Getting that picture of your barn in flames is not anything you ever want to receive. That pit in our stomach was aching, then I knew it must be a joke, the picture looked too surreal to be happening at our house, on our farm, to our barn. The next phone call determined it was not a joke, our 100+ year old barn was up in smoke. Flames coming out the sides and top and there is nothing anyone can do but watch. By the time the fire department arrived it was gone, just a frame of old beams remained. The animals inside didn’t even have time to react to get out (except for one 3 week old kid (baby goat). The John Deere tractor, the kids bikes, the toys, the tools, the shovels, the rakes, the egg basket that your Grandma used as a little girl on her farm to collect her eggs, the grape vine wreath Jason and the kids made for me that hung on the side of the barn lite up at Christmas, all charred. March 14th, 2021 a day our family will never forget, the day our barn burnt and we lost just everything in it. Most important to us were the calves and goats that didn’t make it out, even the barn cat, Cole.
Those of you that have suffered fires understand the empty, helpless feeling that is left within you. The time it takes for each of us to process what has happened is different. Some days we feel as though we are healing well and moving on. Other days we see that our children no longer have a healing environment when they need space to spend some time alone with animals. We didn’t really realize how much time they spent there, a farm kids playhouse is what our barn was to them.
We are so thankful that no one was hurt, and we do understand things, and animals can be replaced. And in time we will replace them, right now it still just hurts. We also understand it could have been so much worse, it was contained to the one building and not our main milking barn, contained to the building that had the least amount of stuff and animals than any building on our farm. However it still was a piece of us, of our farm, that is now gone.
I write this not for sympathy but as part of our healing process. To let our farm customers, family, friends and those of you that just follow quietly know what happened and that we are ok! Our God has a plan for us, for our farm, and for our business, we are searching alongside Him to figure out what that is.
I also would like to thank all of the family, customers and friends that have reached out to us over the past month. We appreciate the comforting words more than most of you will ever be able to understand. Although there is nothing that can change what happened knowing that friends, customers and family are here for us, helping us, praying for and with us is all we could ever ask for in a time like this. Truly, thank you!
As we decide how to rebuild we hope to take you along that journey with us so please follow us on all of our social media in the months ahead.
With much love,
Jason and Amanda and family at J & A Sunrise Farms, LLC
