After a long, snowy winter, it’s no surprise that most of us couldn’t wait for spring to arrive.  But so far, it doesn’t seem that spring is quite ready to give us that literal and figurative fresh start for new life that we’ve anxiously been waiting for.  This year, it seems that spring has been replaced by late snow falls, extended cold temps, and excessive rain and wind.  And in many parts of the country, deadly and destructive floods and tornados have added to the misery.

To make matters worse, rural residents and their farmlands throughout the Mississippi River valley are being sacrificed this week in order to protect larger metropolitan areas further down the river.  And I’ll admit it… I have a hard time accepting that the government has decided to reduce the damage to large, heavily-populated cities by flooding rural communities just like the ones most of us call home.

At the same time, I know (and so do the residents that choose to live in these floodplains) that these levees exist and are designed to be opened for this very circumstance.  I guess a part of me I can understand that this is a purely utilitarian decision… the greatest good for the greatest number.  And who knows?  Maybe we would make the same decision if we were put in the same position as the Army Corps of Engineers who concluded it was necessary to start opening the levee system.

But regardless of whether you reluctantly understand or fiercely disagree with the decision, it’s a devastating dose of reality to anyone who knows that their land, their livelihood, and their homes are only a couple days away from being completely destroyed.

Yet for some reason, I can’t help but think that the real story from this event has yet to be told.  And that’s the story about the resiliency and recovery of rural America.  And with all due respect to the residents of New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and other big cities that will also be affected by the flooding… if I had to put my money on who will pull together faster to recover and rebuild everything that will soon be lost, I’d have to say that the spirit of small-town USA will ultimately prevail.

And regardless of where you go… that always seems to be the spirit of ‘the farmer’.  Regardless of the hand that farmers are dealt, they always show up and play their best cards.  While most people look forward to spring and summer because of the recreational activities that come with warmer weather, farmers see the end of winter as another chance to continue doing what they do.  An opportunity to produce the crops they need to feed their animals, their companies, and the people who count on them to do so.  And although it seems that many people have forgotten where their food comes from, those of us in rural America are thinking of the many farmers whose cropland will soon be underwater.

Yeah, this spring has been a tough one for anyone who counts on the land for their livelihood.  As the days go by and fields remain too wet to be plowed and planted, I’m sure the uncertainty of this growing season makes stressful times even tougher.  But as it is every year, Mother Nature calls the shots.  And even though she’s challenging your patience and fortitude right now, you always seem to make it in the end.

Ultimately, this year is no different than any other… and there’s nothing we can do but wait.  Sunnier days are sure to follow.