August 2018 Articles

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Just Rambling August 2018:

Just Rambling: As I sit here on the morning of August 2nd I have a heavy heart. My oldest daughter, Velvet Bennett Roberts, who is a cancer survivor from 2012 has recently had another operation (July) to remove another cancerous tumor. She has been doing real well after this surgery and her follow up appointment was this morning with her doctor in Shreveport. This appointment, I thought, was to meet with her surgeon and oncologist to set up chemo treatments. I just called Johnny, her husband, to see how things were going and Velvet answered his phone. She tells me that she got really sick on their trip to Shreveport and that her surgeon has now set her up for an ultra sound of her kidneys. This may only be routine but anything and everything with my daughter concerns me now. Velvet is a very strong person both physically and spiritually. She fought a very tough battle with cancer in 2012 and has been so strong since—an example for others to follow. Since her 2012 battle, she has talked with several different people, who have been diagnosed with cancer, to help give them strength to face this sickness. Velvet loves horses and she loves agriculture in general. She loves photography especially when she is taking pictures of animals, sunsets, sunrises and rural America. She handles the photography and Facebook postings for Ag Trader USA. She recently won first in the Louisiana Watermelon Festival Art Show held in Union Parish. She won the “People’s Choice Award” against twenty-eight other entries. Velvet’s photograph was full of color, action, and a rich story of cowboys and horses working to herd cattle on the Bob and Judy Riser ranch. On our farm, Velvet is always up early and out late trying to get the most unique and great photo’s. She is well known on Facebook for her amazing photographs of farm life and God’s creations. In 2016 Velvet came by one day to tell me that she had won third place with one of her photographs in the American Farm Bureau’s Farm Labor category. I bet you can’t guess what it was! It was a photo of me (her dear Daddy) standing at the catching chute tattooing and ear tagging a registered Charolais bull yearling. I never knew she took the photo, but I told her I guess you now see who does all the work on this farm. She was not impressed and she didn’t even offer to split the money she won for the picture. Velvet is very active in the Agriculture community. She serves as Treasurer for the D’Arbonne Range Riders, President of Union Youth 4-H and FFA Livestock Board, and is a board member on the Union Parish Farm Bureau Board. She is chairman of the Union Parish Farm Bureau Women’s Committee and was recently elected as the Louisiana Farm Bureau's District 2 Women’s Committee Chairman at the Louisiana Farm Bureau Convention in June. Velvet has also completed both the Master Cattlemen class and an artificial insemination class in preparation to AI some of our registered Charolais cattle. I just received an update on Velvet which made me feel 100% better. The ultra sound on her kidneys didn’t show any problem and she got some new medication to help with her back pain and nausea. She has made it back home now and is resting. She will go back to Shreveport on August 7th to meet with her oncologist about the chemo treatments. If you have children, you know exactly how I feel. Children are a blessing from the Lord and Velvet was my first of six blessings and I Love her and them more than they will ever know. Please keep Velvet in your Prayers for complete healing. Thank You. Van Bennett August Scripture to Live By: Romans 14:10-12 But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgement seat of Christ. For it is written: “As I live, says the Lord. Every knee shall bow to ME, and every tongue shall confess to God.” So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. NKJ