In September and October, I wrote a couple of blog posts on how I’d written a story for a contest after losing a very special sheep, the ewe that brought the rings down the aisle at my wedding. I had her in mind as I crafted the tale.
Continue reading ““Vedette”: A Short Story Now Available”
I wrote this Facebook post at 10:35 a.m. the day that Jeff and I met:
Tonight: Panel discussion on ag opportunities like agritourism, farm diversity, local food, and more. Writing up some notes this morning. Come join us from 6-8 at the Extension office.
Then I continued typing up my notes and printed them out. I tucked them into my backpack and drove to the Extension office, settled into my seat, talking with my fellow panelists. The event began, and one of the Extension educators present asked us all to introduce ourselves.
And soon after was a moment where my life was poised on the brink of total change, and I didn’t know it. Continue reading “The Day of and the Moment Before”
2020 has been tough, but not terrible.
And I say “has been” and not “was” because there are still two weeks left: two weeks in which to celebrate the holidays with family, take some time to reflect and relish in candlelight, to soak in the sweet pine smells, to enjoy music filled with hope and joy in Christ’s coming.
Yet, I am constantly being told by media and others around me that we should say, “Good riddance, 2020,” or “There was nothing good about 2020,” or “This was the worst year ever.”
But I just don’t believe that.
Continue reading “2020 Has Been Tough, but Not Terrible”
It’s been difficult to sit down and write the continuation of my last blog post because I’ve known what it has to be about. I cannot compose another blog post until I write about this. I have told some of these stories on Facebook, on Twitter, but not here. For some reason, writing it here, admitting here that it happened, makes it even more real than I want it to be. It wasn’t what I planned Part 2 to be, but this is how it turned out.
On September 20, two days after posting Guardian, one of my best friends collapsed during a CrossFit session and died of cardiac arrest. He was three days older than me and seemingly in the best shape of his life.
His name was Rob, and he was one of my teammates during my Indiana FFA State Officer year. Each of us played a role on the team, both in an official capacity and as a team member. Officially, he was stationed by the flag as the reporter, writing stories and taking pictures that would inform others about the FFA. As a team member, he was our encourager, whether he was sitting up late to help us with speeches or giving us directions over the phone when we became lost on a back road. He dreamed up crazy ideas and persuaded us to follow him in implementing them. Rob encouraged us to be ourselves and saw potential in everyone he met.
And, in some ways, he was a guardian.
Continue reading “Guardian, Part 2”
“State officers!”
Our heels spin in the dust of the infield. The grounded hot-air balloons to the right form dark silhouettes against the silver sky. I squint in their direction, looking for the source of the voice.
A 4-H member in a red t-shirt emerges from the early morning haze, a wide blue lanyard swinging around her neck. Her short brown hair frames an excited grin.
“Meg!” I exclaim. “Hi!”
“Hi! I saw the jacket and knew it had to be you, so hi!”
“I’m giving a speech at the Opening Ceremony. It’s starting soon, we need to go.”
“I’ll be there, too!”
I wave, she gives me her usual salute, and my teammates and I spin again and rush to the FFA Pavilion to meet our supervisors.
Continue reading “A Speech and Some Sheep: Sharing Joy from the Indiana State Fair”
Dear Lovely Readers,
Happy Happy Happy May!
It’s a beautiful Indiana blue sky out there, new lambs and calves are everywhere, and it’s 15 days before Jeff and I get married.
This guy is pretty awesome, and I’m so thankful to be able to start our married life together without needing to postpone the ceremony itself.
Everything stopped, and we had no control over it.
Thousands of people became ill and died. Businesses and schools closed. Governments issued stay-at-home orders.
High school seniors missed their big moments, sports leagues canceled major competitions, and travelers were required to return home.
Our wedding twisted in the midst of this eddy. Continue reading “Swirl”
I asked Jeff a few hours before he proposed what he thought about May 16 for our wedding date.
We knew where this whole thing was going, even though he hadn’t asked me yet to marry him, and I had an idea: have the wedding on May 16 (5/16) because the date uses a combination of our birthdays (October 5 and November 16). The date would be exactly half a year away from my birthday, so we’d always be close to one thing or the other to celebrate something.
Before that, we had talked about where we would want to marry. He had always wanted to have a ceremony in a dramatic location, such as a beach or a mountaintop, and I wanted a gathering close to home. So we combined the two wishes and chose the longest covered bridge in the county, which is just a few miles from the farm, to host our ceremony.
So when he proposed, we already had a date and place picked out. Continue reading “Crash”
The answer to Writing on Weakness and a Hospital Stay, A Fall, Comforting the Downcast, and This Is Me.
A few weeks ago, as I was throwing a couple of bags into the trunk of my parents’ car, my hat fell over my eyes. I lost the sense of where the trunk door was and slammed my head on it.
Three hours later, my knees gave out when I joined the line at our local fairgrounds for pancakes and sausage at the Maple Syrup Fair. I jolted forward and clutched a vendor’s table to keep myself from falling to the concrete floor.
Last week while feeding the livestock, I walked quickly from the corn wagon to the feed room and caught my foot on the ledge. I crashed onto the concrete. I wasn’t hurt badly, hands just sore, but I couldn’t figure out how to rise. I grasped at feed barrels and sacks before thinking to bring my right foot forward and lean to gain upward momentum.
The rest of the evening, I moved slowly, disoriented.
On the same day I found my dream wedding dress, my cousin passed away from cancer.
She was a master equestrian who knew I had the horse bug at an early age. She loved her family, and she was the person who brought Jeff and me together.
The next few days were miserable. After all of the months of doctor’s visits, pain, falling, and everything else, I had found my dream wedding dress. Joy prevailed.
And a few hours later, that joy was drowned in sorrow. Continue reading “Joy Drowned in Sorrow, Sorrow Drowned in Rain, Rain Poured Down Joy”
The Kiwi Hoosier 