Just after dinner today (Sunday) the Lord gave us a beautiful gift!
Water from heaven!
At first it was hail, and lots of it. Here is a pile on the deck.
And a pile on the front porch!
We had brought all the potted flowers inside,and I handed Rose the poor old umbrella to hold over her head while she ran out to try to cover her corn in the little garden.
Timmy bravely went out in the hail and maneuvered the calves into shelter.
Trying to get them inside the shed.
The north side of the house, yard (bare dirt) covered with water.
Hannah gathering up a handful of hail after it was nearly over!
Hannah gathering up a handful of hail after it was nearly over!
Water began pouring through the yards, and even was running through our normally dry streambed.
It has been so long since we've had a good rain, that we ALL went outside to just explore all the puddles and see how much water ran into the pond, which had gone dry.
A little waterfall by the pond.
The dogs were soo excited to play around in the water.
They went running all around, splashing everywhere.
They posed at the top of the hillock.
The calves are out and about again, and the temperature plummeted about 20 degrees.
However, not all animals respond the same way to sudden changes in weather and water from heaven.
The calves stand humped up and endure it (unless a merciful boy like Timmy pushes them into shelter).
The dogs go out while it's still finishing raining, and have a wild, fun old time.
But this young pullet nearly died.
In all the melee of trying to get other animals in and gardens protected, we weren't able to get the new pullets inside. They did have a shelter under the chicken "tractor," (i.e. portable chicken pen) and all were okay except this one. It was struggling to breathe when we brought it in, and we thought it was dying. With nothing to lose, Jonathan and I turned it every which way and rubbed its neck and feathers in case there was an obstruction, and then wrapped it in rags to warm up.
And it did! Little by little it came back around. We were so happy when it appeared that it would live and be fine. There it is down in the corner by the pieces of bridge that we started to put together last night for our back yard. We hugged each other in joy!
Likewise, not all of us respond to storms, drama, and other "weather" in the same way.
Some people just hump their back like the calves and endure.
Some let the water roll off like water off a duck's back.
Some, like the dogs and puppies, thrive on drama--even in worship. The louder the better, the more charismatic the service gets, the happier they are, the faster the beat the more they run.
And then there are some who just can't take things like others.
People who've been wounded or who are struggling with depression or who otherwise need shelter from the blast, who come to church needing quiet and peace and care.
They need our care; they need the warmth of human understanding; they need wrapped up in love.
Maybe someday you or I will be the one needing the care, the warmth, the quiet, and the love.
May we be given eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart to feel the needs of other hearts that are different than our own.
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