It’s a beautiful morning here on the Knolltop!

I just got back from my walk and will head back out to the barn to finish up chores before church. I just thought I’d put in one of my columns this week since my mom gave me some great encouragement about it. She reads a lot and when she comments on one of my columns like she did this week, I listen. So for those of you who don’t see my column on a regular basis, here it is.

Truth from the Trenches
By Melissa Hart
“The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man’s inmost parts.”
Wondering about that statement I searched further to see what it meant. I know gossip is fun to listen to and especially repeat. I’ve had plenty of practice at both. But the part about going down to a man’s inmost parts is what baffled me.
When gossip goes down to a man’s inmost parts it means it is thoroughly digested and is carried about and lives on and on. To that I was amazed. So if gossip, which is repeating untruths, has that much affect on a person, think of how much more power there is in speaking truth?
Our words are powerful and have more of an effect on people than we realize.
Several years ago, when I was in elementary school, my father brought home a gift for me he had picked up at a convention. It wasn’t expensive or particularly pretty. It was a very simple gift but had an impact on my life like nothing else.
It was a small statue of the Peanut’s character, Peppermint Patty. And on the front of the statue it said “You are a rare gem.”
When he gave it to me, I proudly displayed it on my dresser where I would see it everyday. I could see everyday that my dad thought I was a rare gem. He never voiced those exact words to me, but that didn’t matter, he didn’t need to. As far as I was concerned there was a very special place in his heart for me and just for me with only my name on it because he thought I was a rare gem.
Those five words spoke to me every time I looked at that statue. They spoke goodness, kindness and value to me. I was worth something to someone who was equally as special to me.
You are surrounded by people you love and who love you, what kind of impact are you making on them? Are you speaking truth into their lives? Are you assuring them they are valuable and worth something to you? Are you letting them know they are one of a kind and were created with a special purpose?
There are people around you who you don’t particularly love but are simply friends, what kind of impact are you making on them? Are you repeating things you’ve heard about them? Or are you stopping the lies with truthful statements?
It’s so easy to listen to the negative and even easier to believe it. When you’ve heard how worthless you are for long enough you not only believe it, you start acting the part.
While we can live with the status quo and perpetuate the gossip and negativity, it takes effort and energy to raise the bar and be positive. It takes no concentration to slam someone but it takes clear vision to lift others up.
Speaking truth into others lives means we have to be intentional, direct and determined. Speaking lies requires nothing but a lazy mind and a reckless tongue.
What happens when we speak the truth into each others lives? We start believing in ourselves, we develop past our potential and the ripple effect around us can turn into a tidal wave affecting more than we may ever know.
Is it time to change your dance step? When you start dancing another direction the people around may start to stumble at first, but as they watch where you’re headed they will quickly follow and you’ll be amazed at the end result of taking one small step in a new direction.

Yes, today is my mom’s birthday, but we aren’t going to mention any ages. Let’s just say she says she feels like a college coed in her mind. She’s got the spunk of a college coed too!

Last night after chores, I took a quick nap because we planned on watching the fireworks. So after I woke up, Sarah, Jake and my friend Sue all headed into town for the celebration. Of course we were early, it wasn’t dark yet, so in finding something to do we decided to get ice cream. Two nights in a row we’ve enjoyed sundae’s….but who’s keeping track?

I didn’t get to bed until 11 pm…now that’s late for me! But it was worth it, the fireworks were beautiful….and to think the whole country celebrates my mom’s birthday!

Today we will get chores done and head into town for the parade. Then after chores tonight I’ve got a brush pile that needs burning so we’ll roast hotdogs and make smores….I can’t wait!

It was a stormy night last evening! The wind howled, the sky turned black and the heavens let loose a bucket full of rain on us. Well, you know, a bucket in heaven is a big bucket, don’t you think?

Anyway, Bobby and JW were umping a game, Jake was playing on the other side of town at his game, Luke was baling hay and Sarah was clipping her calf when I finished up milking and headed into town to watch Jake. By the time I got there everyone was running for cover and it was all over. We then headed down to the other game where Bobby and JW were and believe it or not, they were waiting out the storm in the dugout thinking they might still get the game in. They gave up after about a hour of rain.

I stopped and got ice cream and we all had sundaes with homemade fudge sauce. I’ve never made hot fudge sauce before but I had a hankerin’ for it and wanted to try it out. Boy was it good.

The satellite dish was out so Sarah, Jake and I played cards, Luke continued to sort his baseball cards, Bobby read the paper and JW daydreamed about what it would be like to ride his new motorcycle that he had just picked up…in the rain. Yes, continued prayer and even some fasting will be required for this teenager and his bike.

When I woke up this morning to the continued sound of rain my first thought was how glad I was that Jake and I got the eaves cleaned out!

Good Morning from a kind of sunny Knolltop!

JW and Luke came home yesterday. It’s so strange having them drive to Grandmas together without me. I know Grandma loves having them there, although I think they eat her out of house and home, but she enjoys it. But I have to say I miss them when they’re gone.

Jake, Sarah and I were just coming back from our mile walk with the show heifers and JW called to say they were going to stay another day. What? Stay? How did they get that authority all of a sudden? When I thought about it, there was really nothing they had to come back for, so it wasn’t a big deal, it was just the fact that they were in charge instead of me. Wow. I guess I’d better get used to that!

But then as I was hoeing the garden they surprised me and came running down to let me know they were home. JW wanted to come home, he missed just being here. It was nice to see their big smiles again. Gee, what am I going to do when they leave for college? I’m in big trouble!

Today we will work with the the heifers and have the option of cleaning out the eaves on the house or start painting the back of the barn. I’m just not sure what I’m up for, so I guess I’ll let the work crew decide.

Good Morning from a very sunny and kind of cool Knolltop!

I’ve got good news! The laundry is half done! I know that doesn’t compare to winning the lotto or having a baby, but for me, it’s very, very good news.

Yesterday I neglected to share with you one of the great things about coming home. Not only was it nice to sleep in my own bed, but when I walked in the door, instead of being greeted by a cluttered table, scattered mail and crumbs on the counter I was treated to a clean house! Jake and Luke worked hard all week to keep the house clean and the dishes washed. I was so proud of them.

If that wasn’t enough, the part of the barn that I was supposed to paint before we left had a fresh coat of paint when we got home! And boy does it look good.

Yesterday Sarah and Jake got down to business with their heifers. Of course I had to supervise, they tend to cut corners when I’m not there to help out. We washed the calves, put them in a day pen and then Sarah got the clippers out and clipped Brandy after chores.

The boys ended up spending the night at my moms last night, so they will be home sometime today. You just can’t beat spending the night at Grandmas!

Good Morning from Wisconsin…still.

The convention is going well, everyone is having a great time and the kids have been the best group I’ve ever dealt with! Yes, you can take farm kids off the farm and they know how to behave, get along and enjoy their time away from the work. I’m so impressed with every single one of them….can you tell?

This morning Brittany Westendorp and Keith Kramer were in the fitting contest, they did well and it was a great experience for them both. We will find out how they did today at the luncheon. So until then I will sign off and report the results this afternoon when I sit down to write my column.

More later!

It’s been a busy couple of days here in Wisconsin at the National Holstein Convention. As you can see I haven’t had time to post anything.

So let me give you the condensed version of the last two days. Sarah’s speech went well. She is one of these people who has bad rehearsals and then when the spotlight turns on, she goes to town. She was great! She lost her place a couple of times because she was being so animated, but she looked like she was having a great time. I know she was nervous, but she did well. We will find out just how well she did on Thursday.

Last night they had a Junior mixer and the band Catchpenny played. Since two of the guys in the band were from Indianhead, a Holstein farm in Wisconsin, I decided I would go meet them. So I sat down at the table with the band and started into my reporter interregation mode and found out everything I wanted to know. What I found out is that they are a great group of young men and are very talented.

Today we toured farms all day. Frozene, So-fine Bovine, Maple Lawn and Rosedale. They were all very different and very interesting! Tonight was the convention sale at Heatherstone Farms. A huge group of people showed up for a great meal and an even better offering of cattle. It was great fun!

I’ve got lots of pictures to share, but that will have to wait until next week when I can download them onto my computer at home.

Now I’m going to drop into bed and repeat to myself, I’m not tired…I’m not tired….I’m not tired!

Good Morning from a sunny Wisconsin Dells!

JW, Sarah and I are on the convention trip in Wisconsin and having a good time so far. We got through Chicago without any trouble or even much traffic. In fact we were on the west side before I heard the question, “Are we in Chicago yet?”

This morning we will head down to the convention where Sarah will compete in public speaking, Levi and CJ will compete in Dairy Jeopardy and we have a few other things on the schedule.

While walking back from the fitness room I heard a familiar laugh and it turned out to be Patty Hyde. Rumor has it she’s here with the president of the Michigan Holstein Association….in the same room! Don’t worry, they’re married!

Well, it’s almost time to go, please pray for Sarah today, this is the first time she’s done this, although she doesn’t seem nervous, I’m sure she is. And thanks in advance!

Later….I have a great story about four farm boys and the hood of a van!

It’s another beautiful morning here on the Knolltop!

Luke is gone to his last day of basketball camp, Bobby and JW are fixing fence and Sarah and Jake are doing housework and aren’t happy at all about it! Oh well.

Last night Jake’s team beat Pittsford by a lot! And JW and Luke’s team took both games of their double header last night. Luke got to pitch the second game and after he ran out of gas in the fourth inning, JW came in to relieve him, but he had the National Holstein Convention on the brain and had to be relieved in the last inning. At least that was Luke’s rendition of the game. Actually Luke went into greater detail about JW’s performance last night and I’ll just say this; I’m glad I wasn’t riding in the truck with the two of them on the way home from the game. It must not have been too bad, they were joking around by the end of the evening.

Today we are scrambling around getting ready for to leave and to be gone for a week. You know how it is before you go on a trip, you get to the point when you have so much to do you stand around and say, “Why did I say I’d go on this trip, it’s easier just to stay home!”

Good news and answered prayer yesterday. Dad went in for his surgery and it was a great success….so far. I spoke with him on his way home from the hospital and he sounded so good I asked to speak to mom. When I got her on the phone I asked if Dad was still drugged up from the surgery and she assured me he wasn’t, he just felt so much better! So…thanks for praying, I really appreciate it!

Now today I want you to pray for another friend of mine who is facing surgery today. They didn’t want me to say anything to anyone, but I can’t keep from asking for prayer so with no more information than I’ve given you, will you stand in the gap for my friend? THANKS!