Stop The Clock

Time slips past like a fleeting breeze,

Whispering secrets through rustling trees.

One blink, the morning fades to noon,

Another, and night swallows the moon.

Yesterday lingers, a shadowed trace,

Yet tomorrow arrives in a breathless race.

The clock hands spin, they never wait,

Turning moments to memories far too late.

Laughter echoes, then drifts away,

Children grow and hair turns gray.

Seasons shift in a hurried stream,

Like waking up from a fleeting dream.

Oh, slow the clock, let moments stay,

Let golden hours not fade away.

Yet time moves on, both kind and cruel,

A rushing tide we cannot rule.

Stop the clock,

Ky Baker

Indiana FFA State Treasurer

The Countdown Is On

Who’s ready for everyone’s favorite week of the year? If you said you can’t WAIT for National FFA Week, you would be correct! 

Ever since I joined FFA, you could always find me counting down the days each and every year until National FFA Week came around. From my chapter’s third grade ag day in which my chapter’s officers would go to elementary schools in our county and share the story of agriculture to my chapter’s annual Culver’s share night, you can bet that this week was the best out of the year (and, of course, the free Culver’s custard made it even better). As I pursued district office in high school, I was fortunate enough to visit other chapters from around my district during FFA Week. As a state officer, it has been awesome to continue fulfilling my passion of seeing students in their own schools and how they are able to thrive in their chapters. I can’t wait to visit many more chapters next week as I celebrate alongside them!

However, what I’m most looking forward to is having my birthday during National FFA Week. Since my birthday is on February 18th, it falls during FFA Week each and every year. It has always been a blast to get double the amount of celebration on my birthday. I can’t wait to spend my special day with my 14,497 closest friends as I travel the state to celebrate National FFA Week. Man, it’s going to be a fun week filled with celebrating and advocating for our organization!

What are you most looking forward to this National FFA Week? Are you excited to spend time with your friends and FFAmily, to serve others, or to celebrate your hard work in FFA? No matter what we’re looking forward to, National FFA Week provides each and everyone of us with the opportunity to display our pride in our organization. FFA Week allows each of our over 1,000,000 members from around the nation to celebrate the unity that brings us all together. By sharing our pride with others, we will continue to make the National FFA Organization the premier youth leadership organization. This National FFA Week, I challenge you to take pride in your roots and to celebrate the inspiring future of our organization for years to come!

Counting down the days until next week,

Cale Williams

Indiana FFA State Southern Region Vice President

Snow Day!

There’s no day like a snow day, in my opinion. You don’t have to go to school, and outside turns into a wintery playground for sledding, building snowmen, and, best of all, snowball fights. I’m not sure there's a better feeling than shaping the perfect snowball on a weekday during winter—especially when you don’t have to do schoolwork—and then hurling it at a sibling or friend. Despite all the fun, it wasn’t uncommon for disputes to break out, and snow days could end up wasted because we chose to argue instead of enjoying the snow.

I distinctly remember one snow day where everything came together for an epic snowball fight. It was the perfect January day for middle school Ethan. No school for me or my siblings, and my cousins didn’t have school either, so we all met up for what promised to be an unforgettable day of winter fun. It started with some sledding down a hill, but before long, one thing led to another and we were split into two teams, building forts and preparing snowballs for what seemed to be the greatest snowball fight the world would never see. Eventually, one side attacked before the other was ready, which set things off on the wrong foot, but by then, the battle had begun. Snowballs flew left and right, and I took a few good hits to the face. I shook it off and fought on.

Then, someone rammed into my team's fort, sparking a huge debate over whether that was even allowed. What had started as a fun snowball fight quickly turned into an argument. All of us were pretty competitive, so the idea of any unfair advantage was frustrating, but we were determined to win anyway we could. It looked like the fun snow day would end in a big argument, with bad attitudes all around, when my sisters—who I think were just tired of being hit with snowballs—reminded us that snow days like this didn’t come around often. They pointed out that we needed to quit arguing and start enjoying the moment together.

We, the cousins, had been so focused on winning the snowball fight that we lost sight of the bigger picture. But my sisters, whether just to stop the fighting or out of some wisdom, helped us realize that these moments didn’t come around often. We decided to end the snowball fight, put aside our differences, and do something else fun together. Since we still had that competitive spirit, we cleared a spot on a frozen lake to play some ice hockey. We spent the rest of the snow day enjoying ourselves, having so much fun we basically forgot about the argument because we chose to focus on having fun instead of arguing over things that didn’t matter.

In life—whether it’s a snow day or just a regular day at work or school—we can get upset over issues and problems that seem important at the moment. But when we choose to see the bigger picture and recognize that our days are limited, we can make the most of every opportunity and have a good time. The next time something frustrates you, try to put it into perspective, like a small snowball fight during a whole day of fun in the snow. You may find that the problems aren’t worth your time and that you can spend your energy on something more meaningful.

Enjoy your Snow Days,

Ethan Wolheter 

Indiana FFA State President