Stories with Lessons Tied Along

A Ride to Grandma's Cabin

On April 14th, my mom drove our red mini-van to my Grandma's house with the following items:

5 kids
3 chicks
tic tac toe boards
checkerboards
pillow
dolls 
clothes
trashbags
clothes
cowboy boots
old hamburger
crushed Quik Trip cup
melon 
football
6 blackberry plants
5 hats
baked beans 3 things of potato salad
pioneer outfits
booster seat
3-4 backpacks
mail
planner
purse
cell phone 
empty water jugs
bubble gum wrappers
fabric left over from a garage sale 


And still that's not everything!  Usually our van is not like this, but on this particular time, we were dressing up as pioneers for the 20th anniversary of the rebuilding of an 183-year old cabin!  And besides that, we had just finished up at a garage sale at a friend's house, so many crazy things were going on that day!
When we got to my grandma's house, it was very windy outside and my horse Butterscotch was ornery because of the wind.  Then it rained for a moment, then stopped.  I went inside with my friend Marli, only to discover one of our baby chicks, Gracie, laying still in the box with the other chicks.  She was barely breathing.  I tried not to freak out, but I was near to it.  Knowing that it was normal for a few of the chicks to die, I wasn't too shocked, but I wanted to do all that I could to save her.  Marli got a bowl of milk and promptly I wrapped her in a washrag and dipped Gracie's beak into the milk.  Grandma came in and we positioned Gracie beneath a light and heat pad.  But soon after, she died.  
After a tearful chick burial (Elena cried mostly because it was her chick.  We buried Gracie in a tea box.)  Grandma took us to eat out at Courtside Restaurant, the restaurant that my Grandma had drawn a courthouse and they put it on their menu.  After juicy chicken tenders, we headed home.  
What a day it had been already, and before we had left to eat out, we found out that our county was under a tornado watch!  Tiredly, Marli and I went to our beds in the basement. 
The next morning, I awake to my Mother standing over me in pioneer apparel, saying 'Beep, beep, beep!' like an alarm clock, and saying, "Come on girls!  Time to get up!  We're gonna dress like pioneers to church!"  Only half awake, I protested.  "Oh, come on."  Mom said.  "You've only got one life."  
"I know."  I said back.  "That's why I don't want to do it!"  
But, of course, Mom won, and my BFF and I had fun finding the perfect dress in my Grandma's basement, did our hair and went to church as if it were the 1860's!  In a way, it was! 
After church service, we came home and got ready for the party at the cabin.  Marli and I walked down to the cabin and got things tidied, then came back to get dressed in our pioneer outfits again.  
We came back and found a pretty yellow outfit for Marli, and a white blouse and long black skirt for me.  I, being the more tomboyish and uncaring of the two of us, decided to adjust a tricorn hat atop my head to add touch.  
On the way back to the cabin, I was talking and walking toward the creek that we pass over to get there, when all of a sudden I screamed and ran back a ways.  It was a snake!  Later I learned that it was a Blue Chaser, or something! 
Once at the cabin, I ate candy, sang gospels with my uncles and aunts, and had beans and cornbread.  It was fun, and the sky cleared up and the sun shone the entire time at the cabin!  
I had a wonderful adventure, and I guess I never know what'll happen when I go to grandma's house!  

The biggest lesson I learned at Grandma's house, hast to be when Gracie the chick died.  It made me realize how frail life is and to savor every second!  
     
 
 









Hansel and Gretal

Just a few days ago, my brother Austin and I trudged outside and entered our woods, in search of his new kitty Alex.  We called the kitty many times, and looked and looked.  We finally reached the little log cabin that we built, and then I decided to hike further into the woods to look for Alex.  We left the area in where the log cabin was and trudged in a sort-of diagonal deeper into the woods.  The woods slowly began to change.  Instead of tall, skinny trees, weeds, and thorns, we saw more pine trees, some in which were at least twenty to thirty feet tall.  I saw soft buffalo grass that was orange as a copper penny and then Austin pointed to a gap in the trees.  He guessed it was a clearing.  I was curious, too.  So further in we trudged, closer and closer to the orange gap in the trees.  Orange grass reached past our knees now, and we hop/ran toward the gap.  Yes!  It was a clearing, a huge clearing!  I ooed and awed the vast pasture of space that lay before my eyes.  I turned to look beside me, and there stood a tall pine tree, at least forty-fifty ft. tall, maybe 15 ft. wide.  A bubbling little creek curled beneath it, and curled its way through the grass, to who knows how far.
I wanted to go into the clearing and explore, so I hopped over the tall grass and onto the neatly cut grass of the clearing, Austin following behind me.
I walked around in it, and then peeked around a few corners that led to smaller, other clearings.  I am now sure that it had to be probably around seven acres at least, adding all the other clearings besides the one we were in.
It was all mostly cut, except for a large patch of buffalo grass that stretched out before us. We looked around, and even noticed a house through the trees.  "Must be the lawyer's house."  I said something like that.  We were still exploring when a loud gunshot startled us.  Though I had pink gloves, a yellow scarf, and Austin a bright red hat, we took into a run back toward the treeline.  Deer season.
I ran back to the certain spot in the treeline that I was sure we had come out of.  At first when we entered back into the woods, where a big tree stood and the creek, it looked familiar so we walked straight on.  (But now that I think about it, I can't remember if I saw the creek before I went into the clearing anyway.)
But the place that we went back into was the wrong place.  Austin kept leading me in the wrong directions, thinking they were right.  We had no flashlight, no compass, and it was growing dark. The wet and cold had soaked through the tips of my leather boots and I began to worry.  I was certain that we were in big trouble...we were lost.
I tried leading the way, but that just got us nowhere.  I prayed.  I was near to tears.
But suddenly, Austin pointed again.  "There's a house."  He said something like that, and I felt a tiny bit better.  The house sat on the top of a tall slope, and looked vaguely familiar like our neighbor's house, but I didn't fully recognize it.  I cried out, "Help!"  But of course no one heard us.  We were deep into the woods.  It was dense woods, pine trees blocking the sky in some parts.  But though I wasn't sure, Austin insisted that we climb the hill up toward the white house and perhaps we could tell where we were.
I didn't have any better ideas, so I followed.  We went past a good sized creek and then trudged up the fairly steep slope toward the top.  A fence lined the top of the hill, so we couldn't have reached the house, but God sure knew that climbing that hill would help us.  We could see our green house from there!  I felt like crying out for joy!  We weren't lost anymore!  We had found home!!!!
I stayed close to the fence, where I could still see our house.  I went quickly, and finally we ran.  I stumbled through the kitchen door and fell into a chair.  I hugged Mom...my was I thankful to God for hearing my prayer!  And now I can relate with Hansel and Gretal with getting lost in the woods...it all makes sense now.
And what I learned?  Well, never go deep into the woods without a compass, a sense of direction, and some yarn!  If we had tied yarn to mark our places, that would have made it easier.

But I think the main thing that I need to realize through all of that, is that Jesus Christ is my shepherd, and He cares for His sheep...I cannot get lost when I've trusted in the Good Shepherd.  'He won't leave or forsake me.'
He drew His little lamb back home.