Today, Saturday... A good day. Time gone that cannot be found again, as we know when it passes it is never to be for a second chance.
It is a day of smiles, frowns, happiness, anger, sadness, realizations and more. I think of today and I realize that it was a day with a full range of emotions by all involved in it.
What is the point in my observation you ask? It was a day well lived. It was a day full of life; both good and perhaps not so good. It had all the components of a full life. This is nearly all we can hope for or ask for when each new dawn begins.
I too often wonder at the end of a day where it went and what did I do with it? I almost find myself a bit blue or depressed over such occasions without even acknowledging as much. I know why though, as I observe today.
Days that pass without acknowledgement or accomplishment often represent time lost. Time is such a valuable commodity yet we all take it so for granted! There are many things we take for granted, such as the sunrise and sunset...Each breath we take...The youth of our children…And in reality, Life and Death itself.
Oh sure, we all wish we had one more day with a loved one who has passed on. Most of us have wished we had checked the meal cooking in the kitchen before it burned... Many of us wish we had pursued a dream or goal of days past.... But we rarely stop to consider that today. Today is truly a gift that will never be given to us again. When it is done and gone, it is gone forever.
Therefore, the lessons in such thoughts are to realize that every day is a gift. Every day is time granted to find renewal, restoration and to take new steps toward your dreams and goals. We should attempt to embrace every day, remembering that it will never be ours again. When it's gone it's gone for good. Live today as though you realize the significance in a day well spent. Attempt this remembrance even though on those rough days, it can be quite an accomplishment to give such thoughts credence. Live today only to find yourself with no regrets at it's close.
If we set forth on a path to embrace each day as a gift, as a wonder, as the miracle that it truly is, then we will find far fewer days, weeks, months and years wasted or squandered away. Choose this day to be thankful for the moment, for each breath you take, for the sunrise and sunset, for the promise of tomorrow, but most of all for the time that is granted to realize, discover, explore, embrace, live and love life in it's fullest form!
Today we have brought to an end in a most passionate manner in our home. A gate to the one of our horse pens was not fastened. Three geldings reside within, so when we pulled in the drive to see only two of the horses standing outside of their fenced and obviously unsecured perimeters there was more than an anxious moment. It was a moment of threat, fear, anxiousness, anger, fury, and little good. Yet, in the end, the third horse, which is my son's baby and is totally deaf, was still, THANK GOD, in the pen, down the hill, unknowing of what was going on. That was at least until someone went down to check on him and he then realized he had better come up to check things out for himself.
The most frightening moment hit when the two youngsters finding their way at mach speed to the road...A very dark, gravel road with a vehicle approaching. I could only hope and pray that it was Chad and Kelly who I presumed would not be too far behind us in arriving home. It was, but it didn't stop me from running out in front of the oncoming vehicle to insure who ever it was stopped and realized the precious commodity running fearfully back toward their familiar driveway. Once back in the confines of our farm yard I took a brief sigh of relief. With Chad and Kelly’s arrival to the scene we now had one vehicle to use head lights and the other to block the drive. We managed to get them in with only a few more scary situations, such as when the two year old considered jumping or going through an aluminum gate to get back in the pen of which he missed the turn when the older of the two had made it back safely....
The long and the short of it was all those initial negatives were each in themselves derived of love and commitment to these creatures we signed on to be the caregiver’s of.
Once safely in the pen, they were checked out, as were the other horses in other pens of whom were bouncing and bucking in the moment of excitement in the barn yard.... Only Princess, Chad's young mare that has had a sore back leg was a bit sorer as a result. Every time she starts to heal up, it seems she has some reason to re-injure herself... What can you do, as such is life.
However, whenever something like this occurs it truly drives home the reality of what a person is really made of.
I consider the day, all the fun that was had, the laughs, the dining, the roping we attended to let the boys see how it is done... Then I consider how it was concluded and I realize we were alive. The day was well spent - though the gate should not have been left without double security as they are supposed to be... Even so, all is well and I know once more, God truly is watching over us.
We all have many lessons to learn in this life and I have no doubt that there were lessons in all of this day for all of us as well. Though, we may not always see it clearly, we are growing and maturing toward the final goal... Toward the graduation from this life to something far greater than anything we could ever even imagine. I choose to meet that graduation day with exuberance and hopefully with few regrets. I'm working on my next or more like my last thirty years and I hope that I can begin to embrace each day as the gift I am learning it truly is!
One additional thought… Remember, The Good Word tells us not to let the sun go down on our anger. How can we embrace the new day as the gift that it is if we have carried over such emotional baggage?
Therefore, heed the consideration and never allow the devil such opportunities to minimize your blessings! Agree with yourself today that you will not let such negative passion rule your subconscious by going to bed with kempt up anger. Give it to God and agree to let it go. Sometimes it is no more than agreeing to disagree. More often then not, holding onto anger is a choice and clearly the only right choice is to let it go! Life has far too much promise to be pursued to waste it in such mindless head games that serve no value in achieving our ultimate blessings and God given purpose!
Sure we all get annoyed, hurt, and down right angry. However, it’s our choice as to what to do with those annoyances! Let them go and set your mind on higher matters! If the sun goes down on your anger, chances are it will rise with it as well…. Bless yourself and those around you by heeding this Biblical warning!
On that note, it's late.
Good Night, God Bless and Sleep Well!
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As for the box Sharell??? Do recall what was in it? I'm thinking it was an empty box - but maybe my memory is not serving me well. I wish it were as easy as this but there is one component missing! Basic Respect... You respected me, my love, my hurt, and my authority. When the respect issues are out of alignment - then all is out of alignment.
But you are funny!!!! I laugh every time you share that story.
Additionally, as I recall you were here when Patty (a mare we once had)died as a result of her bowed tendon/hairline fracture breaking her leg... Even though her running wild down the hard, gravel road was a result of an antiflactic reaction and not an open gate, you have some idea that life can be and is fragile, even with 1200 pound creatures. You acknowledge that any horse could do the same damage to themself if running out of control on hard surfaces, and other dangers that exist outside of the safety of their confinement. In this you have to respect such matters, therefore we are back once more to respect... Then again, you have to first truly care to respect life.
Perhaps the reality of an on-coming car with two horses on the road on a very, very dark night will resonate somewhere within the three young men who were here last night. Then again, maybe that was only one lesson of many to come before the reality of life's blessings and truth finally sink in.
However, yes, I was quite angry, though I was on a mission. Once the mission was accomplished the adrenaline rush crashed. I told them that if this happened again they would be grounded for three months without privilages... (probably an exageration - after all, if one of the horses were to really be hurt would the kiddo have the option of even staying here? And if not, three months of grounding without prvilages would make my life very limited. lol) I additionally explained that a car hitting a horse is not only going to seriously injure or kill the horse, but could and has been known to kill the driver and any passengers in the front seat. Unpleasant as it may be, I explained that the animals all to often are flipped up on the hood of the car after being hit and have more than once come crashing through the windshield. It doesn't make for a pretty visual. However, as I stated, once more, or should I say as always, God was watching over us and our (or more correctly spoken - 'his') animals.
However, on the kids of today.... As long as I believe in God which will be forever, I have to maintain hope. It is the hope for all that seems lost in a world that has cast that which appears hopeless aside. Though I have learned there are times we have to cut the cord and let go a bit easier than I once would have. It is not that my heart is still not convicted to them, but rather that I have to maintain some level of sanity for the family and the other kids who are here. However, it is difficult to give up at any rate.
Consider the fact that two of our pet pigs have now died at the hand of youth in placement in our care. One due to a gate left unfastened resulting in the first one being hit by a car late at night - thankfullly the girl who hit her was not injured and did not file suit for the damage to her car as she felt so bad about hitting and killing her. It was sad. These were not kids who were malicious in their carelessness. It was an accident, inexcusable maybe, but still an accident. Then again, do I think the pig who was not watered for several days was on purpose? No... I don't think that it ever occured to them that when I warned that animals have to have water to survive that she would dehydrate in those few days to the point of her bodily function shutting down. However, I don't think they cared enough to think about what I shared with them. It isn't so much the anmimal dying that is the worst of it all, but the lack of feeling or remorse at the outcome. That is what I found the most distrubing. Yet the kids who were involved went on to remain in our care. One who contributed to this left in January after every attempt to perserve the placement on our part was attempted. The second of the three is leaving in the coming month due to on going proof that he refuses to settle in and follow the rules and boundaries. The third is not scheduled to go anywhere any time soon and will hopefully be able to make progress over the next several months or longer. In the public eye these kids go out with us and appear to be great, well behaved, respectful youth who have had a bad break. They know full well how to play on peoples sympathies and emotions of the poor orphaned children, knowing that they are still protected by the legal system of anyone knowing any details of their placement. But we have to be fair here, all to often they are still products of their childhood enviornments. It it a fact of life. However, the reality of what we deal with perhaps hits home when you hear stories such as the pet pig or having to spend our last day of vacation in December filing police reports on the entire group as a result of a group shop lifting heist from the day before. And these scarcely scrape the surface of the realities... Still the fact is in place that with God there is always hope! Always!
I love you too Sharell and sure hope you make it back up here sooner than later! I was thinking how much fun it would be out at the lake with the boys this summer - or taking them to the races... You know, they would enjoy what we can offer so much and we want them to have a grip from an early age! I'm so glad to hear you have them doing little chores already! That is so important - even if it seems minor - it is imperative! You're doing a good job!