A Goat Farmer

I'm Only A Goat Farmer

- author unknown - 

I'm only a goat farmer.
I know the sun better than anyone, the soil, pastures, and fields, and the wind, and the rain and the cold.
I am the person who works with them, who loves them, and sometimes fears them.

I'm only a goat farmer.
I am the sower of seeds, the tender of stock, the reaper of the harvest.
I am sweat, and tears, and pride.

I'm only a goat farmer.
I am the person who feeds the young, and the old, and the weak, and the strong.
I am the black earth of Spring, the green pastures of Summer, the harvest gold of Autumn,
And the cold white stillness of Winter.

I'm only a goat farmer.
I am warm memories of the past, the steely reality of the present, and a hopeful dream of the future.
I am a optimist, a thinker, a watcher, And a doer.

I'm only a goat farmer.
I live in a complex world, made of simple things, and they are my source of joy, and hope, and comfort.
I have walked the morning fogs, I have paused for the summer song of the meadowlark,

enjoyed the beauty of the wild prairie flowers in the north pasture, And

I have savored the smell of freshly cut alfalfa hay carried by the warm summer breeze.
I have paused, remembering, by the creek I knew as a boy. I have felt the power of a thousand Kansas storms
And rejoiced in the fresh world left in their wake.

I'm only a goat farmer.
I am an accountant, a chemist, and a doctor.
I am a midwife, and a mechanic. I am a seller, a trader, and buyer. I am husband, helper, and partner to my wife.
I am a father, comforter, and teacher to my children and grandchildren.

I'm only a goat farmer.
Not a person of riches, but a person of great wealth. I have learned to treasure life and all things living.
To respect their maker, and my own.
I am humbled by the earth's bounty and awed by endless rebirth at kidding time.
I am fascinated by the marvelous minutiae of my world and enriched by their beauty.

I'm only a goat farmer.
If a person can be truly free, then I truly am. The day, the week, the month.
They have been entrusted to me. They are mine to spend. They are mine to invest. They are mine to use wisely.
It is a solitary occupation that I have chosen or, perhaps, that I have been chosen for.
An occupation where there are no certainties. Where no guarantees are granted,
No promises given, no excuses taken.
I have but one person to answer to, one person to depend on, one person to confide in.
And in the quiet of the years, I have come to know that person well.

I'm only a goat farmer.

I am a good custodian to those precious little animals that God has entrusted to my care.

I am the good shepherd, I know my own and they know me.

I'm only a goat farmer.
I am perseverance, and creativity, and courage.

I'm only a goat farmer.
I am confidence, and ingenuity, and intelligence, and integrity.

I'm only a goat farmer.
A seeker of excellence, and I shall prevail.