“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers.  You will always find people who are helping.'”  –Fred Rogers

This quote also fits stock shows.  Not so much the scary part, but the helpers.  When you see somebody have success, there is a helper somewhere.  Parent, ag teacher, county agent, breeder or maybe just a friend.  Heck, it could be a paid helper these days.  But trust me.  There is a helper.  And that is a great part of stock shows.  Everybody has had to help at some point.  Help with selection, help with feeding, help with care, help with showing, help with show management, help with the day2day, heck, even help paying for the stock.  Doesn’t matter, help is always needed and help is a good thing.  Because you don’t want to be WANTING help and not getting it.  Kind of like oxygen and…  

     Don’t look at the backdrop pictures for the helpers.  They aren’t always there.  Look for the kids that do well as they go to the ring or better yet, as they place 3rd when they were planning on bigger things.  That’s where the helpers are.  Putting things together and picking up the pieces afterwards, that’s where the help is located.  Parents, friends, whomever, etc.  

      “Won’t you be my neighbor?”–Fred Rogers

Yes, that Fred Rogers.  As in the MR. Rogers.  Sure, it was a little bit of a cheesy show.  You damn right that I watched it and I still would.  Lots of good life lessons on that show.  

     Please don’t even try the song that I compared stock shows to 9/11.  CANNOT and WILL NOT.  FOCUS on the HELP part.  We all need help, need to thank the help that we have and in extraordinary cases, be glad that you have neighbors that will give ALL to help.  This is a livestock blog so I will try make ties.  And if you don’t like anything on here, well, go to a different site.  

      And on this day, as in 9/11;  there were helpers.  Things were scary, even scary bad.  But there were helpers.  And many of those helpers lost their lives on that day.  Here’s a kneel down to all that served, all that helped and to all those that serve in the military, as fire fighters and officers of the law.  But do NOT forget the voluntary fire fighters, EMS and first responders.  They are your neighbors and they are the help you needed/need & will need.    

      We all had helpers. We all should stand up and help others.  It isn’t about a $.  It’s about helping.  It’s about being bigger than a $ or a banner.  I will gladly get beat by somebody that did it right, worked hard, learned, accepted help and caught that magical bolt of lightning that some call luck.  I don’t care how big a breeder/showman/judge/whatever the hell, somebody helped you along the way.  Send it on down the line.  I don’t care how big the business is; sometimes, the accountants need to be told to look away.  Every now and then, one needs to stub a check in the memo “Because I Wanted To”.  

      Because sometimes an expense is actually an income.  Pass it on.  Pay it forward.  Chive on.  In less need for charities and more of it when needed (OH!– I have a really cool FFA creed story, but it will have to wait.)  People help people.  That’s it.  It’s that simple.  

      Remember the losses of 9/11.  Remember the horror of 9/11.  Remember the heroes of 9/11.  But most of all, for those that were lost, remember why we are still a UNITED STATES of AMERICA.  It wasn’t our government that kept us united.  It was our people, the American citizens that kept us united.  9/11 should still serve as a reminder that the evil is still there.  We need to be ready to help others when needed.  

“Let’s roll!”  Once again, well said.  RIP