Sep. 2, 2022

THE HEAVIEST HAY

I put up a lot of hay back in my day. It would cause great excitement when a farmer would come into town looking for help in the hayfield. We would all take off for home to ask our parents for permission to do this. I remember working all day for $1:50 an hour. At the end of the day , I would come home tired and dirty but filthy rich and that made it worth the while.

Some of the farmers were harder to work for than others. Some had pretty daughters that went to the field with us and now I realize they knew how to market long before I knew what that was. Some of them had their wives prepare such large food amounts and samples after we were done that we probably would have worked for free.

I look back on those days and cherish those memories. Often I will tell a tale or two as I am about to do with you now.

It was getting late in the day and we all were wore out. We had just one more trip out into the field. As the wagon filed up , our spirits seem to rise because we knew the cash and the vittles were getting closer. The farmer we were working with was an elder in our church. His name was Cecil and his wife was Ruth and he called her Ruthie. We had just a few more bales to go and we would be heading back to the barn. Ruth was driving the tractor and she turned too sharply going down a hill and the hay shifted and we lost more than half of the loaded wagon. It was the first time and the only time I ever saw this gentle man of God lose his cool . He was hot and he forgot for just a minute he was an elder and that young boys were with him. He started yelling at her in frustration. Her sharp turn caused him to speak sharply to her. He never said a cuss word but he stopped almost mid sentence when he realized both. I remembered that he calmed down very quickly and he apologized to her. I learned that even the best of us can have a off moment. It allowed us to see what we should do when we have blown out stack. We were taught what we should do when things do not turn out as we would like.

About a week or so ago , I did a blog about our house called' TILL THE COWS COME HOME'. I liked the story and was pleased with how it turned out. It is hard for me to type and it takes a long time. I am not good with this kind of stuff and to be honest, do not care for it . Why do I do it then? I feel that this is what God wants me do and how I am to share my thoughts at this time.

Someone contacted me and said the story was missing. My heart sunk when I was told this. To my dismay , I found that indeed the words were lost. In my haste to get done, I lost the entire load! I have found

that many times we will have to do ... do overs. Sometime we get mulligans and other times not the case. May lord give us the strength we need to persevere even on heavy hay days when we can. May the Lord comfort us in those situations when we cannot.

If you life is empty , fill it with Christ.

Woodrow Kroll

Mistakes are their own instructors.

You can preach a better sermon with your life than your lips.

Oliver Goldsmith

 IT ALL ADDS UP

       Often during the course of an eye exam, I ask patients if they like to read. Some like me love to read. 

         Others say they hate reading and never read. I often think to myself if we kept track of every text we send 

         or receive, it would surprise us. Now let's factor in every email we send or receive, and I would bet we all read the                     equivalate of 3-4 books a month!

         Several years ago, I was with a young college student who was on her spring break. She was glad to be home 

          for a week and yet she had some work to do that week as she preparing for finals on her return. I goofed and 

         accidently invented a new praise. I meant to ask if she enjoyed pleasure reading. I said, 'do you enjoy pressure               

         reading?' We both chucked at my error.

         Truth is, I have thought about that conversation many times. I do like to read for pleasure. I have learned many 

         things over the course of my life from borrowing the brains of others. I am hopeful that others may have gained insight           from my words and shared experiences.

         I feel all of us have some forms of pressure reading. It may not be college finals, but perhaps an instruction manual

          to put a child's bike of toy together.  That may not be our cup of tea, but we have to many times because it is required           for work.  I am not forced to read the eye related magazines that come to my house. I take the time to read them as to             allow me to stay up and current with anything from new medicines to new trends in the eye related field.

         Can I be so bold to ask you a question? Why are you reading my words right now? It is surly not pressure reading!

          I am surprised and honored if anybody enjoys my feeble efforts to help fellow sojourners in this thing called life.

          There is a book that is above all books called the bible. It was written long ago by many men with God's hand 

          upon them to help you. If you just, try to read it, God will change you as you do. Put a little pressure on yourself 

          to pick it up and put your phone down.  You will learn about yourself and how much God cares for you. It will 

          make you a better parent, spouse, employee and friend. The pressure will soon turn to pleasure, and it will you more                than anything in this word you can gaze upon. It leaves all earthly knowledge behind in the dust. things you wonder                about will start to add up. You will smile as you realize the heap has led to a leap .... of faith.

                                            If you only keep adding little by little, it will soon become a great heap.

                                                                                                                                                                      Hesiod