Clearly celebrations and gatherings were taken for granted in the years prior to the introduction of the most recent pandemic. That being said, our family spent the last week or so celebrating so many great things.
Our first baby turned 23 (how is that even possible) and our baby baby celebrated a Sweet 16! We reflected briefly on what has been a whirlwind of 28 married years and in the midst of all that, we celebrated the reason everything else was even possible—the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
In the past couple of months I have had the good fortune of meeting and getting to know J.C. Cole from New Jersey. J.C. lives on a small farm but is quick to tell you he is not really a farmer. He is, however, quite handy and has created a farm that will be able to serve his family’s needs if the supply chain for the essentials is ever disrupted. J.C. understands, through personal experience, what happens when economies collapse, power grids are shut down and currencies have no value because he was a businessman in Latvia for 18 years including the time during the fall of the former Soviet Union.
For the past month, J.C. has walked my radio listeners through the steps needed to prepare for such a situation when food supplies are no longer present and the power grid is off. From the risk of just-in-time food production and distribution to the vulnerability of the power grid, Americans are at risk. Let’s also consider the risk to our current currency and a potential bank crisis. I do believe the overwhelming majority of Americans would respond with, “That could never happen in the mighty USA.” J.C. will tell you that he’s heard it before and that the Soviet Union fell in one week.
One of the most moving statements J.C. made on my show was that the United States has something that few other countries have: When something happens—take 9/11 for an example—our nation is all in and we are there to back each other up. If something like the fall of the nation were to happen, where is our “community” that we can rely on to back us up?
In the early 1900s, neighboring farmers used to share machinery and help each other get crops in the ground and grain harvested when the time came. Now every farmer not only owns all of his own equipment but he has to race to see who can go in and out of the field and have their metal parked back in the machine shed before the neighbor does. I used “own” because, thanks to low commodity prices and the cost of machinery, most of this red and green steel is owned by bankers. That spirit of comradery isn’t as obvious today as the spirit of competition when it comes to farming.
One of the most traditional western gatherings has always centered around spring calf processing and moving cow-calf pairs to grass. Even the community brandings are being replaced with calf tables and each outfit doing their own branding as it fits their busy schedules. And while it is important to get the work done, nothing is more important that the sense of community, teamwork and service to others that is fostered by these brandings.
Not only will calves get worked but fond memories will be etched in the minds of all who participate. There may be critters other than calves roped, testicles fried on an open fire, too much home-cooked food consumed and perhaps even a few cold beverages enjoyed but most of all bonds will be cemented.
That sense of community, that spirit of family, be they related or not, that bond that inspires us to give of ourselves to help those around us. Doesn’t that sense of sacrifice and community service take us right back to the celebration of Easter? Isn’t that the best lesson we could ever give our kids? And we can’t just talk about community service.
We need to reach out and volunteer and help and send kindness, not only in times of disaster or emergency but it needs to be a priority for our lives. People in rural areas do live by these examples, far more than our isolated city cousins but far less than our ancestors. Let’s bring back that spirit of “community” and “family” in all of our gatherings and celebrations and let’s make it a shining example for those who aren’t living it now such that they will want to emulate and be a part of creating this rich heritage.
Editor’s note: Trent Loos is a sixth generation United States farmer, host of the daily radio show, Loos Tales, and founder of Faces of Agriculture, a non-profit organization putting the human element back into the production of food. Get more information at www.LoosTales.com, or email Trent at [email protected].