Floating Along

As I take a look at the two pictures, I see nature's incredible serenity and breathtaking power and beauty. Being a Minnesotan, I am familiar with both bodies of water, as the Land of 10,000 Lakes is also lucky enough to have many rivers gracing our state.

Recently, I have found myself being very similar to the lake you see above. Think about a lake near you. Water is fed into it, but it really has nowhere to go. It just stays where it is, moving in its own little area, but not anywhere drastic. I, Erin Daninger, have been the primary object floating in that lake the past couple of weeks, complete with foam noodle and water wings. I get up, go through the motions of the day, and go to bed. I have been doing what is expected of me in school out of necessity. Not to be forgotten, I have gone to numerous meetings of organizations that I pursue only half-heartedly.

My desire is to be like the river. The river is constantly flowing, twisting, turning, and creating a path wherever the current chooses to go. The Mississippi River creates a way from Minnesota all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. It has carved a path right through the United States with power and nothing standing in the way.

What will get me to that point? ME. Just as nothing on the farm gets done just by thinking about doing it, I have to take action to become like a river. I can make the conscious decision to change me and the current of my day.
 
How? Rediscovering my passions. Faith, agriculture, and family allow me to find purpose.

Becoming a river comes not from setting a goal for every piece of my life. (WHEW! That is a big statement- I am a very goal-oriented person!) It means following the inborn passions as they turn into purpose. Through developing my God-given abilities, I can work towards the ultimate goal.

"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

-Philippians 3:12-14

With my focus on that one goal, I will pursue everything with the passions and purpose I have been blessed with. My goal has been set, and I will whole-heartedly strain on towards it. No more floating along for me!

What makes you float along?

What are your passions? Your purpose?

How will you press on towards your ultimate goal?

Just a few thoughts from a farmer's daughter.

Erin

Change of Seasons

Fall is one of my favorite times of the year. Partially because I was born in the fall, but mostly because of the beauty that comes with the season. When hues of red, orange, and yellow fill the woods surrounding our pasture, the blue sky is dotted with cottonball clouds, and the cows are out grazing on the still-green grass, I can't help but have my breath taken away.  Add in the incredible smells of corn silage being chopped and the last crop of alfalfa hay being made, and it is any farm kid's paradise.

However, with summer fading into fall, which all too quickly becomes winter, there is another piece involved. Change. I will be the first to tell you that change does not come easily to me, but I have learned to deal with it over the years.

One of the largest changes I noticed this fall was at the National FFA Convention. I didn't bring along my blue corduroy jacket. As a former state officer who has competed in many events at the national level, it was... different. After the first night of seeing the blue jackets swarm Indianapolis, however, I came to a realization. The same excitement that I have for FFA and Agricultural Education was in every one of those FFA members present, and I know over 540,000 FFA members across the nation are enthused in the same way. For me, I still have the fire and passion for FFA and Agricultural Education. It is just now being utilized in a different way: helping me prepare to teach.

The changing of the seasons brought with it a lesson for me. It is not my timing that matters. I do not have the control to change summer to fall, nor do I know where I will live and who I will marry. A special timing is involved, however.

"There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot, 

a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

a time to scatter stones and time to gather them, 

a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace."

~Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

I may not know what tomorrow will bring, what challenges and opportunities may lie ahead, and what change I will have to face. God's word tells me that He has a timing for everything. (I honestly mean EVERYTHING - did you read that passage?!?) From day to day I still may worry about timing, but it is His will that will control the timing of my life.

As I look at the changing colors, I have an opportunity to see the changes in my life and know that God's timing is behind them. I know that He has a timing for me, just as He times the changing of the seasons.

Just a few thoughts from a farmer's daughter.

Erin

Passion, Purpose, and Princess Kay

Throughout this summer, I have had an incredible opportunity. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, really. The honor of being selected as a finalist for Princess Kay of the Milky Way was given to me and 11 other fabulous girls in May. As we got to know each other, we discovered that we had great new friends who were all knee deep in the dairy industry, fully immersed in one of our state's top agricultural industry segments.

 

 What happens when you get twelve girls who are all deeply passionate about the dairy industry competing? Well, simply, one wins. Hold up there, bucko. I mean, that is a statement that I am happy to say, since we have a PHENOMENAL representative for dairy farmers across Minnesota for the next year! :)

However, this didn't come without a wee bit of change in my life. First, I am a person that sets goals. Since I made it about halfway to my goal that I set in 7th grade for Princess Kay, it was a definite turnaround and life lesson. As a person who likes to win, I had to start thinking a lot. One of those thoughts went like this:

"As a person who has a deep-rooted passion for dairy farming, family, and agriculture, am I going to let the disappointment of this goal stop me from investing myself in my passion?"

Of course, that answer is no. Passion means that dairy and agriculture live in me and burn bright everyday. I can't just "stop" loving them. Although it's without a crown and sash like Princess Kay, I have a duty. I can enlighten those around me to the wonders of farm life. I can continue on to a new goal combining other passions- FFA and agriculture. I can continue working to become an agricultural educator. Same passion- different goal.

One more thing I have really had to learn from this experience may be the hardest part. So far, I have pretty much achieved everything I wanted to- apparently it was something that was in God's plan for my life too. For one of the first times, my plan did not match up. The purpose I thought was best for me was not the same as my Father's. Although I have new goals, I still am not sure what this year holds for me. It isn't planned out. The purpose is not yet known. 

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.'" -Jeremiah 29:11

The future? Not sure. My next step? We'll have to see. My trust? In the Lord.

Same passion- God's purpose.

Only He knows what's in store for me this year. And.... that's okay with me. I met and will stay good friends with eleven other dairy enthusiasts. My passions will stay the same, because that is who I am. My purpose is yet to be determined, but I can guarantee that there is some really cool path God has in store for me to take. I have learned a lot in the last week about myself and my faith, and I am super excited to see what is ahead!

What are your passions?
How will you incorporate those passions into your purpose, regardless of the outcome of your goals?

Just a few more thoughts from a farmers daughter.

Erin

Good Manners Always Count

               Please.                                            Thank you.                                              Excuse me.

Simple, short phrases that we all learn at a young age and are encouraged to use excessively. MANNERS. We all know we are supposed to use them, like not making gross noises at the table and that your hat comes off at the door. Mom always encouraged us to "be on our best behavior," which included, you guessed it, using our manners.

Just because we get older, should our manners disappear? Obviously, the answer is no. Really, for many of us, our manners have not disappeared at all. Instead of simply using those short phrases, we learn to tip properly at a restaurant and young gentlemen learn to hold open the door for young ladies.You could almost say that our manners have improved.

Except for one thing, that is. Two words that we often forget to say that can mean SO much. What might those two words be?

THANK YOU.

I know we still say it all the time, but here's the catch- do you say it to those people that mean the most to you? Do you thank those that give of their time- go out of their way- in order to make you a better person?

I will be the first to admit it. I have not thanked nearly enough people in my life. The people that mean the most to me and have the greatest impact in my life have likely been the ones that have not received nearly as much gratitude from me as they should have. But that doesn't mean that it is too late to start.

If you don't know me by now, I am a big fan of thank you notes. I took the chance to write a few notes this week, just to let some families from high school know how much they have made a difference in me. What a great feeling for me to get to thank those that have influenced me. I got a chance to say thank you.

For me, there is one more person I need to remind myself to thank: our Heavenly Father. I love one hymn that reminds me of this. The first verse goes along the lines of

"To God be the glory, great things He hath done,
So loved He the world that He gave us His Son,
Who yielded His life our redemption to win,
And opened the life-gate that all may go in."

This just reminds me how much He has done for us, and that I need to remember to say thank you. Even being surrounded by nature on the farm is such a great opportunity. It is one more reason why I want to use my manners to thank the Lord!

As we start the new school year, it is a great time to pause for a moment and say thank you. No matter who it is, those simple two words can show gratitude and pass on a good feeling. A text, thank you note, phone call, email, or chat can all do the same thing. Good manners always count!

Who is it that you want to say thank you to? 

Why wait? Say thank you right now!

Just a few thoughts from a farmer's daughter.

Erin 

There's Only 24 Hours In A Day?

How many times have you found yourself wishing that there were more than 24 hours in a day? This thought runs through my head so many times every day. Why? I simply don't have enough time to do everything I want to do.

Or do I? Do I have all the time in the world that I would ever need? Simply, the answer is YES. Genesis 1:27 says, "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." If I am made in God's image, I have all I would ever need. He created the whole world in seven days. That's SEVEN days. If He had enough time to create us in His image, then we definitely have enough time in our day to do whatever we need to do.

Beyond what God has shown us, I have two friends that have shared different ideas with me about time. When I was once saying to one of them how I didn't have time to get something done, Justin's response was,

"If you really want to do something, you will make time for it."

If I really want to do something, I can make time for it?!? That struck me, because this summer I have called myself busy. Busy with my internship, farm chores most nights, training fair cattle, and seeing a friend or two from time to time. However, I recently had a friend visit the state. I hadn't seen him since October, and decided that I would have to make time if I wanted to catch up. I finally took Justin's advice. I made time. I rearranged a travel schedule, made special work arrangements with my boss, and traveled an extra 9 1/2 hours round trip. Hanging out with that person completely made all the effort worth it, and I proved Justin right. I really wanted to see my friend from out of state, so I made time for it.

Just the other night, Chris told me, 

"If you don't value your own time, how are others going to value it?"

I only have 24 hours in a day. I need to make an effort to do everything in that 24 hours with purpose. Valuing the activities I spend my time doing will be the only way others will value my time. With my obligation to our family farm, I may not get to spend as much time "hanging out" as others do or as I would like sometimes. I do, however, value the time I get to spend doing chores with my family and having great conversations. When I do get to hang out with friends, I truly value that time, since it is so rare. I need to value my time before anyone can truly place value on it.

We only have 24 hours in a day, which is more than enough time to get all we have in a day done. What really matters is the value we place on our time and making time to do the things we want to do. 

Do we make time to do the things we want to do?

Do we value all of the time we have so others will value our time?

Just a few more thoughts from a farmer's daughter.

Erin

Where I Come From

....is corn bread and chicken!

Sure it's a good ol' country song, but have you ever stopped to actually think about it? Hmmm, where I come from....

I am Irish, Norwegian, Dutch, Welsh, English, Austrian, and French Canadian. This all explains my ability to become lobster red within minutes of being outside, but it also has another word- my heritage. My heritage is not simply defined by these nationalities, though.

Holidays defined by my heritage are great! We have AMAZING food, namely lefse. Yum :) However, we make sure to add in some more of the old traditional favorites as well, with my dad's side of the family being huge fans of saurkraut.

However, there is one more piece. My heritage is defined by the people involved with it. Those people have three main things that they have passed on to me in great quantities.

Love of agriculture. No matter what, I know that my heart belongs in the barn, pasture, and field. Growing up around ag has given me an incredible sense of gratitude and passion for dairy farming. Agriculture is one more way that my family bonds- we all do chores together. According to my dad, "The family that works together, stays together." Based off of that and our recent past with work, I think we will be staying together forever.

Hard work. There is nothing, and I mean NOTHING, like getting up before the sun rises to do chores and staying up long past dusk to get work done. The desire to work hard has extended far beyond the farm; it goes into school, sports, and whatever else I get my hands into. Having the satisfaction of a good day's work is a feeling that is irreplacable.

Faith. In my family, our faith has always and will continue to play the most important role. Learning to love one another, being patient, and appreciating God's creation are lessons that most farm kids can tell you are learned at a young age. Every time a calf comes into the world or a hail storm destroys the crops, we have to take a moment and thank our Creator for the blessings He has given us.

Agriculture + hard work + faith = my heritage.

How has your heritage formed you? What will you give to the next generation?

Just a few thoughts from a farmer's daughter.

Erin