Half of my childhood was spent living on my grandparent's farm. There were a total of 6 families living there at the time. I think it was probably hard for the adults, but as kids we LOVED it. There was always someone to play with and so many places to explore. Then after a fued between some of the family, everyone moved (except my grandparents and great aunt and uncle - my grandpa's brother and my grandma's sister who happened to marry each other - don't ya just love small towns!)
Growing up on a farm helped me learn to work hard. My first paying job (around 10 or 11 yrs old) was "walking beans." For you non-farm folks, that means walking up and down each row and pulling the weeds (this was obviously before Round-Up-Ready beans were developed!) It involved getting up before the sun (around 4 am), riding my bike out to the farm (sometimes as far as 15 miles), and then walking and pulling weeds till it was too hot to move (around 1-2 pm). It was hard work, but the pay was good. I made $5.00 an hour (gasp! - but that was about 3 dollars more than minimum wage at that time - okay now I am feeling old!)
I worked that job every summer until I was old enough to get a "real" job. I have to say that I completely understand the punishment God gave Adam (and the rest of us) - "and the earth shall bring forth thistles, briars, and noxious weeds to torment and afflict man..." Weeds are definately an affliction, but I am thankful for the opportunity I had to learn to work hard and for the wonderful satisfaction you feel when you look back on a field and see no more weeds. As usual, Heavenly Father knew exactly what He was doing.
It's easy to see how your work ethic has formed your beautiful character. You are a great lady! I am so privileged to call you my friend. :-)
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