Small Joys In The Season Of Giving

We reflect on a fast year, the wins we forgot we earned, and the small acts that made the season bright. A roadside assist, a food pantry drop, and a reminder that receiving help can be as generous as giving it.

• year-in-review across planting, fairs, harvest and holidays
• book launch and starting the podcast as key milestones
• gratitude for unexpected help from a dealership tech
• choosing to notice joy over busyness and setbacks
• donating meat and the reality of local food insecurity
• practical ideas for giving when money is tight
• the courage to receive without guilt to refill the cup
• remembering love, light and family as the focus

Go find us on all of the socials at farmers greatest asset
Send us a message via email at farmersgreatestasset at gmail.com

Transcript

Welcome And Holiday Framing

SPEAKER_00 0:16

The Farmer's Greatest Asset Podcast. We believe the Farm's Greatest Asset is the Farmer. Their knowledge, experience, mind, and health. Welcome to the podcast. I'm Jesse.

SPEAKER_01 0:41

And I'm Dr. Leah.

SPEAKER_00 0:43

Well, Merry Christmas. It is the season, right?

SPEAKER_01 0:48

The season is upon us.

SPEAKER_00 0:50

A week away. Christmas. Already.

SPEAKER_01 0:57

It has come fast, that is for sure. You know, as the kids get older, it just seems like we have winter and then we're planting and then into summer and hay and fare to state fair to harvest to Christmas. Here it is. It's like boom. It goes very fast.

SPEAKER_00 1:22

That is our year in review right there. Pretty much that in a nutshell.

SPEAKER_01 1:29

You know, as part of uh kind of like a little program that I did to just reset before 2026, and it has you reflect on your 2025 and go through your pictures. And there were a lot of amazing moments that we had. You kind of forget about what has happened in a year.

SPEAKER_00 1:53

That's why pictures are good, right?

SPEAKER_01 1:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:56

But they're no good until you go look at them.

SPEAKER_01 1:59

Yeah. It so, you know, when you're thinking about what you want to change and what you want to, you know, what you see when you're looking back, and the list of all the great things that happened this year far outweighed the heavy stuff.

SPEAKER_00 2:17

Sure.

SPEAKER_01 2:18

The heavy things, I could think of like three things.

SPEAKER_00 2:21

That's why they call them heavy. Right.

SPEAKER_01 2:23

They're harder to carry, but I had like a whole page full of just going through the picture roll and just all the new friendships that I made this year. I mean, since last year, you wrote a book.

SPEAKER_00 2:39

It was a good time.

SPEAKER_01 2:40

We started the podcast.

SPEAKER_00 2:41

Like it was about this time last year I started the book.

SPEAKER_01 2:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 2:47

And published and have a book for sale. Yeah. And by spring, early summer.

SPEAKER_01 2:53

By April, yeah.

Gratitude Story: Help On The Road

SPEAKER_00 2:54

Yeah. Wow.

SPEAKER_01 2:56

And we started our podcast in March. March. We have accomplished a lot.

SPEAKER_00 3:03

We have done a lot for sure. And it goes fast.

SPEAKER_01 3:06

It does. It's been a joyous year.

SPEAKER_00 3:10

Yeah. So it is the season of giving, right? Or tis the season of giving. So um I guess in in that also it's receiving. So yesterday I bought an implement a while ago, and we went down to pick it up, and I had to drag home the tongue for it, the the hitch. And it was slow going. So without pulling anything, it's like a two and a half hour drive. And I had to drive 30 miles per hour.

SPEAKER_01 3:43

So how fun was that for you?

SPEAKER_00 3:45

That was awful. So I decided it was actually getting dark too, and I'd have to take some four-lane roads. And I'm like, you know what? Like, I've seen enough people on their phones about come right up me. So I said, enough is enough. And thank you to an implement dealer down south here and Gage at that implement dealership for helping me out. I stopped there. They they were okay with me dropping it and coming back in the morning with a trailer. And one of the service guys, Gage, thank you. You helped me load it. Um, and that made my day. Made my two days, actually, that I could drop it. They were nice enough to let me drop it, and then nice enough to help me push it on the trailer. And I was even gonna bribe him with a hundred dollar bill, and he said, nope, we're just gonna do it for you.

SPEAKER_01 4:42

Thank you, Gage.

SPEAKER_00 4:43

Yeah, thank you.

Giving And Receiving Mindset

SPEAKER_01 4:44

So I think when we when we look back, we can really focus on the negative, or we can really choose to focus on the positive because there are so many people who are willing to help for nothing. There are still good people out there in the season of giving and receiving. I think it seems to be easier to give than to receive, for me at least. Well, it is, it's but that was a time that you received.

SPEAKER_00 5:22

Right.

SPEAKER_01 5:23

And we have to also allow that to come through as well. Otherwise, when you just give, you empty your cup, and you need to allow yourself to receive love and gratitude as much as you give.

SPEAKER_00 5:40

So that being said, at the same time, you and Lucy were on a little mission donating some stuff because we have the means, so we were happy to do so. And it's like you said, you give and receive, and it fills fills your cup. Like it was a good day yesterday.

SPEAKER_01 6:00

It was a good day. Just those little things can really mean a lot. And I think when you look back, you really push those aside. But it is those little everyday moments of joy that really make life enjoyable.

SPEAKER_00 6:22

Right.

SPEAKER_01 6:24

That those are the things that we should choose to focus on, not the busy, not the what didn't get done, not the you know, how I wanted my day to go and it didn't, like really capturing thomes of joy.

Food Security And Pantry Support

SPEAKER_00 6:41

It has to be a good feeling for you to know that you donated some meat and a lot of families will be fed. Right? Yes. So when you can just feel that joy and that warmth of knowing people will have good nutritious food on their table.

SPEAKER_01 7:03

Although we lived on farms in the 80s and means were tight. We still always had we always had a freezer full of meat.

SPEAKER_00 7:12

Beef or pork and both. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 7:15

We always had food in our cupboards. That is not the case for a lot of people, and it's easy to bypass that.

SPEAKER_00 7:25

Well, even here you don't realize it. A previous time that we went to a food pantry, they serve a lot of families. A lot. And it's just one of a couple in the county, uh, food pantries in the county, and you don't realize there are a lot of families that depend on those food pantries. And you think, oh, it can't be that bad around here, but there are a lot of families that are being served by that.

SPEAKER_01 7:55

So it it is good to it felt really good to to give the meat and uh to know that it is going someplace where people really could use it and eat it and appreciate it. Yeah. So it was wonderful.

SPEAKER_00 8:12

So in the season, it's good to receive and good to give. If you have the means, we encourage you to do so. Whatever it is you can. And if you can't, that's okay too.

SPEAKER_01 8:25

It doesn't always have to be material objects. Right.

SPEAKER_00 8:29

Uh Gage helped me push an implement on a trailer.

SPEAKER_01 8:34

You could stop and talk to an elderly person at the store. Carry their groceries to their car for them, you know, help them load it into the car.

Everyday Acts Of Care

SPEAKER_00 8:46

If you know a person, somebody I know personally, their mother is in an assisted living nursing home, right? And she fell and broke her hip or something, so had to have surgery and was bedridden. So and asked for people to send cards and go visit, and people did overwhelmingly, and it really helped her recovery. Her recovery and her mental state, and just going to visit somebody like that is giving.

SPEAKER_01 9:17

And again, we, you know, having such a large family, we don't think about people not having someone to visit them in the holiday season and how lonely that could be. It doesn't have to be something you go out and buy. It could be, oh, I'm making baked goods, I'm going to take these to a senior citizen that might not have family in the area. There's so many things that you can do that really bring joy to the holiday season.

SPEAKER_00 9:50

So I guess the point is is just remember the reason for the season. And it is about family and giving and receiving and not necessarily and light. All those wrapped gifts under the tree, which are absolutely amazing. But like you said, love and joy and light. Like I said, remember the reason for the season. And from us to you.

SPEAKER_01 10:17

Merry Christmas.

SPEAKER_00 10:19

Merry Christmas and happy holidays.

SPEAKER_01 10:23

We will hear from us again before that time.

Reason For The Season And Sign-Off

SPEAKER_00 10:25

Yep. To all the farmers out there braving the weather here today. It's it's gotten a little nasty. Cats and dogs. It's weird. Again, thanks for listening. Go find us on all of the socials.

SPEAKER_01 10:42

At farmers greatest asset.

SPEAKER_00 10:44

Send us a message via email.

SPEAKER_01 10:47

At farmersgreatestasset at gmail.com.

SPEAKER_00 10:51

And remember, it is a good day.

SPEAKER_01 10:54

To have a great day. Bye.