The Gift of the First Day of Spring

This forecast this week seems to say the long, cold, dreary winter is behind us and spring has sprung. The changing of seasons is one of the things I love about being in agriculture, every season has its reason and something good about it. However, each season has its challenges and this winter certainly had many challenges. I guess that is why I am so excited to see spring here, and today is a shining (pun intended) example of why.

The green of the grass is starting to push through the brown haze of the mud. The hillsides are changing from brown to a tint of green and soon they will be completely green. The wind has that smell of clean, new, the rebirth of the prairie after the dormancy of winter. The timber is alive with the gobbling of turkeys and the chirping of birds. Everything seems fresh and new.

My favorite thing about spring is the new calves and lambs. They run, buck and play, just enjoying the energizing warmth of the yellow sunlight. Soon they will be stretched out on the hillsides just soaking up that energy, dozing in the soft, warmth of spring. This afternoon all the cows, calves, ewes and lambs will be content to just relax in the beauty of the first, true spring day of the year.

This is one of those days I wish I could bottle and send to all of my friends who don't get to share in this incredible blessing that God has chosen me to be a part of. This is the day that you realize that the rebirth of life in spring is both a miracle and a blessing imparted on us by our God. Farmers and ranchers have the gift of being close to life and enjoying its beauty on glorious spring days like today. I think this is why we understand dignity of the lives we are charged with, the grandeur of the land we live on and the purity of our environment. For those gifts I am eternally grateful.