Back-to-school season has a way of bringing back memories.
Even now, I can remember those years of getting our daughters ready for another school year. A trip to the mall, new clothes and shoes, school supplies, forms to fill out, lunch money to send, schedules to keep straight, practices, activities, and all the little things that somehow seemed to pile up at once.
At the time, it felt like those years would go on forever.
You’re busy living them, after all.
You’re trying to get everyone where they need to be, keep food on the table, stay on top of laundry, help with homework, remember picture day, sign the paper that was supposed to be signed yesterday, and somehow keep the rest of work and family life moving too.
And on a farm, back-to-school season always means something else is coming right behind it.
Harvest.
There is a certain feeling in August when school starts back and you look out across the fields and realize fall is not nearly as far away as it seemed a few weeks ago.
The crops are changing. The evenings start feeling a little different. The calendar begins filling up. Before long, the machinery will be ready to go, the days will get longer, supper may need to be worked around whatever is happening in the field, and harvest will be here.
It always seems to happen fast.
So did the school years.
The Days Can Be Long, but the Years Really Are Short
I know that saying gets used a lot, but there is a lot of truth in it.
When you are in the middle of raising children, some days are very long.
There are mornings when nobody can find what they need.
Evenings when everyone is tired.
Weeks when school, sports, work, farm responsibilities, meals, appointments, and everything else seem to land on the calendar at the same time.
You may not feel sentimental about every minute of it.
And you don’t have to.
But looking back, I can tell you this: those years pass much faster than you think they will.
One day you’re packing lunches and reminding somebody to grab their backpack.
Then suddenly, those backpacks aren’t by the door anymore.
Don’t Let the Busy Steal the Good Parts
One thing I think we understand better with time is how easy it is to let busyness take over a season.
There will always be something that needs done.
Another load of laundry. Another appointment. Another practice. Another meal to make. Another bill to pay. Another job waiting on the farm. All of the work and home responsibilities.
And yes, some seasons really are stressful.
But stress doesn’t deserve every minute.
Sometimes you have to choose to laugh in the middle of the mess.
Turn up the music in the kitchen and dance.
Sit at the table a little longer.
Let the dishes wait while someone finishes telling you a story.
Laugh when the morning completely falls apart instead of letting it set the tone for the whole day.
Say “I love you” often.
Give the extra hug.
Enjoy the drive home.
Notice the ordinary things happening around you.
Because a lot of life is happening right in the middle of the things we are tempted to rush through.
We don’t need to ignore responsibilities or pretend everything is easy. We just don’t want to become so focused on getting through the busy season that we forget to actually live it.
You Don’t Have to Make Every Moment Magical
Sometimes I think moms put a lot of pressure on themselves to make every season special.
The perfect first-day breakfast.
The Pinterest perfect picture.
The perfect after-school snack.
The perfect routine.
But your children probably aren’t going to remember whether everything was perfect.
They’ll remember home.
They’ll remember sitting around the kitchen table.
They’ll remember riding along in the truck or tractor.
They’ll remember supper after a long day, conversations in the kitchen, laughter, traditions, and all those ordinary moments you may not even realize are becoming memories.
So if you’re starting the school-year rush, give yourself a little grace.
Take the pictures.
Listen to the long story they’re trying to tell you.
Sit at the table for a few extra minutes when you can.
Laugh more.
Love big.
Let some things be simple.
Not because every moment has to be magical, but because there will come a day when you realize just how quickly that season passed.
Another Season Is Coming
That may be one of the things farm life teaches us best.
Seasons keep moving.
Back to school turns into football games, cooler evenings, changing fields, and harvest.
Harvest turns into winter.
And somehow, year after year, the children grow right along with the crops and the seasons.
If your house feels busy right now, you are probably exactly where a lot of us once were.
Trying to keep up.
Trying to do your best.
Trying to feed everybody, get everyone out the door, and remember what is happening tomorrow.
Someday, you may look back and realize these were some of the sweetest years of all.
Not because they were easy.
Because they were yours.
So here’s to another school year beginning.
To backpacks by the door.
To busy kitchens.
To growing children.
To fields getting closer to harvest.
To laughing when things don’t go exactly as planned.
To loving your people well.
And to remembering, in the middle of all the busy, not to wish the season away.
The work will still be there.
The calendar will stay full.
Harvest will come.
But these exact days won’t come around again.
From my kitchen table to yours: Enjoy the season you’re in. 🤍
🌻Kelley ~ Farm Wife Favorites