Community and Kindness
From the very beginning, we have received incredible support on our farm journey. Before we even moved in, friends and family flocked to help with packing, letting us use moving trucks and even helping load and unload said trucks! We have truly felt the love from day one. Yet in the midst of all the things that life throws at us, it is easy to lose sight of how much kindness and love there really still is in the world. Recently, we were the recipients of a simply remarkable gesture that helped bring my focus back around. It really got me thinking about all the overwhelming kindness we have been shown since we moved to Patch of Heaven. Since the world can always use a bit more positivity, I thought it was the perfect thing to share.
More than Neighborly
There is a sign hanging in my house that says, “Live like someone left the gate open.” So inspiring. The animals like to take that literally though, regardless of whether or not the gate is in fact open. Our sheep, pigs, cow, goats and dogs have found every imaginable way to hop, scale, or break a fence and escape. Upon escape, their favorite destination is our neighbor’s yard. All of our animals have visited these poor folks, some on numerous occasions. But these dear souls take it in stride and shew them back. At times, they have even walked the animals back and put them in the barn!
Molly, The Escape Cow!
The escape that really stands out in my memory started with a message at dawn saying, “We’ve got cows!” Apparently, Molly decided that the grass was greener on the other side of the fence, so she took herself through our fence and into the horse pasture next door. As the sun crept over the horizon, the kids and I were desperately trying to lure Molly out of the horse pasture by any conceivable means including army-crawling under barbed wire fences and chasing her around the pasture. When our darling neighbor saw the circus, she joined our efforts and got her morning workout as well chasing our cow. Voluntary pre-dawn cow chasing definitely goes a few steps beyond being neighborly!
THE (Straw, Hay, Trailer) MAN
Rachael taking her first round of hogs to market thanks to the kindness and generosity of her neighbors.
Neatly stacked bales warm my heart.
Not long after we moved to the farm, we found ourselves in need of straw. A quick search through the local farm groups led us to Dave. He had straw bales at a very reasonable rate and, bonus, he lived just down the road. He was always pleasant and helpful, happy to share farm advice with us whenever we needed it. When it came time to haul our first hogs to market, he let us borrow his trailer. Being the rookies that we were, we showed up to pick up the trailer in our minivan. Of course, the hitch was too low to haul the trailer even just the short distance back to our house. Even though it interrupted his dinner, Dave got out his truck, hitched the trailer and hauled it over for us without skipping a beat. But his kindness has not stopped there! Just recently we were again in need of straw. Schedules are always nutty for everyone, so one day, we received a message from Dave saying that he was at the barn and would just drop the straw off. Despite our insistence that delivery was not necessary, we came home that night only to find a neatly stacked mountain of straw bales sitting outside of our barn. All of these little things have been an immeasurable blessing to us. And he does it for nothing more than to be kind.
Stranger Things
Safe and sound in their pasture.
Last fall, I came home from work to a note on the door from the sheriff. My mind was filled with all kinds of horrible possibilities. I was absolutely certain we were getting fined for something, or worse! Imagine my utter shock when I learned that they were calling to get our contact information. You see, our sheep had broken out of the pasture that day and a good Samaritan found them in the road by our house. (Yikes!) That kind soul called the sheriff and together, they herded our flock back to the safety of the pasture, moved fence panels to reinforce the area of the fence the sheep had destroyed, and secured the gate. But she wasn’t calling to bill us for services or reprimand us for our neglectful care of the fences. Instead, the sheriff said they hadn’t been called out to our property in years and wanted to make sure they had our information so they could let us know if there were ever any problems with the animals when we were away. I’m fairly certain there was nothing about chasing sheep or mending fences when that woman took her oath of office. Talk about going well beyond the call of duty!
Overwhelming Gratitude
“Don’t give to get. Give to inspire others to give.” - Simon Sinek
I could go on and on about the kindness and generosity we have been shown since moving to Patch of Heaven. I am completely humbled by the support and love we have received, many times from complete strangers. We have had the immense privilege of experiencing firsthand the tremendous power of compassion, generosity, and kindness. It is an honor to be a member of such a community. I’ve wracked my brain for ways to share my gratitude with everyone who has so graciously helped us. Then I came across a quote. Simon Sinek said, “Don’t give to get. Give to inspire others to give.” All of the fantastic people we’ve had the pleasure of meeting have given not for what they could get, but simply to help. One of the best ways we can show gratitude is to share it with everyone- to pay it forward.
