He wrote that Roger possessed an unusually positive and cheerful approach to his work—the worst breakdown or problem simply became another challenge to solve. Over the years, though, Roger became much more than a farm mechanic, and eventually became the farm’s general manager.
To appreciate what 54 years on one farm means, consider how much Roger has seen change. When he arrived, the farm was still harvesting and cleaning hundreds of thousands of pounds of Kentucky 31 fescue seed. He was here as that business disappeared and equipment was converted to handle soybeans. He helped the farm transition more heavily into cattle and later into the combination of cattle and row crops that remains familiar today. Grandaddy credited Roger with developing many of the procedures the farm used for haying, mowing, fencing, fertilizing and equipment, and wrote that although Roger began his career as a mechanical man, he eventually mastered every phase of the cattle business “from calving to marketing.”
Grandaddy described Roger as a good leader who was jovial and fair with the men who worked for him, while still expecting a full day’s work. He considered Roger an important part of the leadership team that carried the farms through the 1990s and into a new century.
But perhaps Roger’s greatest contribution cannot be measured in equipment repaired, fences built, cattle worked or acres tended. It is the knowledge accumulated from spending more than half a century caring for the same land.
Today, Roger is still teaching us.
Rumor has it that after 54 years, retirement might be on the horizon. But until then, we intend to take advantage of every story, every bit of advice, and every “Roger, how did y’all used to do this?” that we can get.
And every time we turn off Garth Road and drive beneath those willow oaks, they serve as a pretty remarkable reminder of the impact one person can have from a lifetime of caring for this special place. A place that wouldn't be the same without him.
There have been times in my life when everything is going smoothly, and life feels a bit like the sun-filled, carefree days of summer as a child. Yet these days are often when I am too distracted or too complacent to fervently seek the Lord.
It isn't until the barren, cold seasons of winter, when my days hold death or grief or loneliness or pain, that I realize the depth of my need for God.
What if I could be more like those bees?
They see the sunshine and abundance of blooms, but they also wisely know that colder, darker days will come. Days when they will be in need of sustenance that can't be found anywhere in the world.
So they fervently seek it out now.
I see it as wise, not melancholy, to accept that we will experience dark days on this side of heaven.
There will be days when we are in need, and yet what we need cannot be found anywhere in the world.
In the wisdom literature of the book of Proverbs 4:20-22, the writer says:
My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings.
Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart.
For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh.
Whatever the season, summer or winter, abundance or need, let us be attentive to His Word and store it up in our hearts.
Because His Words are our sustenance in winter, the life and healing we desperately need.
Let's fervently seek it out now.
Just like the bees.
As always, we would love to hear from you; please reach out anytime. We are so grateful for your support and thankful we can enjoy a life made more beautiful by flowers and farming.
