“Mom! Can we go check on my green bean plant?”

I’m getting that question every evening these days — no exaggeration. 

After a failed attempt growing some vegetables at her preschool, my budding 4-year-old gardener was quite disappointed at the outcome, showing me her brown, droopy plant in the small container she brought home. 

I knew I had some leftover seeds from planting my small garden and an open spot in the raised bed. I pulled the green bean seed envelope from the drawer and told her, “C’mon, let’s go plant.”

So we dug a little hole, she dropped the seed in, and covered it with soil and so much love and hope. We’ve been checking on her green bean plant every day since, and her excitement has yet to wane. 

Joy of the caretaker

It’s hard to take much of the mundane for granted when viewing the world through the eyes of a child. My daughters are always right beside me for daily chores with a joy that’s contagious if I let it be.

I think the joy she finds in taking care of what is given to her is reflective of how God intended us to live out our time on earth based on his design of humans as the caretakers of his creation.

The past few months I’ve had the honor of visiting with Angus breeders who embody this outlook. Is it always easy? No. Have they ever wanted to throw in the towel? I’m sure some have. But with each breeder I talk to, it’s evident that being the caretakers of their family, the land and herds are something they are proud to do each day. 

In this issue we highlight some of those cattlemen and share their advice. We also recognize two American Angus Association retirees who, between them, have served Angus breeders for a total of 68 years. 

In the words of Tennessee Angus breeder David Hunter, who is featured in the August Angus Journal, “As long as you take care of the ground, take care of the cattle, they’ll take care of you.”