Karina Jones is a real-life ranch wife in the Nebraska Sandhills and one of the most highly sought-after speakers in the cattle industry nationwide!
A tradition in small town America, the funeral dinner! Thanks for joining me today on Ranch Raised!
I’ve been quiet about a part of our life, here on the Jones Ranch, that has been pretty sensitive. In March, after suffering some health issues, my mother-in-law came to live with us. I will share more about this time and my thoughts on this experience another time.
She unfortunately passed away on June 30 and we celebrated her life and legacy last week. My family certainly has tender hearts around this loss in part because she had lived with us the last few months and she had become a part of our everyday routine.
Last week all the funeral planning was a bit surreal and sort of foggy. After the burial my family walked into the Mason City, NE community building to an expansive spread of food and around 15 local ladies serving it. Gratitude washed over me as looked at the tables of pasta, potato, and other salads. Desserts of chocolate, blueberries and cherries were abundant.
Maybe it is because my love language is cooking and creating for my family, but I am here to tell you that gesture of small-town America hosting funeral dinners is a tradition that I hope never dies. There is something so pure and a gesture of neighborly love when you see the 9x13s and Pyrex’s lined up to feed your family and friends.
So a special thanks to all of the ladies in Mason City, NE that contributed to my mother in laws funeral dinner and brought our family food to the community building and to our home. Your gesture will never be forgotten and I promise to pass it on.
Karina ranches with her husband, Marty, and 4 children near Broken Bow, NE. She grew up in western NE, with roots also in southwest SD. The cattle industry and raising kids is her passion.
Watching the cattle industry go the path that it has gone, she could no longer sit quietly at home checking cows, fixing fence, and doing all the everyday tasks wondering when some else was going to make it all better. As she became more active and outspoken on industry issues, she was asked to join the R-CALF USA staff in September 2020 as the Checkoff Petition Campaign manager. That position transcended into her current role as full time Field Director for R-CALF USA.
You can hear her almost every Friday on Your Ag Network’s Hot Barn Report, where she deep dives into cattle industry issues and industry reforms. Listen to Ranch Raised on a Your Ag Network hometown station or www.youragnetwork.com where she talks about her daily life on the Jones Ranch.
Cattle producers are her people. She will meet you at the county fair, at the sale barn, or anywhere the dusty trail leads.
karina@youragnetwork.com or visit facebook.com/ranchraisedwithkarinajones
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