Hey Oregon FFA! Long time no see! Let’s catch up, and take a trip to a very special place.
We’re on the outskirts of Pendleton, at a past state officer’s family farm. He has a beautiful barn wedding venue, and fields leased out for harvest. Taft and I hike up to the top of a harvested field to film part of our hype video for convention. The rest of the team looks tiny from up on the hill, but I can still make them out, standing by the barn. Vivian, smaller than the rest, bundled up in her puffy Columbia jacket, stands in the group with a smile as she listens to the conversation. Dale in his button down plaid shirt and kuiu sweatshirt joins in the conversation sharing his humorous stories, with an occasional big goofy laugh. Spencer stands in his khakis and blue long sleeve, jumping around to keep himself warm, and adds life to the conversation with witty comments in between stories. Hunter listens carefully in his comfy khaki pants and polo, keeping warm in his jacket. He chips in with jokes and stories, causing laughter with his infectious smile. And lastly, Taft, in his starched jeans, on clouds, and button down shirt. On the hill with me, he makes funny faces and laughs with me, as we struggle to catch our breath after our long climb up the hill. I look around and smile. Less than a year ago, I didn’t even know these 5 people. Now, I can’t imagine my life without them. I breathe in the cold, eastern Oregon air, and stay in this moment.
On leadership tour, we have 15 workshops memorized. Some we have given a million times, while others only twice. One workshop we give is called “Being Present”. Vivian and I were facilitating this one day at the Sweet Home FFA chapter. We do an activity where members walk around and write their responses to some questions on large pieces of paper. Walking around, reading some of the responses to the question “How can we be present in our lives?”, one of the answers causes me to stop and think. “Be where your feet are.” How different would my year as a state officer have looked if I had taken more time to be where my feet were? Unfortunately, a lot of days, I spent thinking about where I needed to be next, what deadlines I needed to meet, how desperately I wanted to be asleep at that moment, or how hungry I was. Now, I look back on some moments of this year with regrets, but more importantly, with gratitude because I learned from these moments to be present in the right then, right there.
A lot of times this year, I have been asked what my favorite memory has been so far. There have been so many good memories, but they all have one thing in common: I was present in that moment. I was right where my feet were. My feet have traveled through polar plunges, dutch oven cookoffs, volleyball tournaments, and late night dances at leadership camps. Go-Kart races, game nights, bonfires, cheese tastings, movie nights, and Christmas parties on chapter hangout nights. My feet have tripped over Tres at Molalla, skidded across the asphalt at Eagle Point, and played basketball at Condon with Blake and Wyatt on leadership tour. All of these moments are special because I took time to enjoy them and enjoy the people I shared them with. By being present in these moments, they turned into good memories.
We have the chance to make every day a good memory, but often, we focus on other things and miss out on these experiences. We take these things for granted, and they are days we will never get back. Probably one of my all time favorite memories from this year was November 11th, 2024. We were in the middle of leadership tour, but had the day off for Veterans’ Day. At Taft’s house in Madras, the team decides that we are going to do something fun together. We make the decision to go to a park…when it’s almost dark. I’m hesitant, thinking about the other things I could be working on if I stay back, but I decide to go. When we get to the park, we notice a playground. The decision is made; we’re playing tag. We end up playing tag for at least two hours, and it’s long past dark. I stop and look around, my eyes adjusted to the darkness around me. Again, I see the smiles on my teammates’ faces, as we breathe heavily, fogging the air around us with each exhale. With 4 months left in our year, spending time as a team didn’t seem like that big of a deal back then, but now, with less than a month and a half, I couldn’t be more grateful for that night of tag. These moments with the people we love may seem small at the time, but they soon turn into memories that we will cherish forever. What people do you need to spend more moments with? What memories do you need to make before it’s too late?
Oregon FFA, thank you from the bottom of my heart for this year of service and this year of moments. Thank you for teaching me to be where my feet are. Thank you for giving me memories that I will hold close to my heart for the rest of my life. As you go through life, remember to be present in the moments, present with your people, and not take any second for granted. Hold your memories tight, hug your people even tighter, and be where your feet are.
Thank you for being my favorite memory.
For the final time, with all of my love,
Julie Amos
2024-2025 Oregon FFA State Reporter
