More Lessons Learned

Some one told me that I will always be learning lessons from the ranch. I would like to share two that I have learned in the last three weeks since I have returned home from school and one that has been confirmed.


First, Never stand down wind from three heifers that are peeing!! I know, that should have been common sense, but I was not right behind them.

Second, I have learned the importance of water. Water is a life saver. I did not realize how really dry we are in Montana and surrounding states. I decided to water the trees while we still have water in the reservoirs. I think that some of those trees actually said "Thank you" when they got a three minute dose of water. One of them open its leaves and drank in the moisture. The surrounding grass actually turned green before my eyes. I stand in awe of the God who can do anything and everything.

Third, I know that God is in control of everything. He is in control of our country, our life and our weather. Some times things get out of control when He allows people to do what they think is best. When our calf "Cassie" was born, I thanked God for the extra blessing. Cassie was born to a heifer that should not have been bred until this year. A day later Cassie stepped in a hole and broke her leg. The bone broke the skin causing the vet to give us no hope for her survival. He told Chip to give her a shot of penicillin until she was dead. It has been 3 1/2 weeks and Cassie is no longer possible to catch without a rope and Chip won't do that to her. We will take the cast off in a couple of weeks and see how the leg is doing. God was in control and showed me that he can make things happen that no one believes can happen.

Chip went over to Carl's to put up a little hay. The key word is little. It took him an hour and a half to make one bale of hay. It wasn't a full bale and it looked like silage in bale form. We are done haying for the year with less than ten bales.

Time to work on caulking the house before it gets much warmer. We do have a breeze today, which is nice.

Emotions

As I sit here on the last few hours of school, my emotions are on a roller coaster ride.  I am very excited to be going home to Chip, Jake and the ranch, but I am very sad to have to say good-bye to some very special friends, co-workers and students.

I looked to see what the Bible says about emotions.  Proverbs 15:18 says that "A hot-tempered man (woman) stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention."  Well, since I am not angry that does not fit this situation, but I am thankful that I was honored to work with a group of professionals that were not hot-tempered and therefore we got along very well.

The next verse that came up was Romans 8:28: "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."

Those who have read my book Life on the Ranch, know that my/our desire is for the ranch to be a blessing to many.  Many quotes have been sent to me this month on faith and taking that first step.  I am trying to take it in/with faith.

Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with your whole heart and lean not unto your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths."

I have claimed that verse for years so I know that He has been there for me in the past and will continue with me through the future.

Depression

My thoughts turn toward "Depression" today for several reasons.

In the past month there have been far too many suicides around me.  The most recent was that of a college classmate.  He was a charming young man in college and had become a pastor in Pennslyvania.  He had come down with shingles and put on medication.  The medication caused the depression/psychotic disorder.  Although the medication was changed, he couldn't snap out of it.  Someone needed to take his condition more seriously.  His funeral is this week.

In October, I became very depressed/anxious and went to the doctor for medication.  The medication sent me in a nose dive down to the bottom of the pit.  By Sunday, I could barely get out of bed, let alone walk to the kitchen counter.  I wasn't suicidal, but I didn't really care if I lived or not.  It wasn't until my older brother told me that "It is time someone takes you seriously" that I realized that someone was going to take me seriously.  New medication has helped and a doctor who is standing behind me all the way.

We live in a world where there isn't a lot of hope.  We are told that by 2033 that our social security will be gone.  Our national debt has increased to a sum that most of us can't even understand. We live in a world where depression isn't truly understood until it has been experienced personally. 

I am thankful for a family that stood/stands behind me, for a principal who was/is so very understanding, a neighbor who is only a few steps a way and will let me "cry on her shoulder", a teacher/friend that teaches next door and for a fellow teacher who cared enough to walk all the way across the building to see if I was doing O.K.  I am thankful for the notes and letters that were so encouraging and for a church family and friends that have prayed for me faitfully.  I never realized that some of my friends/relatives had gone through anxiety as they had.

Please take depression seriously.  Get help for yourself and be there when you know your friends and neighbors are depressed. Don't be afraid to ask for help. Most people are so busy with their own lives they don't notice what is going on in someone elses' life.   We may never understand what one person is going through, but we can be patient with that person and listen.

You may save a life.

In Memory of my Dad

                   Dad                       

“Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content:” Philippians 4:11

Let me tell you a little bit about my dad. Dad lived a very simple life. He loved the Black Hills of South Dakota and he enjoyed going to flea markets, rodeos, and the annual Threshing Bee. He would be out of bed by 4 or 5 A.M. each morning. He would drink his cup of coffee, read his Bible and pray. Many mornings when I got up, his Bible was still on the table opened to a passage of Scripture.

Dad was a very sensitive and emotional person. I remember his tears when a little boy had been hurt. Often when he was telling a story, his voice would become emotional and there would be tears in his eyes. He was also a very generous person. He would help single moms by giving them money, and he would help strangers in need.

Dad was human, so he was not perfect. He was content with his life because he had a forgiving and loving God. Dad’s true test of contentment came early in 2005. Dad showed us contentment as he lay on his hospital bed. He winked at his great -grandchildren and smiled as they winked back. The doctors would offer us a thread of hope, but when we asked Dad how he was, he would always reply, “Not good!” He knew, and had known for quite a while that his time on earth was coming to an end. He was at peace with his Lord. He told a granddaughter on March 12th that he was going Home. Dad would never tell any of us “Good-bye” but on March 8th he told Mom “Good-bye” several times. That is the last time she saw him.

Let me tell you about the last day my dad was with us. I walked into his room and asked the nurse what our goal was for him that day. She said that we needed to get a lot of liquid in him. Dad heard that and he drank more for breakfast than he did the whole day before. He showed me that he cared enough to try. We all went to lunch while he was asleep. When we returned at 2:30 he was breathing heavily. I knew then that my dad was about to leave us. I shed a few tears and then walked into his room and sat down beside him. I held his hand but didn’t know what to say. I finally kissed him on the forehead three times. I then saw a tear by the side of his eye. I gently wiped it away to let him know that I had seen it. My two brothers were with me and I asked my oldest brother, “Would you pray for Dad? He knows that we are here and he can hear us.” My brother prayed and then told Dad he loved him. During the prayer, Dad opened his eyes and looked at each of us. Things were quiet except for Dad’s breathing. I then told Dad, “We love you. You have been a great Dad, and a wonderful husband. We will miss you, but we know that you are going to a better place.” I then closed my eyes and prayed, “Lord, please do not let him suffer too much longer.” That was the last breath that Dad took before he was in Eternity.

Unknown to me, my sister-in-law had asked the Lord two days earlier to give me the wisdom to let my dad go. I am so thankful that we as a family were there to support Dad in this, his last change on earth.

For thirty years I dreaded and struggled with the day Dad would pass away. I never wanted to or knew how to say “good-bye” to him. It was a relief to me when we as a family decided to move my parents to Minnesota to live with my brother Delmer. I wouldn’t be there when they died. Well, God is still in control. He and Dad had other plans. I arrived at the Duluth, Minnesota Hospital on March 12th and Dad passed away on March 13th. I didn’t say good-bye to Dad that day because I knew that I would see him again when I get to Heaven. I did tell him that I love him. When I think back now, I realize that I would have missed a tremendous blessing if I had not been with my dad at his graduation to Eternity.

It has been five (now seven) years since Dad passed away and I still miss him, but I would never want to bring him back from the perfect place he is in now. Someday we will be together again for all eternity.

Death is unique to each person, as is dealing with the death of a loved one. That day, I learned how to die and I learned how to deal with the death of a loved one. Since then I have learned how to continue living after a loved one passes on to eternity. I learned that a Christian doesn’t need to fear death but take it one day at a time in faith. As my younger brother told me that day, “It is like falling asleep and waking up in a far better place.”

2 Corinthians 5:6-8 “Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight) we are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.”


“The greatest gift I ever had

Came from God; I call him Dad!”

~Author Unknown


Taken from the book, Life on the Ranch: Life Lessons I Learned on the Ranch.
 (Written from the heart.)

In the Valley With God

He led me through the valley,
There were fears on every side;
But He gently led me onward,
So in Him I would abide.

I felt He wasn't hearing me
When I to Him would pray.
"Just wait, my child," He'd tell me,
"I'll show you a better way."

He took me through the valley
But He didn't leave me there;
Although the way seemed rugged,
He began to answer prayer.

"I led you through the valley, Child,
So that you would lean on Me.
It's when the way seems hardest
That you need more faith to see."

The faith to see God's goodness
In the valley of distress,
Is the way that God must lead me
If I will learn to know His best.

Author Unknown

Happy Valentine's Day

Just want to say Happy Valentine's Day to all my family and friends.

Today we celebrated Star Math Achievement in my classes.  First hour was almost over when we went into Code teal, which means that the drug dogs are in school.  My poor first hour class was tired of celebrating by the time they were released to go to third hour.  I think that they were about ready to ask me for a math assignment. :)

The cake was great and the students were wonderful

Hope that you had a fantastic day.

Jake

When a person has a sweet, loving and smart dog, one needs to brag about him once in awhile.

Today Chip and I were headed to church.  I take my car to Alzada and Chip follows in the pickup.  He picks me up in Alzada and we head to town.  That way after church I can leave from Alzada and head to Lame Deer.

This morning as I was driving out of the driveway, Chip called to me  and asked if I had Jake with me.  I replied "No! Where is Jake?"  All of a sudden I saw him run up to us and stop about 4 feet from my car.  He looked at me as if to say, "Here I am, Mom!  What do you want me to do?"  I looked at him and pointed at Chip as I said, "Go with Chip!"  He didn't waste any time as he ran under the fence and jumped in the pickup with Chip.

As we travelled together in the pickup, Jake laid between us with his head touching Chip and his back touching me.  Sometimes he would turn around and face the opposite direction, but he was getting all of the petting that he wanted.  Well at least he was between the two people he loves the most.

What a dog!