Nobody puts it in the vows. There is no line that says “I promise to love you through harvest season, through the years the rain does not come, through the phone calls from your father about how things should be done, through the nights you fall asleep at the supper table and the mornings you are gone before I wake up.” But for farm couples across rural America, that is exactly what the vows mean. And living them out – year after year, season after season – takes a particular kind of commitment that deserves a lot more honest conversation than it usually gets.
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Colleen Stegenga, LCSW-PIP, is the founder of Embracing Change Counseling Services in Mitchell, South Dakota, specializing in agricultural and rural mental health. In the coming months, Colleen will be offering workshops specifically designed for young farm wives who did not grow up on the farm and are finding their footing in agricultural life. Keep your eyes peeled for more information – these gatherings will be a safe, supportive space to ask the questions you have been afraid to ask and find community with women who understand exactly where you are standing. She can be reached at Colleen@embracingchangecs.com or 605-306-6383.
Colleen Stegenga
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