I’m gonna tell y’all a story. Be patient because it all comes together with the lesson I’ve been taught lately…

Once upon a time, I lived on a farm. Ok not really but we had cows and horses. I also had a garden. (Pruned rose bushes too 😉) One morning I woke up to find one of our cows had given birth to a baby calf. It was a little bull. The year before, that same cow gave birth to a heifer. That little heifer was trouble from the time she hit the ground. If there was a way out, she found it. If not she made her way. I remember one morning I’m dressed and ready for one of the kids Easter parties. I was waiting on a man who was coming to repair our pump. He shows up and gets stuck in the yard and at the same time, I didn’t see this little calf. The pump man assured me he had his situation under control so I went inside to change into my boots and off I go to find this calf.

Making my way to the barn and all I can do is laugh anymore. You see I’m pretty used to life throwing curveballs. I either catch them and throw them back or take a hit and get back up. I caught this one. Found her! She was wedge between the tractor tire and actual tractor. All I’m thinking is how in the heck did this happen and why does this only happen when Tyler is offshore? She’s scared and I can tell she had been there most of the night by the tracks in the mud. I try pulling her out but I can’t. So I go wedge myself in there some how and start pushing her out by the head. She’s finally free but now I’ve got to get her back in the same pasture so her momma will stop alarming the neighborhood. Everything worked out and I made the party just in time.

So back to the following year and the new baby bull. Which by the way, I always loved waking up to find a new calf, new rose that bloomed, a vegetable growing in the garden, watching my kids run around playing, or the sound of them splashing into the pool. This was around the time that Hayes was a baby and Tyler was in Singapore. Later that day I noticed the little bull wasn’t with his momma and that wasn’t a good sign. I called Tyler and he told me I needed to go look for it. I strapped Hayes in my baby carrier, put on my boots and we went searching. I found him in the back of our pasture. The poor little thing was completely lifeless. (I even poked him with a stick to make sure). I go back in an call Tyler to tell him the news.

Tyler told me to find someone who could butcher it because the meat would still be good but also to get the calf because the coyotes would be after it and possibly harm the other animals. I call up my sister Libby to come help me and we found someone who wanted the meat. Brandi came by with Libby so she could sit inside with my kids while me and Libby did the dirty work. Libby and I are making our way to the back where I left the calf and guess what…he ain’t there! Now either Jesus is still in the miracle business or this little calf knows how to play dead because I promise you, he wasn’t alive. That’s when I finally realize what was happening. The heifer that she had had the previous year was still nursing on the momma and anytime the baby calf would try to nurse, that heifer would run after it head butting, or pushing it away. I had to do something.

Anytime you made your way to the back of the land, the cows thought it was time to be fed. We had 3 separate pastures and 2 were accessible to them. I had to figure out a way to get the momma and baby in their own but also we were in the process of rebuilding the fence, no thanks to the heifer who kept finding her way out. I’m telling you now, this was a struggle and we probably laughed and fell more then we ever accomplished anything.

Finally, I had the momma in her own pasture but I needed to get the baby and the only way to get it was to catch him. Libby and I chase this calf for a good 45 mins before we caught him. I tried making her carry the tail end but she’s pretty smart. That calf shit all over me. She’s laughing, I’m gagging, I am looking up telling her don’t stop let’s keep going. Have you ever carried a cow across 17 acres, covered in crap might I add? It’s not for the faint of heart. We FINALLY rejoin momma and baby back together and all I can think is good riddance. I’m done with animals for the day because by now the sun has gone down and it’s time to was off the mess and take care of my own little animals.

You see, what I’ve learned is life is similar to that story. I could have given up and let the heifer stay out, but I knew she wouldn’t be safe. I could have left her wedged in that tractor but she needed someone to care for her when she couldn’t. I could have left all the cows together but then the baby bull would have either been killed or starved to death. I never wanted the cows and I complained a lot about them, but I had been entrusted with them. I am also very compassionate and I couldn’t let an animal suffer. Much like I don’t like to see people suffering. I’ll silently go through my own battles but I won’t ever give up. I’ll call on those like Libby, and we will laugh and she will pull me out of the mud. I can look at my children and know, they need me everyday to be the best and happiest version of myself. No matter your current situation, there’s only one person that can change it. That person is YOU. I’m a daily work in progress, but there is progress! So put a smile on your face and go enjoy the sunshine, who knows when the clouds will come back. Just take it a day at a time.