Dusty Roads to the Heart

The combine was stored back in the southeast corner of the machine shed. A few bale stood along the edge of the alfalfa field, waiting to be hauled to the top of the hill for the winter. The cows and their babies still enjoyed the long summer days under the old cottonwood trees.  Lyle had found a small upstairs apartment in town. He had promised to come out once a day to clean the liter box and make sure Skitz had food and water. Of course he would amble down to the horse barn and give them a love pat or two. Mark had spent yesterday afternoon grinding  pig feed. He wanted to make sure  the self feeders were full. Each held a ton of grain so it took awhile to get it all ground. I had spent the afternoon baking up some chocolate chip cookies and a number of other things to take to Butch, while Kate was putting in her last day of work for the summer Now the car was finally packed and Kate was getting her last minute things from the bedroom down stairs. We were heading...

The June morning was clear blue skies and warm sunshine.  A meadowlark called from the pasture across the country road. The big maple tree in the front yard was full of leaves. The pigs banged the lids of their feeders up and down as they lazily ate to their hearts delight. Once in awhile you would hear a mother cow call for her baby out in the north pasture. The wheat fields were turning a golden brown. You could hear the loud purr of the riding lawn mower as Kate went round and round the north brome patch, singing at the top of her voice. Bret came running out the back door, carrying his new purchased bread machine. Mark followed close behind carrying a box of Bret's this and that's and a back pack slung over his right shoulder. They were talking a mile a minute as they worked there together. Kate gave us all a big wave as she turned north away from us. Sitting in the driveway was the old family 79 white Pontiac that was now Bret's. Hooked behind it was a 10 foot U-ha...

"Where shall I flee for refuge    Hiding when storms are near    Where find the place of safety    Dwelling without a fear   Softly I hear Him calling   Come unto me and rest   Here in my arms find shelter   Close to my loving breast   Burdens oft times oppress me   Burdens so hard to bear   Oh then how sweet His whisper   Cast upon my thy care."  These words are from a hymn that I have sang most of my life and they just came to me this morning as I woke up. For some reason my mind and heart were heavy.  Sometimes I wonder why God gave me the names mother, grandma, wife and neighbor. But I know that He does not make a mistake. I know that He provides a refuge for a mother, a grandma, a wife. I know that He made them with a special heart that can be very tender. A heart that can hurt. A heart that can cry. I know all these things, but sometimes I feel so inadequate, so small in this place as m...

It was a hot day in August. The sun was beating down on man and beast. Bret and Adam were back in college. This year they had a one room apartment in the upstairs of a sweet 92 year young lady's home on Maple Street. We had all gone down earlier to get the boys moved and settled in. Ada had went up and down those stairs like she was a teenager. She really had the "get up".  It helped this mother so much to see short little Ada standing out on the porch waving as we drove away. We knew that Bret and Adam were in good hands this year. Ada loved them, and they loved her. Kate was back running cross country. The girls had done very well last fall. They first came home with the trophy at the regional's, and then the trophy was theirs at the state cross country meet too! At these two meets, we couldn't follow them around like we did in the regular meets, but we could still sit at the finish line and holler! We were so proud of our cross country boys and girls! But t...

They call us cousins.  I have a 5x7 framed picture setting in a bedroom that I cherish deeply. These last days I have found myself sitting in that bedroom on the bed just looking at that picture and remembering. My mind has flown back to yesteryear. In that 5x7 framed picture, setting there on its shelf, are thirteen smiling young faces. Most of those little sweethearts are sitting in the bed of a blue green ford pickup. One little sweetheart, John, is perched on top of the cab, all smiles. This pickup belongs to his daddy. I am standing on the ground, at the end of that blue green pickup supported by a pair of cruches. On one side of me stands my dear cousin Lyle, and on the other side stands my buddy Chuck. In the background, standing tall and proud, is Grandpa's red barn with its rounded roof and stone sides. I sat there on my bed just looking at that picture. Among all those young faces there lays an unseen thread of love, winding itself in and around each young heart. Now,...