Do you have time for a story?
This is a story about a little adventure the kids and I went on six weeks ago.
And the reason I’m just telling it now is because my foot still hurts and is a reminder of this little outing; and I thought someone may need this reminder.
It all started when my dad and my youngest daughter who like to hunt, found this really neat, sandy, beach-like, secret fishing hole at the very back of the property we are currently living on.
They had taken me there once, about six weeks prior to our little adventure, and I had been telling my older daughter and her boyfriend how it might be a good place to fish.
So her boyfriend was at the house and had his fishing poles. He was all for the idea of us going to this spot so he rigged up three poles and we convinced my non-nature-loving daughter that it would be fun.
Before we headed off, I called my husband and made sure he thought it would be ok because there are cattle, donkeys, and bulls in the fields behind our house.
He acted like it was no big deal, so we headed out.
Me, two teenagers, a 12 year old, and my 7 year old.
We start walking through the first field, and I realize as the hay is up to our knees itching us, that the first time I made this trip, they must have just mowed because the field was cut low.
Not so, this time though.
So we make it through the field and come to the woods. My son is sneezing which isn’t uncommon as he has seasonal allergies.
We head through the woods; the way I thought we had went the first time I did this. Only to come to a small, rocky cliff that didn’t look too safe to try to climb down with three fishing poles and a 7 year old.
So we had to get back out in the field which made our journey a little longer.
No big deal right?
We make it to the clearing at the end of the woods and see the next field to the left we must cross. Past that field is all the animals. Cows, donkeys, and a bull.
Luckily we weren’t going straight toward that field so we started to make our way to the left when suddenly the cattle start charging towards us.
The kids looked at me.
I looked at them.
And for a moment we just stared at each other like what should we do!?
Luckily, a few seconds later they stopped running and just started grazing again.
So we continued on.
Side note: my son is still sneezing and rubbing his eyes.
A few steps later, my daughter’s boyfriend yells, “Oh no!”
I immediately figured we were about to get trampled by a stampeding herd of cattle.
Thankfully, he had just stepped in a fresh cow patty that was so deep it had went completely around and over his shoe!
So no big deal…we headed on.
Now smelling like cows ourselves.
We make it to the little ravine we have to cross. It wasn’t that wide or deep but there was water in it so we had to cross where a tree had fallen over and walk across it.
Of course, carrying three poles and trying to help each other across, we missed a step and marred up in the mud to go with the cow poop.
But we had made it! Almost…
We had to cross an old barbed wire fence and get through some over grown woods and then we were there.
Another side note: I though it was a good idea to wear flip flops on this journey.
As we made it to the sandy shore, I banged my foot into a stick that was half buried in the sand. Now I’m bruised and bleeding, but we had made it!
The only problem is over half the water that was here six weeks ago has dried up and there was barely anywhere deep enough to try to fish.
The other, bigger problem is we look at my son and his eyes are red, puffyand he’s continually sneezing.
He must’ve been allergic to the hay or something in the woods and I tell them we’ve got to leave now to get home and get him some Benadryl.
All that work just to turn around and leave.
So swollen, stinky, muddy, itchy, bruised, bleeding, and tired we turn to leave and what do we find?
All the cows had made their way to the barbed wire fence-our exit out!
They had blocked us in.
Again, we are left staring at each other trying to figure out what to do.
I decided to have them stay there and I slowly walked to the side of the cows to see if there was a close, easy way to get back across the little ravine.
After finding a spot, we all went for it.
The cows didn’t move or come towards us, and we made it safely across.
Once we were across the ravine, we were home free because the herd had no interest in crossing it to get to where we were.
We finally, safely made it back home where my daughter’s boyfriend changed shoes and my son took some Benadryl and a nap.
It’s a funny story.
And one we won’t soon forget.
But what has stuck with me is that ravine.
It wasn’t fun to cross.
It was hard taking everyone and everything across.
It was messy.
But I was SO thankful that ravine was there to separate us from the cattle on the way back.
That ravine we didn’t like crossing at the beginning of our journey, protected us on the way back.
I wonder how many times God allows us to go through hard, messy things because He knows it will offer strength and protection for us in the end?
Hard times in our lives are never fun, but when I look back I can always see how God helped me through them.
And how He was able to make something good come from them.
