Endings and Beginnings

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There are some events in life that are bittersweet. Farm sales are one of those events. There is the excitement of attending a good sale, but there is also the fact that farm sales can be intensely personal for those doing the selling.

What might look like a jumble of tools and machinery to a bystander can really be pieces of equipment that contain an amazing amount of memories for the family selling those items.

Last weekend my husband and I attended the farm sale of his cousin.  Some of the reason we went, was so my husband could take a trip down memory lane..and some of the reason was we felt it was important to be there for family.

My husband did enjoy wandering through the barn and the grove. He also did a lot of reminiscing when he was looking over the older tractors. He recalled helping his uncle when it was baling time and the old H was the tractor pressed into service for that task.

 

It was fun to visit with the family and catch up on where the kids were at and which grandkids belonged to who.

It truly was a bittersweet day, as this farm place had been in the family for a very long time. Seeing the equipment sold and knowing that soon this family would not have any relatives living on this farm spoke of endings.

The day of the sale also spoke of beginnings. Beginnings for the new couple that will be moving there and starting traditions of their own. Beginnings of new dreams with new people and new events.

In thinking about it…..it really isn’t an ending at all….it is just turning the page to a new chapter.  The land will still be farmed. A family will live in the big old farm house. Eventually children will run across the yard and search for kittens in the barn in the spring. It will not be an ending at all….it will just be a different kind of same.

There is nothing permanent except change.
–  Heraclitus

 

 

 

38 thoughts on “Endings and Beginnings”

  1. Ray V. says:
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    “Rain on the Scarecrow, blood on the plow…..This land fed a nation, this land made me so proud.
    Son I’m just sorry they’re just memories for you now. . .”

    It has to be one of the hardest ways to earn a living and most of us don’t appreciate how important farmers are to all of us.

    Liked by 4 people

  2. Lisa@LismorePaper says:
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    So hard to let go of family land, but it’s refreshing to see bright eyed new farmers experience a great way of life. Such hard work but the families that farm get precious memories for life. My family farmed for generations. It was incredibly hard to see the house and part of the farm go. I can relate to this experience. 😊💗

    Liked by 2 people

  4. Ame says:
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    i love how you wrote this … that the land, itself, will get a new chapter … new life. it’s hard to see it that way, sometimes. my girls and i sometimes remember the house we lived in when their dad left and divorced. i had to sell that house. it was very sad because it was a great house, and we had some wonderful memories there. there is a deep sadness inside me over it.

    a family bought it who had a son in my Oldest daughter’s class at school – it was really hard on her to think this kid now had her bedroom 😦

    bitter sweet.

    and life moves on.

    Liked by 2 people

  5. atimetoshare.me says:
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    I have so many fond memories of visiting my grandparents’ farm when I was a child. Children should all experience farm life so they learn n to appreciate life a little more.

    Liked by 1 person

  7. bcparkison says:
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    Great way to look at the change. When we had to let our farm in Lexington go it was the hardest thing my husband had ever done…telling the boys it was over…and once packed and on our way To Ga. I cried all the way to the state line. But we get over the bad and move on. Thank you Lord for allowing this change.

    Liked by 2 people

      • lindasschaub says:

        No problem Faye – I am constantly struggling to keep up and when I do longer blog posts on the weekends with a lot of pictures, I always get behind responding to comments following those blog posts and keeping up with Reader. There are just not enough hours in the day sometimes. Hope you are feeling better every day and will feel more like yourself for the holiday season and you won’t be cooped up in the kitchen cooking Thanksgiving dinner.

        Liked by 1 person

  12. Margy says:
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    My father-in-law sold the family farm before my husband was in a position to buy it. Fortunately, the family that bought it has generously let us visit the homestead when we are in the area. This spring, they also let us hold a small funeral service and spread my father-in-laws ashes in the forest behind their house. Bittersweet it is.

    Liked by 2 people

  13. thecobweboriumemporium says:
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    Endings and beginnings … bittersweet indeed. Such beautiful memories which make your heart smile, and yet … the knowledge that it’s over … such a sadness.

    A beautiful post Chicken. One which I found myself feeling those same mixed emotions as I read it.
    Sending much love your way ~ Cobs. xxx

    Liked by 1 person

  14. susieshy45 says:
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    Sad post but happy beginnings. Reminded me of the song-
    Sunrise, sunset
    Swiftly flows the days.
    One season follows another
    Laden with happiness and tears.
    What words of wisdom can I give them ?
    How can I help them ease their way ?

    Change is constant- nothing else is. We grow with change. It is sad for the family that let go the land but if that was best for the family then that is the best change for them.
    Susie

    Liked by 1 person

  15. peggyjoan42 says:
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    Found an extra moment here to stop by before I leave my daughter’s house. It certainly is sad to see a farm sell and others move onto the land. I remember the sale of each of my Grandfather’s farms and my Father-in-law’s farm. Always sad. Thanks for sharing Faye.

    Liked by 1 person

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