I grew up on the
family farm in East Texas but it wasn't
like I depicted it in Sowin' Love.
My days were filled with exploration and
fun. A few chores occupies 10
minutes, and I rode the riding lawnmower
a couple hours a week on our 2 acre
yard, but the hard work and long hours
of farm life were not my experience.
When I talk with my In-Laws about their
growing up days, it is another story.
Barefoot with only one set of clothes,
up at 4:30 to catch the mules, plowing
or cultivating behind them before the
sun was up, milking 10 cows in the wet
mud, tending the animals, even pumping
water for the cows after dark during the
still hot months of late summer were
just some of their experiences. I'm
amazed at what all they had to go
through, but I always smile with delight
as they tell the stories of their
closeness. Six girls in one room, still
close to this day, each with their own
duties, teaming up to help each other
bonded them together. The family farm
provided work to do where everyone had
to chip in to make it, and the work
pulled the family together as a team.
They really were sowing more than seeds
of grain. So next time you see
chores to do that you have been putting
off for some time, call the kids! Heck,
call a friend or a neighbor and tell
them you don't want to go it alone, and
Sow some love! There is nothing like
sweating and working together that draws
out the love that we all desire.
~ Mark Keathley
|