Caring for Calves and Kids

This knife. It tells a huge story even though it’s a rather small kitchen utensil. This knife is a consistent reminder for me to be humble.

*Fog and swirly screen*

The year was 2016, and my husband had come home from a long day of working on the farm. Earlier that day he had gone to get a new phone by himself. (I know you instantly image the horror and dread that comes with that.)

           Even though the salesperson promised his contacts would load in the next few hours, and being a dairy farmer, he was running out of time to stay at the store because the chores were waiting.

            So he comes home, does his chores, milks the cows, feeds baby calves and other odds and ends. He makes his way into the house frustrated that his contacts still hadn’t loaded. I was dicing potatoes for supper on a cutting board with this knife when he walked in and we begun our conversation about his new phone and how his contacts still hadn’t loaded.

            Things began to escalate in tone in the conversation and I said something dumb, not necessary and something that was a mistake. What was it?

            I honest to goodness have no idea! All I remember is it was something said out of spite, was completely not needed, said before my brain could catch up and caused me to destroy this knife and my husband to punch a wooden door. (Bad ideas on both of our parts.)

            For the knife I somehow broke the tip off and if you look closely it is actually bent too – leaning to one side.

            As far as my husband’s hand, we went to the emergency room at the local hospital and being 8 months pregnant the attendee first looks at me thinking we are here for me. Boy was she wrong! 😉

            They took x-rays and got him processed to find out he had broken his hand. I felt terrible! This was going to put my farmer husband out of work and I was going to have to pitch in more all because my mouth ran faster than my brain. Ugh! It was a long stretch of surgery, casting and physical therapy. (Oh and don’t forget having our first baby.)

            While I knew the impact immediately, every time I see this knife when working in our kitchen, it is a fantastic reminder to:

• Be Kind
• Not be a know it all
• Think before I speak
• Ask “Does this really need to be said?”

Hopefully this helps you so you don’t have to learn humility the hard way. Wives, mommas, anyone it’s easy to get caught up in life, a situation, a heated argument, but it’s important to remember you can’t take back anything you say. So choose your words