Showing posts with label Educate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Educate. Show all posts
Monday, January 18, 2010
CancerGRACE
My passion for agriculture is obvious, however my passion for educational advovacy in general is what makes me tick. Advocating for cancer is something that has tugged at my heart for quite some time now...in fact Dr. Jack West's efforts is what led me to more social networking to advocate cattle & ag even more! While I can't quite get my writing back full force, I have found an outlet for both my faith and continued hope that no matter what happens to us life can still be pretty darn ok.
Please check out his wonderful non-profit website CancerGRACE and suggest it immediately to anyone you know who is fighting this disease. Global Resource for Advancing Cancer Education is one of the greatest tools available to help you and your family receive high quality cancer education. Dr. West is an oncologist at Swedish Cancer Institute in Seattle, one focus of his being Lung Cancer. An oncologist of my father's for just a short time, he was just another wonderful medical professional we were able to cross paths with. I only wish I would have had access to his site a few years ago! Rather than trying to learn about your cancer from the blogging sites, hear first hand from oncologists who are working with cutting edge research, trials, and have access to the best minds in medicine!
I still firmly believe cancer does not have to be a word that means you better plan your funeral, say your goodbyes, and head for the beach. Our lives can be taken from us at any moment no matter if we have stage IV cancer, marathon runner health, are age 18 or age 98. We are born into this world knowing we are mortal, and we will not come out alive. God has given us the minds, bodies, AND hearts to do all we can in the years we have. Educate your mind and power up that will to live no matter what trial you are facing!
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ~Jeremiah 29:11
www.cancerGRACE.org
Friday, July 31, 2009
Montana skies, good friends, and..........liberals??
I've been pretty darn busy the past couple weeks-hence the sparse posts! This morning I'm writing from one of my favorite places I've worked and spent 1/4 of my year the last couple years. I am in the middle of nowhere Montana.....well at least the ranch is its own little middle-of-nowhere haven! This is the first summer in the last few that I have not worked out here at this guest ranch. Needless to say I'm missing it quite a bit this summer, I spent all my waking hours working outside, meeting people from all over the country and even the world, and being with some good friends. I'm lucky to have made some life-long friends from my experiences there so I came back for a little visit and a few of us are going to head to Great Falls tonight for a road trip and concert!
It is really interesting when you think about places around the country. Here I am in Montana, in between ranch country and the Bob Marshall, yet I'm surrounded by more Obama stickers, hippies and the such than anywhere I've been lately. It always make me wonder how people get to the point where they go to the extreme left and are able to keep their blinders on, ignoring the world right outside their backdoor. Western Montana is a great example of that, in my mind. It is an area that is rich in diversity from timber, cattle, mining, to its incredible biodiversity and amazing natural resources. How is it possible that people living in the heart of an agriculturally dense, natural area could be so clueless to deciphering truth and hype?
What I have learned from my many summers spent working about an hour east of Missoula, is that no place is too far removed from the leftists' agendas and their voices can be heard from even the deepest canyons. We have a job to do! People EVERYWHERE don't understand about farming and ranching and they aren't going to learn unless we teach them! I work for an ag lending company and there are many people alongside us who don't know anything about the farmers and ranchers that we lend to. Sometimes they believe the same crazy stories being portrayed in the media that those infamous country music stars buy into. Because most people believe the media is their source for "fact-filled" news, they are flying blind-folded. We need to take every opportunity to educate them. Recently, my boss hosted a field-day to take certain employees of our company to show them a farm, harvest, and different types of equipment. Many of the people who went had never even been on a farm or ranch, yet they work for a company that lives and breathes agriculture!!! We all know what happens when we make assumptions.....so don't assume someone knows what goes on at your farm or ranch. Take the opportunity to show them pictures, tell them a story, or take them out their for dinner, on your lunch break or for the whole day! You will not only teach someone about our industry, but possibly gain a new friend in the process!
It is really interesting when you think about places around the country. Here I am in Montana, in between ranch country and the Bob Marshall, yet I'm surrounded by more Obama stickers, hippies and the such than anywhere I've been lately. It always make me wonder how people get to the point where they go to the extreme left and are able to keep their blinders on, ignoring the world right outside their backdoor. Western Montana is a great example of that, in my mind. It is an area that is rich in diversity from timber, cattle, mining, to its incredible biodiversity and amazing natural resources. How is it possible that people living in the heart of an agriculturally dense, natural area could be so clueless to deciphering truth and hype?
What I have learned from my many summers spent working about an hour east of Missoula, is that no place is too far removed from the leftists' agendas and their voices can be heard from even the deepest canyons. We have a job to do! People EVERYWHERE don't understand about farming and ranching and they aren't going to learn unless we teach them! I work for an ag lending company and there are many people alongside us who don't know anything about the farmers and ranchers that we lend to. Sometimes they believe the same crazy stories being portrayed in the media that those infamous country music stars buy into. Because most people believe the media is their source for "fact-filled" news, they are flying blind-folded. We need to take every opportunity to educate them. Recently, my boss hosted a field-day to take certain employees of our company to show them a farm, harvest, and different types of equipment. Many of the people who went had never even been on a farm or ranch, yet they work for a company that lives and breathes agriculture!!! We all know what happens when we make assumptions.....so don't assume someone knows what goes on at your farm or ranch. Take the opportunity to show them pictures, tell them a story, or take them out their for dinner, on your lunch break or for the whole day! You will not only teach someone about our industry, but possibly gain a new friend in the process!
