Last week I told you about the harrowing farrowing of our Spot gilt, Pudding. I shouldn’t say ‘harrowing’ because it was pretty uneventful as a whole. But the way it started out, wasn’t for the faint of heart. The much anticipated litter of black and white spotted pigs started off poorly, with a dead piglet.
But with a little compassion, hard work and elbow grease (oh and plenty of luck) that pig lived. Oh, if you missed the post: here it is.
Good news: he continues to thrive.
He’s the fourth one from the left, on the bottom.
Until I re-read the post, I didn’t understand the gravity of the situation and how it would affect my kids. To some, it may seem trivial, “it is just one pig”, “you will have more pigs”. To us, it isn’t that way. Ask any parent, different experiences we can give our children, and moreover how we respond to them, shapes their little life in some way.
Farm living isn’t always easy, especially for little ones who are just learning the ins and outs of the circle of life. Every pig counts. No matter how big or how small, every pig counts. Through this experience, this mantra has welded itself into the minds of my children.
Every pig counts.
Go to any farm around, large or small and talk to any farmer. You’ll realize how much every animal counts. As I said in my post before, this pig could be the nourishment for a family, a 4H project for a child or an opportunity to teach our children never to give up.
I want my kids to grow up knowing how to serve others, and defend those who need strength.
Because every person counts too.
Someone in church, at the grocery store or even in the next cubicle needs you. It doesn’t take life experiences on the farm to understand that. Here’s to lending a helping hand, you could change someone’s life.
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