"Experience Every Season Together"

It was some of the best advice I received from my mother.  

This was after Brett and I had been dating for about 4 months and I told her I thought he was the one. 

"That's great" she said, "but.....you should really experience every season together before you decide for sure."

"Um, what?!  You are telling me that my heart is not for sure?  Isn't that what they tell you?  When your heart feels right, he is the one?"

"Just trust me," she said.  

And as moms are usually right, I decided to take her word for it.  

So Brett and I got to know each other pretty well after meeting each other in December and then that spring when I was traveling and he was busy with seed sales.  Then summer came....that summer....the summer.  

Well, it started out great!

We always enjoyed the farmers' market in town selling beef that he raised directly to customers and having conversations with them about agriculture.

Then going to New Orleans with fellow corn and soybean growers from around the country.  And we had a true swamp experience.   

And then there was the drought.  The drought of 2012 when I threatened to do rain dances after hearing thunder in the middle of the night and when tough choices about the farm and animals had to be made.  

That was rough....the worst season for us thus far.  What was supposed to be the most beautiful time of year (in my opinion) was actually not so beautiful that year like it had been in the past.  

We got through it, hand in hand.  Supporting each other and having the respect to understand each other's stress with his family farm and my family farm; both of which seemed to miss rain every single time a drop even thought about hitting the precious ground where our crops stood, or tried to stand.

But we weathered through....together.  And experienced our first Purdue football game together that fall where my family friends gathered and pretty much accepted Brett into our "Village". 

And when we celebrated that day together.....it poured.  I don't know if it was God or my dad sending the rain drops down that day, but feeling that rain made me have little hope for the years to come and the hope that it would all be okay because we would be together.

And then winter came and it was time for holiday parties with friends and family along with lots of Glick home brew and fancy wine. 

And the next thing you know, we have experienced every season together.  It happened just like that.....that first season together and then our first year together and then our first year of marriage together--just like the blink of an eye.  

And we are ready for more--more of all the seasons and anything they bring to our lives.  No matter if there is a flood or drought or a market crash or tragedy, triumphs, successes or more hidden packages on the porch....

One year down and many more to go!

And we are ready to continue our commitment to each other to experience every season together....whether we are standing together or sitting down in the grass that I ran barefoot in as a child on my family farm or leaning on the hitching post his dad built on his family farm.  We are always doing it together.