The auctioneer’s chant filled the farm-site last Saturday. One by one, items were offered for sale and found their new homes. My father had sold his large equipment after he harvested his last crop: the combine that cost more than my first house, the 4-wheel drive tractors complete with air conditioning and sound system, the multi-row corn planter, and the like.

At the auction last Saturday, it was more about his toys. On the Friday night before the auction, he was still waxing the last of his tractors (they were always John Deere – nothing but green for my dad!) On the morning of the sale, it was with a brave heart and gut determination that he climbed up and down from the tractors to showcase how smooth their motors ran. Throughout the morning, the auctioneer boasted about how clean his equipment was and how well cared for the farm-site was. This is among the biggest compliments a farmer and his wife can hear.

My father’s tractors were always tagged with a purpose. As kids, we knew that the little 2-cylinder tractor was special. It was the reliable one to pull around hay wagons and other small chores. But it never worked the fields, because it didn’t have the power. We called it the “putt-putt” tractor. When the new owner of the ‘620 drove it off the farm, I thought I would see a tear or two. But instead of a tear, all that I saw was a smile on my dad’s face. He knew it had found a good home.

My dad can look back at his career with pride. I hope years from now I can do the same.

Are you taking the steps to ensure that you can as well?