“That’s My Job, That’s What I Do”

At first glance you might not know where that title came from, but then again a few of you might recognize it as a line from a Conway Twitty song. I fell in love with this song not long after Doug and I started dating, but couldn’t really listen to it without tears in my eyes for a while. 

Many of you know that Doug’s dad, Mark, passed away suddenly about a month after we started dating in 2006. He left a hole in many lives that will never be completely filled. I didn’t know Mark well but I knew that his family loved and respected him and I loved talking to him each week when he and Becca would visit the feed store where I worked. He told me I needed to drag Doug out of the house sometime (his exact words) 😂 almost every time he came in. Eventually we did go on a date and the rest of the story might be for another post. But back to my favorite song….

I was driving home one night last week from the barn and this song came on the radio. I typically get tears in my eyes when I hear it but this night it hit me especially hard. Kimsey and I had been in the barn working with Doug, his sister Abi and her little boy Hollis and her husband Brad, and had a good time feeding the ewes, checking the lambs, bottle feeding and various other chores. Not a glamorous night to most people but we were down there working together to get the sheep fed and taken care of. Even little Hollis fed bottles and Kimsey encouraged us with her noises and squeals of joy ❤️ 

I started thinking about how hard Doug works to take care of the sheep, and how much the whole family enjoys lambing season. Raising livestock of any kind is hard work but add in full time jobs and other obligations and it becomes even more of a challenge. Doug works tirelessly every day to make sure the sheep are fed and comfortable. He does late night and early morning checks to ensure all is well before he can get some rest. Kimsey and I help when we can and so do Doug’s sisters and even his mom when she’s needed to help milk a ewe out 😊 Once this song came on that night I knew Mark was smiling down on all of us working together in the barn, and I knew how happy he would have been to play with his grandbabies and introduce them to the sheep. That would have been his job and I know for a fact he would have loved that employment ❤️

Now it’s Doug’s job to make sure raising sheep and livestock continues in our family. He has made the care of the sheep his job and all the other odd things you have to do to raise livestock. It really is a job for all of us but I’m so thankful for a husband who has kept his daddy’s favorite job going (not without help and struggle of course) and who will continue it for many years to come. Doug’s family has raised sheep for 20+ years and I can’t wait to teach the little ones in our family all about them. 

“That’s my job

That’s what I do.

Everything I do is because of you

To keep you safe with me.

That’s my job you see.”

Every person carves his spot

And fills the hole with light.

And I pray someday I might

Light as bright as he.

Woke up early one bright fall day

To spread the tragic news.

After all my travel, I settled down

Within a mile or two.

I make my living with words and rhyme

And all this tragedy

Should go into my head and out instead

As bits of poetry.

But I say “Daddy, I’m so afraid,

How will I go on with you gone this way?

How can I come up with a song to say

I love you?”

That’s my job, That’s what I do

Everything I do is because of you

To keep you safe with me.

That’s my job you see.

Thank you for reading and I hope you have a wonderful day 😊