What do muddy boots mean to you?

For me, they carry more meaning than usual this year.

I’ve spent the whole summer farming without once getting my boots muddy. And today—finally—there’s mud on my boots. That may not sound like much, but to me it means everything.

It means we might not have to worry quite as much about feed for our cattle this winter.
It means the firefighters working tirelessly across the province may finally get a bit of help.
It means the outbreak of new wildfires might slow.
It means friends hauling water for their livestock or filling their wells could get a small break.
It means ponds and streams might get a little replenishing.
It means we can breathe easier when we start harvesting oats.
It even means a little less dust in our yards.

But more than anything, it means hope.

The small amount of rain we’ve had is merely a drop in the bucket of what’s needed, but even that drop brings hope—hope that more will follow. Hope that this is the start of relief from the drought. Hope that people displaced by wildfires will return to their homes—and that they’ll still have homes to return to. Hope that our crops will make it to harvest.

Hope matters. And before this rain, many of us were running out of it.

So today, as I stepped into the mud in the pasture, I couldn’t help but feel that this was the beginning. A turning point. A sign that better things are coming.