Every now and then, a song comes along that just hits you right in the feels. “McArthur,” sung by Hardy, Eric Church, Morgan Wallen and Tim McGraw, is that song for me right now. It’s a gritty, story-driven piece that leans into legacy and land, with each voice stepping in as a different chapter in the life of a farm – and the family rooted in it.

American Farmers Network, a beef and bison processing plant formerly known as Intermountain Packing in Idaho Falls, abruptly closed its doors in early April.

There’s a saying: Most people overestimate what they can do in a day and underestimate what they can accomplish in a year. Farming and ranching are much the same. The work never really ends. There are delays, sick days, unexpected storms (or, in this year’s case, none at all) and market disruptions. But if you look back over a year, you realize how much you truly accomplished.

I was hesitant to write on this topic because the last thing producers need is more weight on their shoulders. Still, understanding how we got here matters – because with every challenge are opportunities. They just might require thinking and operating a little differently.

While attending the Idaho-Oregon Grain and Oilseed Convention in Sun Valley last month, I didn’t expect a breakout session to shape my Christmas message, but it did – reminding me how we all need hope and, at times, help.

That story reminds me that gratitude isn’t about stumbling upon life’s “nuggets” – the milestones, the grand gestures, the once-in-a-lifetime moments … the stuff. It’s about learning to see the flecks of gold hidden in the ordinary. I’m still learning, but the more I practice noticing them, the fuller my life becomes.