View from the Cab: Counting blessings

By: Kent Casson

We all have plenty to be thankful for this Thanksgiving – especially those of us in ag.

This year was a good one for most as we saw strong yields, great harvest weather and near ideal conditions for fall tillage work and fertilizer application. Everyone stayed safe and we pulled through another farming year. I am especially thankful the snowflakes waited to fly until all of the corn and soybeans were harvested.

I always enjoy late November as we reflect on our blessings and sit around the table with family and friends. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays as we have dinners with each side of the family, dining on turkey and all of the delicious sides. Ever since we got married, Rebecca and I have been blessed with extra family time and family members who cook up great meals.

I highly recommend my wife’s scalloped corn, Karen’s pumpkin dessert and Jorj Ann’s famous deviled eggs. These are all food staples at our dinner table, along with a little pumpkin pie and Cool Whip. The laughs and conversation shared are priceless.

Our family tradition over the past several years has been to start setting up the Christmas tree and getting out a few decorations on Thanksgiving morning while enjoying the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV. The kids enjoy helping and catching a glimpse of the big balloons and Santa Claus himself during the parade.

After a nonstop season of fieldwork, meetings and broadcasting games, it is nice to at least take a day to sit back and take it all in. We all need to do this once in a while to get our priorities straight and realize what we have. Then, it’s right back to the hustle and bustle of the season with hoops, holiday shopping, winter weather and winding things down for the calendar year.

In today’s crazy world, I feel fortunate to have my health and live in a free country. There is a roof over my head with a warm house to live in and a family who I am thankful for each and every day. As Jimmy Stuart discovered in the classic holiday movie, it really is a wonderful life.

To love what I do is an understatement. I am grateful for a career that allows me to experience the flexibility of a business owner while doing what I am passionate about, which is broadcasting and local journalism. Sometimes I have to pinch myself to make sure I am not dreaming. It is all possible thanks to God, family and all of you wonderful readers and listeners out in the audience.

I hope you all have a very happy Thanksgiving and take a moment to reflect on your blessings. I know I will.