A Time of Transition

For the past 13ish years, things have been pretty stable around here. And by stable, I mean that Jay has had the same job (everything else is always in flux!) He is a hog farmer. Every day that he worked, he went to the same place. At the beginning of our marriage, he almost knew the minute he would leave for work and the minute he would return. I loved that predictability. It makes all of life simpler - planning, cooking supper, spending time together, etc. Eventually, as the operation grew and doubled in size to what is now 13,000 hogs, the days got a little less predictable. What he used to do all by himself now required he hire some employees. So, some days he didn't go to work at all, sometimes he left at 5am and came home early afternoon, sometimes late afternoon. Many days he spends time in the office after working all day. The changes have been gradual but to be honest, I liked the predictability of the earlier days! Now all of that is about to change. Jay's parents own a farm that includes hogs, chickens and land. Jay's dad and uncles work that farm, along with Jay's younger brother. Well, the uncles want to retire and Jay wants to work on that farm. It was the plan to make that move in about 2-3 years. Rewind to this past summer. Jay had an employee that returned to school. His plan was to replace that employee - what he got instead was more than he was hoping. He had a gentleman apply that is thoroughly knowledgeable of hog farms - he has worked on them for many years as manager and assistant manager. So, Jay hired him and in essence, hired away his job. That 2-3 year plan to work on his parents farm suddenly changed to a 1 month plan. Starting November 1, Jay will no longer be full-time on the hog farm. He may work there a few hours a week but his main job will be on his parents farm. And we don't know exactly what that will look like. If you know anything about farming (and I mean farming of the land), winter is a slower time, spring is busier with planting and harvest the busiest. We can anticipate he will work less this winter but we aren't sure exactly. What time will he go to work? When will he come home? Will he go to work at all? It is a transition I must be flexible in and I am a little hesitant. It may mean other things can happen sooner than we first anticipated but this whole transition will be hard for me. As much as I like spontaneity, I love predictability. So, if you want to, keep us in mind and in your prayers as we enter this time of transition that I may be flexible and that my communication with Jay will be clear so I know what to expect. I know this change will be a good thing but it will bring its own set of unique challenges. And, I think I am up to it! :)