Written by my farm wife friend Gail

“Wash my barn clothes would you please hon?  I will need clean clothes for tomorrow.”

Before I even pick them up, I notice a certain ‘perfume.’  Oh yes, today’s farm to do list has checked off: clean the hog house. From the smell and weight of the dungarees, I know everything has been cleaned. The boys and their dad will have lots of stories to tell about the little piglets antics of chasing each other through the clean straw.

Dirty smelly jeans and dungarees may be offensive to some, but for me they are little reminder to say thank you to the Lord for my farmer’s caring hands and heart.  There are always surprises when I reach into those front pockets.  Many times I could tell just how his day went. A thick heavy washer, a bent nail, a small broken bolt or a veterinary needle tell a bit of the many miles he walks as he tends to so many demands in his day.

I can usually tell by ‘pocket treasure’ and amount of grease on the pant legs, either made his day or cost him precious down time. Sometimes his back pockets will be stuffed full of twine. The twine may still have tiny leaves and clover flowers clinging to it but serves as reminders to us of God’s blessings. Each piece of twine show the fruits of his summer labors from the hay it encircled and now that same hay is in the feed bunk for hungry cattle.  The cattle soon will be ready for market thanks to my farmer’s watchful eye.

The pockets and dungarees tell a story everyday and everyday another chapter is added to our farm family’s journey. Our journey is not easy and we are constantly reminded of what is required of us to have dominion over the land.

One night I asked him how he keeps everything he deals with straight in his mind. He said, “I don’t know, I just do” and he rolled over and started to snore. Later I found a verse in Isaiah 28:23-26 that helped me understand.

‘Listen and hear my voice; pay attention and hear what I say. When a farmer plows for planting, does he plow continually? Does he keep on breaking up and harrowing the soil? When he has leveled the surface does he not sow caraway and scatter cumin? Does he not plant wheat in its place? Barley in its plot? Spelt in its field? His God instructs him and teaches him the right way.’

Ah yes, I should have known.