nostalgia

this fine morning my mind goes back to all those years of working in feed yards. a young man with a good wife and 3 little ones.  never enough money, always hustling  for the next doller. riding young horses, spoiled horses and shoing horses every spare minute. never having a holiday off  because the cattle didn't get one.  almost always working sundays because you shipped fat cattle to the packers so they had cattle on hand to start Mondays. but on those sunday mornings I knew that that good woman at home had a good morning breakfast ready when I came in the back door for a cup of coffee. how many times did we miss Christmas mornings with the kids opening their presents because  those cattle in the hospital ally needed tending to before you could have your turkey dinner. it wasn't just me, there were countless other cowboys, feed truck drivers and other hands who suffered through the same ills. but folks lookin back, ide do it all over again. yes there are things I missed in my life, but we also knew we were serving a cause that made us proud, helping feed millions with a taste for beef.