Estes: May the force be with us

This blog is one of the last, for now at least, in what has turned out to be a series of sorts about helping five of my six kids prepare their projects and livestock for the 2021 Johnson County 4-H Fair.

Since my husband and I live in Westfield, Indiana, but the kids exhibit and show in Johnson County, we decided so I wouldn’t have to drive back and forth early in the morning or late in the evening after dropping projects off and Graham finishing tractor driving practice that it would probably be best if I stayed down at my parents house in Franklin during judging week and when the kids show.

The first project we had to check in and wait for judging on was Graham’s 1,353-piece Lego project that took him about a week to build. His Lego was a replica, a much smaller one, of the Millennium Falcon from the Star Wars movies, and I must say it looked really cool, but every time Graham touched it or wanted to fix something I would hold my breath hoping he didn’t break anything on it.

Luckily, his Lego did not fall apart, or get dropped while waiting in line to turn it in. Sadly, though, there were actually several Legos that did get dropped and the 4-H members did their best to fix their projects, which I think all were able to do.

However, despite the shocked and worried looks on the faces of the 4-H members as their hours of hard work and efforts were strewn about all over the sidewalk, which literally broke my heart, a glimmer of hope was present.

As the 4-H members were scrambling around to gather all the pieces of their projects, several other 4-H members came forward to help collect fallen Lego pieces and help the project member put their Lego project back together. The teamwork that was displayed during the Lego project check-in is what 4-H is all about at the core.

Although I have a long week and a half ahead of me as Graham has tractor practice almost every evening and more projects to turn in before the fair starts on Sunday, I am excited to keep watching 4-H members step up, excel in their projects, all while helping others.