“Why, you have nearly finished it, Mr. Frodo!” Sam exclaimed. “Well, you have kept at it, I must say.”
“I have quite finished, Sam,” said Frodo, “the last pages are for you.”
We've learned that although creating and developing "The Shire" School Farm has been an incredible adventure and story to tell, a farm does not end with the fall season after the final crops are harvested, nor when the farmer becomes too old to till and plant. It is meant to be a generational story and adventure that is unending and forever new and exciting. Like Frodo's last pages for Sam, the true test of a great farmer (story teller) is whether they have inspired and trained others to take their place and are willing to continue telling the story. Our goal for The Shire School Farm is not only to train others and build a team to take it over when our time is done, but to encourage and inspire others to start their own school farm adventure story within their community.
"Even the smallest person can change the course of the future." Lady Galadriel
The only way to bring about the changes needed to save this world is by teaching and training the next generation. There are a few of us older generation types that are still out there and up for one more adventure, but our purpose and efforts should not be on ourselves, but focused on inspiring, guiding and protecting this next generation during their K-12 adventure. That means learning to pass the torch to them, not carry it for them.
"For the time will soon come when Hobbits will shape the fortunes of us all!" - Galadriel
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