I remembered a dream I had last night – a silly dream to most of you, I’m sure.
I dreamed that winter was already over and the girls and I were starting to pack our trailer house – preparing for the summer wheat harvest. That time of year is such an anticipated time in our lives. We live by events rather than months. First, it’s the end of summer harvest, Thanksgiving, Christmas, USCHI convention and then harvest is just around the corner. There’s birthdays and anniversaries to celebrate too, but above all it’s the summer harvest that motivates us to get through that winter mode.
So, last night when I dreamed that we were getting ready for harvest, I remember being happy that winter was already over and it was time to get ready to go again. I wish I could explain to you what it means to be home in the fall – out of our little home on wheels and back in “real” life. Harvest is stressful and does tend to wear on a person’s nerves at times but overall it’s us, it’s our life, it’s what we enjoy, it’s an addiction!
I sit here in the trailer house beginning to realize that the end of being on the road is coming much faster than I want it to. The girls are already home and that gives me a reason to want to go home. But, the end of what we look forward to all year long is about to become a reality. I know the girls can relate to what it is I’m TRYING to explain to you and can’t. Words just can’t effectively explain what it is that I go through every year when it’s time to think about heading for home. Maybe it’s the time we, as a family, spend together that I’ll miss. Maybe it’s working together towards that final end result (a job well done and it took all of us to do). Maybe it’s not knowing what day it is or what’s happening in the news. Maybe it’s the simpler way of life. Maybe…hmmm…I just can’t pinpoint what it is that I’m trying to say. I’m saddened by the fact that the past 100 days has already come and gone.
No more of the excitement of being on road and reaching our destination with a job to do. The last time I “take down” the stuff in the trailer house and the last time we load that combine and the last time I see a wheat field will break my heart. It’s the let down I experience every summer when wheat harvest is over that I don’t look forward to. Going home means being involved in a different world. When I think about the world we are about to immerse ourselves back into, it makes me appreciate the time I’ve had with my family these past 100 days. We are truly blessed because we live in a trailer house for 100 days following the ripening wheat north. We are fortunate to have been a part of so many different people’s lives, places and events. But most of all, we’re blessed to have been a part of the segment of agriculture that has become the cornerstone in the foundation of our family. Only those of you who live our life understand what it is I’m trying to explain.