The Employee of the Month is……………………………

 

Bradley with horse capturing equipment, feed, halters, and lead lines!

Bradley!

Woodstown, NJ is a small farming community located in southern Salem County. It is where I bought my horse farm, and it is here that I have learned that your best friends come in all sizes and shapes.

Bradley works at the local feed store, Ice and Coal, because that’s what it provided when the town was first established. It is here that you can find livestock feed, paint, gourmet chocolates, and baby chicks. Conversation flows easily, thanks to Doug, the owner. He has his hand on the pulse of the community. It is here that you are called by your first name, or for the older folks, by their surnames with respect.

You cannot be in a rush to pick up your supplies; surely, there will be a rich conversation that draws you in to the warmth embrace of a family here at Ice and Coal. It is not beyond Doug to stop by to see how you are if he has not seen you in a while. One day, I was short on feed and I called to see if they were still open. They had just closed. Doug reassured me that the feed would be waiting for me on the dock. “Pay me later!” he said.

This is the place that I found comfort in being a “farmer” with the older folks that astound me with their wisdom and colorful stories. The workers have worked there for thirty and forty years telling stories of the old times, when farmers would deliver their corn and oats to be made into horse and cow feed. They are strong and healthy from lifting hundred pound sacks of grain, fencing supplies, and hay.

Bradley is unlike his peers. He is frequently found under his tractor. Strength and wisdom is in his heart. Though he is a senior in high school, many people frequently mistake him for being older. Bradley is my neighbor, this is defined by living within five miles of me, and he has done a few small jobs at my farm. He has plowed my fields, fixed my tractor, and now that he works at Ice and Coal, loads up my truck with horse feed, treats, salt licks, bran mash, and whatever else I need.

That’s why I was shocked when he flew down my driveway. I knew there was something wrong, and I quickly met him outside.

“Jill, horses are loose at the end of the road! I don’t know whose they are, but I figured you could help me capture them!” At the end of the road is a very busy road for this farming community and it could be disastrous. Horses loose on this road could mean death to the surprised drivers.

I grabbed feed, halters, lead ropes and grabbed my keys. We both climbed into my very crowded truck. We drove to the end of the road and found three very upset horses. We captured them and Bradley walked them back to their farm with me. As we walked, I started asking him about his knowledge of horses and that’s when he said he was not all that familiar with them, he just wanted to help.
Maybe that’s why I think he should be Employee of the Month! He goes above and beyond what is expected of him. How refreshing to know this young man is not afraid to help others, even those that he does not know.

By the way, he was very late to school that day, but I think it should be excused; it is not every day that someone gets to rescue countless lives!
Bradley, you are an outstanding young man! Thanks for always keeping a cool mind and doing what is right!

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