Beef Magazine

It’s easy to get into the daily grind of things in the frenzy of getting things accomplished. Our list of things to do is usually chuck full of items that can’t be put off.

1. Grind feed

2. Fix fence

3. Do laundry

4. Buy groceries

5. Sell bulls

6. Buy Christmas presents

7. Pay the bills

8. Worry about HSUS

9. Write a letter to Congress about EPA’s Proposed Cow Tax

10. Get the AI tank filled

11. Clean the barn

It seems this list is never ending and always loaded to the max with the many responsibilities and duties that rule our life. In this holiday season, the most important thing to add to your to-do list is to make time for family and friends, enjoy life’s simple pleasures and give thanks for your many blessings. It’s really simple; come on, I will show you how it’s done.

Like many of you, I’m spending the day with family at my grandparents’ home. The day will be spent with stories, jokes, stuffing and pumpkin pie. After dinner, the men find their respective couches to nap on while the women gather to look at the sale catalogs for Black Friday Shopping. When the day is complete, my family and I will head home to work on our show calves for the Corn Palace Winter Calf Show in Mitchell, SD.

And, it’s in the barn where I’m going to pencil in some time to give thanks. I’m thankful for my family, especially my supportive parents and fun-loving little sisters. I’m thankful for my friends that have made college such a great experience. I’m thankful for my cattle and my family’s seedstock business. I’m thankful for my good health. I’m thankful for the opportunities in agriculture that I have to look forward to as my career progresses. I’m thankful for the roof over my head, the food I eat and the bed where I rest. I’m thankful for God’s many gifts, especially for all of the people that I share my life with.

While I brush my calves, sing to the radio in the barn and talk with my family, I’m going to give extra thanks for my passion in agriculture. It’s this passion that gets me out of bed and moving every morning, and it’s this same passion that drives me to do more for agriculture every single day. I’m so thankful to be surrounded by people like you that feel the same way I do, and I’m blessed to have you in my life.

So this Thanksgiving, as the food is passed around the table and you bow your head to pray, forget about your long list of things to do and give thanks for your many blessings in life. Life is too short to stress about the state of the economy, the market trends and the daily grind of feeding chores. Spend the day enjoying the company of your family and friends, knowing that you are truly blessed in your life. Thanks for being part of mine!