Love is…

With the heat waves we’ve had recently, I’ve had a lot of people at the market ask how we’re holding up and then always ask about the animals. The concern for us makes me feel so loved and appreciated, but the concern for the animals really touches my heart.

I love that so many of our customers follow us on social media to see firsthand what we and the animals are doing. And of course, I LOVE talking about our animals and helping people understand what it means to raise animals the way we do.

It reminds me of a conversation I had with a customer about our sows farrowing. I told her how I was worried about our first-time momma, Honey, because she wasn’t quite as friendly as our others.  I explained we bought her very young, but she had never come around to affection like Baboo, the boar we bought at the same time.

She asked, “So pigs aren’t naturally friendly like yours?”

Quiet the opposite.  They have a reputation for being aggressive and you don’t want to fall into a pigpen–all they will find are your teeth. Our old-timer tells people about how we have the friendliest pigs and has brought people over to witness how they drop for belly rubs.

So why is this post titled “Love is…”?

I was listening to the book “People Can’t Drive Your Crazy if you Don’t Give Them the Keys” and the author was talking about Love as an action, not a feeling. Take, for example, wedding vows. You don’t say you’re going to feel love for the other person. You say what actions you will take to show your love.

Love is what we do.

That’s why grief is so painful. For a time, our love actions have nowhere to go. Eventually, we find ways to release our love back into the world, still with the hurt and longing of grief, but no longer as sharp and debilitating.

For me, love is the way we care for our animals. What we do to make sure they are happy and having a good life. Every lost piglet or chick breaks my heart. Every close call with difficult calving puts me on high alert for days.

Love is knowing how we farm helps the soil stay healthy, so the animals stay healthy, and everyone who eats what we produce can stay healthy.

Love is staying up for hours with that not-so-friendly sow to make sure the birth goes well.

Love is Fred doing all the chores because if I don’t pack all the eggs right now, my head may explode.

Love is taking a break when you need the rest (Fred and I have both become a bit better about this).

Love is the simple act of asking “how are you doing?”

So to everyone who asks how we are doing and/or how the animals are doing, thank you for showing us your love. We receive it, hold on to it, appreciate it, and send our love right back to you.