Dear Farm Journal,

As our time with Georgia and Elaina nears its end, I want to make the most of our last couple of days together and top off their internship with a few more new experiences. Although I couldn’t get the vacuum seeder going (because someone ran over the long extension cord with the lawn mower) I walked them through how to seed trays by hand. Most of their work has been on the harvest end of the process, so it seemed fitting to bring it back to where it all starts. I watch them press the tiny seeds into the potting soil and wonder about the seeds we’ve planted in their young lives through this experience; seeds of curiosity, kindness, and questioning the status quo. How will those seeds germinate and bear fruit in their future? Like the seeds that slip between our fingers now, only time will reveal their manifestation. In the early afternoon, we send them to ride the Elroy-Sparta State Bike Trail. They deserve an afternoon of leisurely exploring after all of the hard work they’ve put in. Georgia said I was taking pictures “like her mom”, trying to capture every moment as it slipped by, and I felt it too, a nurturing tenderness toward them accompanied by a longing for their happiness. You can bet I’m going to cry tomorrow in “full mom fashion”.

~Joy