the day life changed. {again}

3.28.13

Usually the day before branding is busy, but pretty uneventful.  Usually, but not always.  This year was one of the exceptions.

It was a bit overcast, but nice.

Nice because there was a bunch of help, a bunch of pairs, not much wind, no chance of rain, and a whole bunch of food.

The cattle were sorted, and pushed, and sorted some more.

Pretty routine, and pretty easy to do when your help is eager to work and handy on a horse.

Lunch time was entertaining and is a time of the day that I wish I could share with everyone - just so you all could experience the fun of listening, laughing, and story-telling at its finest right along with me.  I love having my kitchen table filled with friends - especially ones that work for food and could make a living just telling good stories!

The time of "rest" didn't last long though, and before I had the table cleared, everyone was back to work.

Work that required skill, patience, and all sorts of faith too.

Especially faith in the 4-legged friend that's helping these guys get the job done called their horse.

Once in awhile though, something out of the ordinary happens  ... and it's not always good.  Oh, how I wish it was always "good."

You see sometimes horses have a mind of their own.  They go the way the way they want to go before you even know what's happening.

And the cows take off, and the calves dart this way and that, and suddenly, in the one of the worst case scenarios, you find yourself on the ground.

I don't have a picture of Ian hitting the ground - shoulder first.  I'm kind of glad I don't.  I just have this one.  With a bit of Ian's arm showing as he's sitting near the water trough trying to wish the pain away.  It all happened so fast that there wasn't any time for pictures.  Slow motion is the only way I can describe it.  We all watched and cringed, and then held our breath waiting for him to stand up tall again.  And when he finally did, it was all he could do keep moving.

I knew it hurt.  We all did.  And then that's when our friends do what they've always done best ... took over, grabbed the horse, finished gathering, fed, and double checked all the gates ... all without us.

Mason watched quietly.
He was more worried about his dad than he'd ever been before.
I watched with an understanding that God was in complete control - even if I didn't understand it.
We left for the emergency room, our friends finished the work, and God changed the spring of 2013 for the better.

Harder.

More frustrating.

Painful.

Full of grace.

And in so many ways, better.

Better in God's world isn't usually easy ... and with every passing day I see how even in the {hard}, it's better.

Game night at Echo.

February 2013

Dear boys,

When your dad and I were registering for things before we were married, I insisted we register for games.  He thought I was crazy, but I LOVE games, and so he agreed to put a few on there.

10 years later, and I think I've got a couple of boys that love games just about as much as I do - which makes me so very happy inside.

You go to Echo Elementary, and this year we attended the {game night} they held.  It was great. Not very long, easy games, and the best of friends to play with.

Miller

Tyler & Jessie

Ben - coloring fool extraordinaire! 

There are days when I wish I had you at my school with me, and more often than not,  I know that the small school we've found ourselves a part of is right where you need to be.

Playing games, making friends, learning a whole lot and living life the best you know how.

Thank you for loving to play games, for being a little bit competitive, and for knowing how to make the world a whole lot brighter while you're at it.

You make me proud ~

Mom

1342

 It's March. 

March of 2013.  It's been mild in temperature, but the work is never-ending, and my daily life has the number 1342 written all over it.

We don't have neighbors really.

I mean, we do, but not like the kind of neighbors that are right next door.

Our neighbors are at least one mile away or more.

But on nights like tonight, when the sun is just about to set, and the day is not nearly over, I'm wishing I had a whole neighborhood or small village to experience this with me.

... the grunting as he gulps, and the eyes that are always looking up~ trusting that I'm going to give him just what he needs.

the foamy mouth, 

the butting of his little head when he wants more,

 and that wet little nose.

It's really a lot like me & God ... 

I just need to remember this series of photos on the hard, stormy, I forgot to look up kind of days. 

He's always enough.

friends.

 3.25.13

Dear friends,

Branding couldn't happen without you.  And until you're a part of a branding, you don't really get how crucial it is to have {friends} that are willing to help.

Friends that show up with their boots, spurs, ropes, horses, and hooded sweatshirts.

Friends that put up with your kids and your tired husband.

Friends that can take orders from Ian without being offended.

Friends that love your kids just as much as you do.  Well, maybe not quite that much, but close.

Friends that know when to watch, when to be quiet, when to open the right gate, and when to make a joke just to lighten the mood.

Friends that are patient and know how to pick up a shovel and dig a ditch.

Friends that rope, and rope, and rope some more.

Friends that have been with you through the good and the bad, and everything else in between.

Friends that know how important the placement of the iron is, and friends that just get out of your way.

Our boys are learning what friendship really is - year, after year, after year.  And one of the most important things they're learning is that true friends don't care what you wear, or how much money you make, or even if you make mistakes.  

True friends show up when it's easier not to, and stay until the work is done just because they care about you.  True friends are the definition of love in action. 

With thanks for being the kind of friends worth talking about & sharing life with ~ 

Lindsay {the wife of a cattleman that can't saddle a horse}