02/13/2021
Hey, livestock caretaker during the winter...I see you.
I see you bundling up in your winter clothes (some still wet from yesterday’s melted snow) before the sun is in the sky. I see you filling buckets of grain, shaking out straw for new babies, shoveling snow out of a feed bunk, and swinging an axe to chop ice so your animals have water to drink. I see you.
I see you stumbling over frozen hoof prints, grumbling curse words when the truck won’t start, falling down on the ice, cutting net wrap while getting snow in your eye, and having slightly wet feet because there’s a hole in your boot. I see you.
I see you watching the weather forecast with hope for warmer temperatures. I see you worrying, pushing on, praying, hoping, feeling lonely, persevering, and on the really hard days...wondering why in the hell you have these damn things in the first place??? I see you.
I also see the passion for your farm and your animals. I see you giving them the absolute best possible care you can give them, and your animals being so thankful for you. I see you being SO MAD that a waterer (that isn’t supposed to freeze 🥴) is frozen solid...but the thought of doing ANYTHING else with your life hasn’t crossed your mind. Not even once.
Friends, I know it’s cold. I know everything is frozen. It’s ok to be tired and frustrated and OVER all the hard days. But know you’re not in this alone, and this won’t last forever. God entrusted you with these animals and knows you’re doing your best to care for them, even when the weather isn’t good. Keep going!! And call a friend if you need to lift your spirits 🤗❤️
