At its heart, the book is about more than farming. It is about the courage to question the way things have always been done and the persistence to build something better.

And even now, as a grown-up with no school supplies list to follow, August still tugs on those same strings — part closing chapter, part clean slate.

The fair is one of those rare things that still holds a whole community in one place, at one time, with one goal: to show up for each other. It doesn’t get more genuine than that.

It’s not about doing the most. It’s not about having the perfect schedule or the perfect words. It’s just about showing up.

Here’s what’s been keeping my head up and my heart soft lately — no fluff, just the good stuff.

I didn’t realize it at the time, but ranch life was teaching me more than just how to work hard. It was teaching me how to live well. A lot of it comes down to just showing up for those in need.

We are halfway through the year and I am not the person I thought I would be. I am not in the place I had planned on. I have different people in my life than who I thought. But I am here. I am embracing every minute of the sunshine during these long days of summer.

I catch myself doing it all the time — holding a microscope to my flaws, my failures, my “not enoughs.”

Please understand that I’m not here because I have all the answers. I’m here because I believe we should all share what we are thinking and that there’s something sacred in paying attention — to God, to people, to the ordinary