To our past state officers...with love

It’s the picture that humbles me and breaks my heart each year.  The photo of the state FFA officers when they are done being state officers.

If you’ve ever worn that jacket or been part of a team that turned into family, you know what this moment feels like.  Gut-wrenching sadness knowing one incredible year has come to an end and that things will never be the same.

Finding the pride at what they’ve accomplished and the joy of the friendships they’ve formed will come in time.  But in those waning moments, it’s just…grief.

I always try to take this photo because I think it’s a powerful memory for these officers.  But I think it’s also a great reminder for the rest of us.

Our lives can change when we find a group of people, an organization, or a passion that moves us to tears and speechlessness when our time is over.  Because that means it meant a hell of a lot to us in the first place.

But I also love this image because it shows how much they’ve grown as a team.  How eight relative strangers come to love each other so much and are so seeped in one another that they can stand together with tears streaming down their face.

It’s one of the most amazing moments I’m blessed to see each and every year.

I am so immensely proud of this state officer team.  They knew going into the 2020-2021 FFA year that their opportunities would be limited.  There was no FFA camp, no national convention, no statewide FIRE conference.  Convention was spaced out over a month and retiring addresses were online.

There were a hundred reasons NOT to run for a state office last summer.  But they did anyway.  And instead of being bitter about what their year wasn’t, they filled their hearts with joy and focused on the opportunities that were at hand, the impact they could make.

It wasn’t always lollipops and sunshine.  I know that.  I’m sure there was disappointment and frustration.  But at each weird and wacky turn of events, these 8 students chose to serve instead of dwell on what they thought they deserved or what might have been.

And that, my friends, is the mark of a leader.

Not “what’s in it for me?” But “how can I help?”

It wasn’t glamorous work.  In fact, it was absolute drudgery at times.  They set up chairs.  The hauled pipe and drape.  They moved tables, picked up trash, wrote down names in the photobooth.  Your state officers did every single task we asked of them with a smile and kindness because they wanted to pull off what they didn’t get last year…a great convention.

Together, they brought some normalcy back to our organization.  Excitement to convention.  Passion to our membership.  And they taught this lady a thing or two about humility and servant leadership in the process.

One of my all-time favorite movies is “The Replacements.”  In the end, Coach McGinty says

“When the Washington Sentinels left the stadium that day, there was no ticker tape parade, no endorsement deals for sneakers or soda pop, or breakfast cereal. Just a locker to be cleaned out, and a ride home to catch. But what they didn’t know, was that their lives had been changed forever because they had been part of something great. And greatness, no matter how brief, stays with a man.”

So Cameron, Tyler, Payton, Kylie, Dani, Audrey, Kodi, and Elsa…thank you for choosing to serve even when the world was crazy and nothing made sense.  You helped ground us and get us back on track.  You gave members someone to look up to.  In many ways, you’ve helped redefine what it means to lead and serve as a state officer.  It has been a privilege to work with you this year.

I know the year wasn’t what you’d imagined when you dreamed of being an officer.  But you met this year with grit and resilience.  Never forget that your greatness is not in what you have, but in what you give.  And you gave this year your all.