Fall Harvest
Just the other day I was at home and heard a loud racket coming down the road behind my house. In an instant I knew what it was as I quickly scurried to the patio doors. Thundering down the road was exactly what I expected, and a warm wave of emotions filled my body. I instantly felt my Dad around me as I glanced out and watched until it was out of sight. It was the unmistakable sound of a green and colossal John Deere combine.
“It is only the farmer that plants seeds in the spring, who reaps a harvest in the autumn” - B. C. Forbes. The fall harvest is a time when the farmers are busy gathering the bounty of goodness they planted in the spring, cared for in the summer, and now are reaping their rewards.
As a farmer, I believe the fall harvest was my Dads favorite time of year. Even though he loved farming in general, his passion was in the gathering of the yield. He was a master at running the combine and you could have found him commandeering one less than two months before his passing. Climbing up a vertical ladder and into the cab, alone took strength and agility.
My job had taken me across the globe for an extended length of stay. My Dad had been having some significant health issues which made me feel uneasy and was anxious for my return. The day I arrived back home we were celebrating family birthdays. It would be the first time we had seen each other in more than a month. As I walked in the door, I could immediately tell my Dad wasn’t feeling well. He looked despondent and heavy-hearted. It was revealed that day would be his last day of ever again setting foot in a John Deere combine. My heart ached for him, and I could feel the weight of what he said was as deep and wide as an ocean.
The amazing thing about him operating an enormous combine was not only the sheer size of the machine, but also how it was navigated. The combine models my Dad piloted in his later years were all run by touchscreen monitors (a.k.a. computers). This always cracked me up since he would never consider using a computer because he thought he wouldn’t know how to use it. I would always tell him, if he could navigate the monster of a combine, he could use a computer.
The loud clattering of the heavy combine that day made me think of the bible verse: To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven (Eccl 3:1). I can’t imagine what he was feeling that day. He lived his dream of being a farmer. It wasn’t always easy but, he did it with joy in his heart, especially during the fall harvest. My Dad was my great teacher of doing what you love and loving what you do. Until next harvest season, I’ll be waiting to hear the combine thundering down the road again.
xoxox…..Sheryl