It's a sense of readiness and security, and not financial security, really, because as a farm, we've never been financially very secure. But there's another kind of security...if it feels like you belong where you are, and with the people that you're among, then you're very, very much stronger for that. That's what makes it - it's that connection between the people and the place. |
Jim VanDerPol, with son
Josh and
I can't really picture myself doing anything else, though I do other things in addition to farming, but I can't picture myself leaving it for another career. It's basically spiritual. It's very tightly tied up with religious feelings and those are in my own personal case, quite strong and not very church connected. The land owns me as much as I own it. But there's another thing that goes on where you start thinking of yourself being owned by the land. And that, I think, is kind of deeper than the Christian church usually gets into. This place is important to me because I want to be here, but it's also that it's important because I feel like I belong here. I feel like I can be more of myself here. |
