This Is Not Goodbye

With it being the eve before District Banquet, I can't help but reminisce in the last year. Three hundred sixty-five days ago, our officer team was formed at the 2017 North Central District Banquet. There were many laughs and tears shared and shed as I left one team just to step onto another. Needless to say, the time I have been given to serve the district will always and forever be remembered not just in my mind, but in my heart. The members I have interacted with have taught me what the district needs and how I can be a pivotal point of change in any area. Just in the last year, our team has been able to organize a kickball event, Greenhand Conference, dodgeball, and now banquet. I will take the lessons I have learned from my time as an officer and they will be applied in all aspects of my life, that I have doubt about.

What I wish to say as an exit note is that everyone needs to understand that greatness is not measured in how many medals you have or plaques you have received. This may sound a tad hypocritical seeing as I have my fair share of awards, however, if given the choice between more recognition or learning along with my friends, I would take the journey over the reward any day. The hours spent in the Ag shop studying, filling out the record books, or practicing that speech just one more time would not be traded for the world. The lessons I have gained from practicing cannot be replaced by a piece of wood that reads "CONGRATS YOU WON THE THING." Sure, it's always good to know that your hard work has paid off, but it's even better doing it along with the people you love.

So my advice is this, study and study hard, but make sure you leave time for your friends, family, and yourself. It is so easy to lose your purpose and what you are striving to do through the glory of recognition.

Faithfully and Forever yours,

Scuyler Zenger
2018 North Central District President

Hope and Peace and Stress and More Hope

"Can you do this?" "Can you do THAT?" "THIS needs done FIRST' "WHY ISN'T THIS DONE YET?" DO, DO, DO, WHY, WHY WHY. 

If one ever has the pleasure of being in and around an FFA chapter during the spring, then the exchange of words, chaos, and disorganization of it all is fairly well represented with those few sentences written above. To put it politely, it is a ginormous mess. I often find myself thinking why? Why did I put myself in this position? Why is everyone so tense? Why is everyone driving me nuts? And why can't I just get a break? 

We find out a lot about ourselves and others when we are placed in high-pressure situations. The way we treat others amongst a conflict speaks a lot to our true character. One of the most wonderful things about the spring season in FFA is the fact that I have a team of officers, both district, and chapter, who will work just as hard alongside me (most of the time they keep going when I need a break) and make my life better. They give me hope that soon all of this struggle will soon be over. The banquets will be completed and the CDE's will be finished all in due time. 

For these reasons, I am able to draw a lot of parallels between this time of year and the celebration of Easter. For those of us who practice in the Christian faith, because of all of the miraculous events that took place on Calvary, and then later in the tomb, we have hope. We have hope that nothing is that bad or that a struggle will ever be too great. All of these feelings of which I am sure we are all very grateful for.

If the stress of life and the day to day grind ever feel like a giant burden on your shoulders,  keep somethings in mind. 

1. When you think it can't get worse it will, but HEY, that's okay right? Just keep rolling with the punches!

2. Never give up hope. In the grand scheme of things, our daily struggles are pretty minor.

I hope everyone enjoyed their Easter season, and also I hope that everyone REALLY enjoys getting back all of the things they gave up for lint ;). 

Garrett Craig

NCD Vice President