FFA Proceedings 2002 - National FFA Organization

Retiring Address
When I was a little girl, I loved
following my dad around our
farm, shadowing him in everything
he did. I loved being a farm
girl. Every day was spent outside
with dad riding in the tractor or
bringing him just the right tools
to fix a broken part.
Amy Rasmussen
“A Little More Life”
National FFA Central Region
Vice-President
46
Now, growing up on the farm,
I certainly had those chores or
“responsibilities” that I despised
like walking the soybean fields
cutting down thousands of weeds,
detasseling corn in the hot,
humid month of July, and breaking
ice in the cattle waterers during
those freezing winter months.
My brothers and I shared in the
responsibility of these jobs, but
there was one job on our farm
that was strictly mine!
When it came to loading livestock,
my job was to be the “gate
girl.” Now you might be wondering,
what does this responsibility
entail? What is the role of the
gate girl? Well, my job was to
simply open, swing, and close the
gate…the gate girl. Highly scientific,
I know! It’s definitely not a
glamorous position, but it is an
important one. You see, if I didn’t
correctly do my job we couldn’t
get the livestock loaded. I must
admit, many times I would mess
up in my role as gate girl.
Sometimes my dad and brothers
would bring the cows too fast,
and I wouldn’t have the gate
open in time. Other times I had
the gate open too early, and the
wrong cows got loaded. Yes, I
remember several occasions being
yelled at for not correctly doing
my simple job.
As I look back, I realize that at
the time I didn’t see much purpose
in that important role. I
would whine and complain that
my brothers got to do the fun
jobs while I had to
stand and swing a gate.
But I grew to realize
that without the gate
girl, everything falls
apart. Even something
as simple as standing
and holding a gate
serves an important
purpose. And isn’t it
interesting the power
of a purpose?
Growing up playing
“school” in the attic of
our farmhouse was one
of my favorite things
to do. Now, playing
school by myself was fun for
awhile, but when my little brother
Adam who is four years
younger than me was born, suddenly
my classroom came alive. I
was no longer just Amy the student,
but I was now Miss
Rasmussen, the teacher and master
over my poor, innocent, and
unsuspecting little brother. My
imagination would run wild, as I
would pretend that other students
were there in our classroom,
and whenever they would
get too disruptive or not stay on
task with their homework, I
would use my best teacher’s voice
to reprimand them.
“Johnny, stop passing notes
and focus on the multiplication
problem!” Of course, when they
were on task I would commend
my students. “Sarah, that’s your
finest work thus far.”
As a teacher, I loved seeing
Adam’s face light up after he had
written his name all by himself,
or when he was able to solve the
math problems I would hold up
to him on flashcards. Our entire
day was spent up in our own little
world, our imaginary classroom,
playing the roles of teacher and
student, and we didn’t want to do
anything else.
We all can remember back to
our childhood those things that
we loved doing. Whether it was
learning an important skill like
swinging a gate, being a topnotch
teacher, dreaming of being
a sports star, or saving the world
as a firefighter, we let our imaginations
run wild! We discovered
at a young age those things that
filled our days with life and gave
us a purpose in our step.
Think about the things that
you find enjoyable, rewarding,
and fun. Do you enjoy coaching,
learning, teaching, or doing? Do
you like to show livestock or
work on cars? Do you spend your
time talking and being with a
group of people, or in a solitary
setting? These passions could lead
to a life of purpose just like my
time on the farm and in the attic
did for me.
You know, that old fashioned
wooden desk with the lift-up top
still sits up in our attic. The old
red milk crate that served as
Adam’s chair is still right where
we left it. What happened thirteen
years ago in our glory days of
childhood has truly shaped my
life, and it has got me thinking
about what my role in life is now.
What is my true purpose? What
is it that I do everyday that keeps
me going and is worth waking up
for? How do I keep that childhood
energy, that passion to do
something I loved, that “life” I
had found in our old attic as a little
girl? Where is the “life” in our
days? Where is that purpose?
Each one of us can easily think
about those things we would fill
up our days with if we had the
freedom to do so. For me it would
be going to watch the Huskers
PHOTO BY KELLY ROGERS