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Enlighten Us
Ep P]gao = N]j_d BY SHERY JESPERSEN
“It takes a village to raise a child,” so goes a popular cliché. In the Cowboy State, the saying can read a little differently but would convey the same meaning. It takes a ranch to raise a child in rural Wyoming. Beyond the ranch a child calls home is his or her “village.” I’m not referring to the nearest town. I’m speaking of the ranching community of neighbors. These are the folks who help shape opinions and ideals. I don’t know about your locale, but ours is rich in local color! Children are keen observers and everything they witness is part of the process that molds their character. One of the key ingredients for success in anyone’s life is acquiring a good work ethic. Secondly, a healthy handle on etiquette will serve you better than money ever will. These days, manners and respect seem to have gone out of style with coffeemakers that last. Sadly, many of today’s young folk are slipping into an unhealthy mindset that has a loose grip on both items. This troubling attitude has branches too, and the whole of it will harden with age. But, the good news is that the values and the ‘moral compass’ that made the U.S.A. the greatest country in the world is alive and well on our ranches. Children are the same as they’ve always been. Kids are like carrots. To be strong and sweet, they need good, deep dirt, rain, and sunny love. They are still bright with hope and quietly thrilled when they feel needed, valued and important in the grand scheme of
things. They want to think rightly and achieve mastery over the many things that each year introduces them to. Something that seems to be a problem nowadays is forgetting that children need to be outside. They learn academics in the schoolroom, but they learn about “life” outside. Fresh air, like nothing else, enhances brain function. Kids need to work hard and play hard outside and sometimes those two things happen at the same time – like at brandings. Dirt and everything that lives in it or on it is where many of the secrets of life can be found.
during not one, but two World Wars and the Great Depression. Winston Churchill once said, “Keep calm and carry on” and people did…the best they could. Those words are just as fitting today. Take heart Wyoming, our kids are growing up in a great place and they can be just as ready as we were for whatever the future brings. I feel encouraged when I remember a song that our generation learned in Sunday school. “He’s got the whole world in His hands.” Our world, our times and our kids.
I have a thousand fond memories from my childhood and most of them are outdoor scenes. I was lucky to experience the full meaning of the word “idyllic.” I wonder if my grandparents, who were members of the “Greatest Generation,” worried about my future. They knew far more about the trials and tribulations of life than our generation does. They were young adults A U G U S T
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Shery Jespersen's ancestors homesteaded in northeast Wyoming after the Civil War. She and her husband, Lynn, ranch for a living in the same locale. Shery has been a horse lover all her life and also enjoys history, heirloom poultry, making artsy things from 'junktiques' and collecting Victorian china. She's been a freelance writer and designer for 20 years and is a contributor for MaryJanesFarm publications. Read her blog at: http://reataroseranch.blogspot.com. 0 W R E N M A G A Z I N E ./