Thankful Heart on a Cold Winter Day

With reluctance, I post this musing about care for our small herd. As I think of many ranchers with many more livestock than we have, I reflect on the looming prediction of possibly the coldest periods of winter in decades. My dear friend, Debbie Hightower Ballinger, reminded of our need to pray for the many essential workers in diverse careers in urban and rural areas who must work in these frigid temperatures. May God grant strength from a deep-seated love that finds reasons for faithfulness and thankfulness.

I am sure I am not the only one who awakened in the wee hours of the morning with concerning thoughts that quickly turn to worries. I should have put out a bale. It is so cold for the cattle. I will put out a bale early when I have frozen ground, “a poor man’s cement,” instead of the messy mud, but what if the pickup will not start?  Of course, I did not fall back to sleep quickly since other similar concerns crowded my mind.

I began praying and saying scripture verses such as What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. (Psalm 56:3) and Trust in Him at all times… (Psalm 62:8). Then being convicted of committing the sin of worry when I should be sleeping, I recalled the Philippians 4:6-7 passage with these words, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Finally, I prayed myself back to sleep as I prayed for the many people for whom our online prayer group was praying.

Soon I was hopping out of bed. As I struggled into feeding clothes, I flipped open the blinds and thanked the Lord for no snow and a clear windshield on the truck. The sub-freezing temperatures required my warmest outerwear. I grabbed a Woodland sweatshirt that Don Hicks insisted I take when he and Carolyn, my friend and former colleague, moved. I put on my warm, new compression socks. Last of all, I stepped into my boots and pulled them securely on. My Plainsman-gloved hand shoved the truck's keys into my pocket.

Some of my work wear for Winter Days

Stepping out the back door, I thanked the Lord that the wind at sunrise was minimal. The cats met me at the back door. Even though it had been a bitterly cold night, they survived and eagerly anticipated eating.

When I turned the key in the ignition, I thought of Dad, quite an optimist. He would have said, “Honey, it fired off like a shot!” I eased the truck across the frozen ground and backed up to exactly the bale I wanted, forked it, lifted it, and drove to put it out. No problems with the gate or driving through the pasture. Thankful prayers were going up from my heart.

I approached where I wanted to place the bale and another thank-you came from my lips, as I glimpsed the tiniest black heifer calf nestled in some hay. A little glitch occurred when the bale broke apart as I pulled forward. But I quickly said, “Thank you, Lord, because they can comfortably eat the hay!”

Walking to the stock tank, I could tell they had not drunk much water during the night. A thought of thankfulness crossed my mind as I realized I could quickly get the tank filled back to the brim.

 I maneuvered the truck slowly back to the house, and I thanked the Lord for the success of the cold morning mission. How thankful I was for the four-wheel drive of the truck! With gratitude, I looked at the cattle eating the hay, but had to be thankful that they were calmly grazing even before I put out the bale.

                The scripture commands in Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians in chapter 5, verse 18, Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. May we live in a spirit of thankfulness to God – no matter the weather.