15 years

Shortly after Wayne & I were married we bought the family dairy farm. Having grown up a town girl, I was unaccustomed to country living. From the quiet of the county to that 'fresh' air that only comes the country, were things I had to get used to. Little did I know that 11 years later our lives would have a drastic shift, when our dairy barn burned to the ground; changing our lives forever!

At 2:26 am, on July 17, we awoke to the sound of our dog barking and we heard the enormous roar of a fire as our dairy barn was engulfed in flames. Looking out our bedroom window and seeing the fire is an image I'll not soon forget. I raced downstairs and dialled 911 and 8 minutes later fire trucks were at our place. Waiting those 8 minutes felt like an eternity as we watched our way of life come to an end. Thankfully the firefighters were able to save the house and the implement shed, even though it was impossible to save the barn.

Our kids were 11, 10 & 8 at the time and the memory of that night is not easily forgotten. It still brings a sob to my throat as I remember that morning. It was such a huge loss for us. Our family was quite dependent on our friends and family during those first difficult few days. I found it hard to even think of what to make for supper, let alone deciding what were we going to do ~ rebuild, move, what?

After much prayer we decided to sell the cows, the quota and made the difficult decision to stay where we were and try something else. Wayne had milked cows for almost 30 years, so this wasn't an easy decision. But we learned that there is life after dairy farming.

Wayne was fortunate to have found work immediately after the loss, this helped him to put his focus elsewhere. 5 years after losing the barn, Wayne returned to his heart's desire and works for a neighbour as his hired dairy man.

While we were dairy farmers, I slowly began an accumulation of my own Holstein cows ~ usually consisting of stuffed animals that are in every room of the house or these ones that are made out of cement. 

Even though we're no longer have our own dairy barn, I still continue with my obsession er, um, collection.

We might not ever understand why this happened but “we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” {Romans 8:28 {New International Version}}, and in that we put our trust.

Do we miss it? sure, some days.

But as I am reminded in Jeremiah 29: 11 {New International Version}}, “I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” One never knows what the journey of life holds, but we continue to trust in the ONE who guides our journeys.

Blessings