Digging graves

Death is a fact of life. Everything dies, eventually.

On a farm, we are very close to the "circle of life." Every spring, we see new calves born. In the fall we select the cows we want to keep. With every year we watch them mature, and if we're all lucky, they live to a ripe old age.

Unfortunately, life is not Disney-esque. In terms of livestock there can be accidents, there are predators, and there can be disease. And sometimes, even despite your best efforts, things don't go right. It's an understood risk.

It doesn't make it any easier to deal with.

Today I had to bury a two week old baby that simply didn't make it. Everything we'd done to try to help her out… an act in futility. It's as if she never had any hope, didn't care enough to hang on despite everything…

I know there's supposed to be some grand plan, that this is all part of the Way, but sometimes? Life sucks.

And I'm out here digging graves in the dirt.