Hello – Joy here.

I was born and raised a city girl. Cows scared me terribly – they are such big animals. All farm machinery made me nervous.

The summer after Jon and I were married, his dad needed someone to drive his John Deere tractor when it was time to bale hay. Brave man that he was, he asked me. I was pretty nervous, but Dad was confident I could master his fairly  new and very comfy machine. The cab had air conditioning and AM/FM stereo radio, honestly, what more could a girl want on a hot and dusty summer day?

Dad taught me how to follow the cut hay and turn the corners. I watched as the hay disappeared only to reappear as rectangular bales. Looking at the field I thought, “This is going to take all day. I’ll just speed it up a little.” Following Dad’s instructions, I kept my eyes on the rows of green alfapha. That tractor could move and soon we were making excellent time. Suddenly I noticed Dad’s arms waving at me and then he gave me the thumbs down. He was seriously sweating and a bit red in the face. I slowed down, when I saw him wave at me to stop. He hopped off the wagon and into the cool cab for a few moments. He used his shirt sleeve to wipe his face the said,  “Joy, you’re doing a good job, but we need to go a little slower so I can keep up.”

He left the cab with those kind words. Back on the wagon, he gave me the thumbs up and I moved ahead, keeping a careful eye on where I needed to go and the man behind me.

When we finished with the field, the wagon was neatly piled high with bales. Dad directed me to pull up to a conveyor of sorts (I’m sure there’s an official name for it, but I have not idea what that is.) and then he unloaded the bales alone. I didn’t know it at the time, but those golden rectangles weighed about 100lbs each.

At the supper table, he prayed before the meal and thanked God for me and my help. As we filled our plates he asked me if I could come back and drive again the next day. I knew I’d sort of messed up, but the man needed a driver and assured me I’d do a much better job on day two. I did.

Another year, when he was injured, I drove that tractor again. I plowed, disked, and raked his land. (I am not sure that is the right order.) Dad did the planting, but I’d prepped those rich fields for him. I watched his crops grow with a little bit more interest that year – not a lot, but some.

Several years later, when we moved to where we live now, Jon bought a Gator so we could explore our thirty-five acres of land easily. I was so proud to show Dad our John Deere. He said wearing his signature grin, “I remember the first time you drove a John Deere.” I said, “Me too. Thanks for your patience.” He put his arm around my shoulders and gave me a squeeze then said, “Thanks again for your help.”

I sure do enjoy our John Deere and I miss the man who introduced me to them.

As Jon’s assistant here at DeKok Insurance Group I get an up close and personal view of the way he serves his current and potential clients. I see his integrity and think, like father, like son. I know. I’ve worked for and with them both.

Joy