Abbott "Pete" Smith D.V.M.: June 16, 1938 - February 22, 2010
Virginia Joyann "Jody" Haley Smith: April 2, 1938 - May 9, 2021
Welcome to Milliron Monday where every Monday we celebrate the legacy of Milliron Farm and Clinic, Dr. Pete and Jody Smith.
Engaging in the art of journaling can be an immensely gratifying endeavor, replete with multifaceted benefits. The act of meticulously chronicling one’s thoughts, aspirations, and quotidian experiences fosters a profound sense of introspection and self-awareness. This contemplative practice not only augments cognitive acuity but also serves as a cathartic outlet for emotional expression. The tangible manifestation of one’s inner musings in written form can engender a palpable sense of accomplishment and personal growth. In essence, journaling is an invaluable tool for cultivating a deeper understanding of oneself and navigating the complexities of the human experience.
In the coming weeks, we
will delve into Jody’s journals. Our first stop is a journal filled
with her favorite quotes, quips, and poems. Below is a selection from this
cherished collection. Enjoy!
Journal Entry:
September 24, 1955
Out in the Fields with
God
by Elizabeth Barrett
Browning
The little cares that
fretted me,
I lost them yesterday
Among the fields above
the sea,
Among the winds at
play;
Among the lowing of the
herds,
The rustling of the
trees,
Among the singing of
the birds,
The humming of the
bees.
The foolish fears of
what may happen –
I cast them all away
Among the
clover-scented grass,
Amongst the new-mown
hay;
Among the husking of
the corn,
Where drowsy poppies
nod,
Where ill thoughts die
and good are born,
Out in the fields with
God.
Journal Entry: April 3,
1963
In Gratitude
by Donald Finkel
Small but adequate
deaths try me at every turn.
What I do not hide
myself dies while I look on:
The swallow I picked up
under his nest this morning,
I tried to feed all day
with a dropper but tonight he died.
And how many times has
a fly kicking the death from his belly,
Pained me an instant,
till I hit him more squarely?
And I am loathe to
remember a lizard I kept in a can,
That cooked, while I
dawdled at dinner, in the afternoon sun.
Who mocked at me with
the nestling, and kept him alive all day,
Nodding his head at
something I could not see?
Shall I let him know of
my grief regarding the houseflies, seeing
What hurt me was not
their death, but merely their dying?
No matter. All things
considered, I thank whoever was kind,
At least for the death
of the lizard while my back was turned.
Journal Entry: October 15, 1963
A Cat
by Marion Weitershausen
A cat is night with
agate eyes.
A cat is sleep spiced
with surprise.
A cat is a watch spring
Blanketed in fur.
A cat is steel in
velvet dressed.
A cat is a wind that
will not rest.
A cat is a witch
Who has learned to purr.
Journal Entry: December
16, 1963
The Kitchen Prayer
Unknown
Lord of all pots and pans and things, since I’ve not time to be
A saint by doing lovely
things or watching late with Thee.
Or dreaming in the dawn
light or storming Heaven’s gates
Make me a saint by
getting meals and washing up the plates.
Although I must have
Martha’s hands, I have a Mary mind.
And when I black the
boats and shoes, Thy sandals, Lord, I find.
I think of how they
trod the earth, what time I scrub the floor.
Accept this meditation,
Lord, I haven’t time for more.
Warm all the kitchen
with Thy love, and light it with Thy peace.
Forgive me all my
worrying and make my grumbling cease.
Thou who didst love to
give men food, in room or by the sea,
Accept this service
that I do, I do it unto thee.
Journal Entry: June 24,
1978
A Good Dog Never Dies
by Mary Carolyn Davis
A good dog never dies.
He always stays;
He walks beside you, on
crisp autumn days,
When the frost is on
the fields, and when the year
Is ending, and the
winter’s drawing near,
And when it’s summer,
and the bees are humming,
He leaps ahead of you,
and waits your coming.
And, anytime you’re
lonely, look, you’ll see
His great eyes watching
you, still solemnly.
Just call him in your
heart, he’ll cease his play,
His head within your
hands in his old way!
Journal Entry:
September 15, 1958
Mockery
by Louis Untermeyer
God, I return to you on
April days
When along country
roads you walk with me.
And my faith blossoms
like the earliest tree
That shames the bleak
world with its yellow sprays.
My faith revives, when
through a rosy haze
The clover-sprinkled
hills smiled quietly,
Young winds uplift a
bird’s clear ecstasy,
For this, O’ God, my
joyousness and praise!
But now – the crowded
streets and choking airs.
The squalid people,
bruised and tossed about;
These or the
over-brilliant thoroughfares,
The too-loud laughter
and the empty shout,
The mirth-mad city,
tragic with its cares,
For this, O’ God, my
silence – and my doubt.
Journal Entry: March 4,
1974
Copied from a piece of
old China
Unknown
Let the wealthy and
great
Roll in splendor and
state
I envy them not, I declare
it
I eat my own lamb, my
own chickens and ham
I sheer my own fleece
and I wear it
I have lawns, I have bowers
I have fruits, I have
flowers
The lark’s my morning
alarmer
So jolly boys bow
Here’s God Speed the
Plow
Long life and success
to the farmer.
Journal Entry: February 22, 1975
Pied Beauty
by Gerard Manley
Hopkins 1844-1889
Glory be to God for
dappled things –
For skies of
couple-colour as a brinded cow;
For rose-moles all in
stipple upon trout that swim;
Fresh-firecoal
chestnut-falls; finches’ wings;
Landscape plotted and
pieced-fold, fallow, and plough;
And all trades, their
gear and tackle and trim.
All things counter,
original, spare, strange;
Whatever is fickle,
freckled (who knows how?)
With swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle, dim;
He fathers-forth whose
beauty is past change:
Praise him.
Steam Rising
by Bob Kinsley
All winter long steam
rose from his nostrils
and hung in the rafters
of the loafing-shed.
It grew as thick and
heavy
as the ring in his nose
and still I had no name
for it.
That spring when I
looked up
it was still there,
waiting,
when my father said go
home
you’re too young to see
this
I didn’t, but stayed
hidden
in the hayloft and
watched
my father lead the bull
to the barnyard
to his best Holstein.
In the cool morning
I saw a motion that was
strangely familiar,
like the taste of
water. And a cloud of
steam rose
from their bodies and
floated
out over the pasture
like
a child who has heard
his name called.
From an Apache wedding
ceremony
Now you will feel no
rain,
For each of you will be shelter for the other.
Now you will feel no
cold,
For each of you will be warmth to the other.
Now there is no more
loneliness,
For each of you will be companion to the other.
Now you are two
persons,
But there is only one life before you.
Go now to your dwelling
to enter into
The days of your life together.
And may your days be
good,
And long upon the earth.
Journal Entry: July 8,
1985
Sympathy
Unknown
Somewhere, under a blue
sky,
In a higher realm than
where eagles fly
In a land of beauty
beyond our knowing,
With trees and flowers
and water flowing,
And mountains of
unearthly grace,
Our loving Lord has
made a place…
And one day, through an
opening door,
We find that glorious
evermore.
~ Unknown
“I was part of that strange race of people, aptly described as spending their lives doing things they detest to make money they don’t want to buy things they don’t need to impress people they don’t like.” ― Emile Gauvreau
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Through captivating, powerful, and emotional anecdotes, we celebrate the life of Dr. Abbott P. Smith. His biography takes the reader from smiles to laughter to empathy and tears. Dr. Smith gave us compelling lessons learned from animals; the role animals play in the human condition, the joy of loving an animal, and the awe of their spirituality. A tender and profound look into the life of a skilled veterinarian.
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