do, new critters we want to raise. Jim usually asks a lot of questions, but he has never said no. He is always there, helping us build pens, tasting our food projects, chauffeuring kids to places. He is the biggest supporter and the kid’s biggest fan. If we suggest it, he gets behind it. I am thankful he is ours. And as hard as this day has been - embracing all the “lasts,” I am happy I get to grow old with a guy who loves our kids as much as I do.
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