Mrs. Ladybug and Mr. Toad--You Never Know Who God Will Send

A couple weeks ago, I was weeding the garden where Indian corn and green beans are growing.

Near me, Timmy and Rose were putting up some more hail screen, because a storm was brewing to the east, and hail was likely. Thankfully, the hail did not hit us much, but just a few miles away

drifts of hail were still by the Big R ranch store in the morning where the hail had fallen off the roof,

and the pond near that store was overflowing yet the next morning.

While I was weeding, I spied a dear little Mrs. Ladybug on her green leaves,

and almost at the same time, a movement near me under the weeds.

This proved to be a rather black Mr. Toad!

I am not very fond of toads, but he was such an unusual spectacle that I rushed in for my camera. 

I never know whom or what I will meet when I simply go to our little gardens and weed.

We never know who we will meet on a day to day basis, either, and always we know that God has some purpose for it. 
We find ourselves touching the lives of quite a number of people lately as we simply go about our lives. Sometimes to us, they appear to be a sweet Mrs. Ladybug or perhaps, unfortunately, a dark Mr. Toad. 

Just a few days ago Rose got a call from the lady she used to work for who has a little dairy.
The lady, Brook, said that her brother in California had just been murdered, as well as the boyfriend of her sister there, and her sister had been shot in the head as well in the same incident and was in critical condition in the hospital. Could Rose help with the dairy chores later on when the funeral was to be?
The incident hit national news last weekend, and we were the ones to try to reach out to the shocked and grieving sister back here. Rose let me take one of her fresh loaves of bread and I was quickly on my way to visit Brook. We went into each other's arms, and I let her talk. She had been so undone that her stomach was sick that morning, but she kept eyeing the loaf of Rose's sourdough bread that I had under my arm!
(Rose planted morning glories around the windmill.)

That same day that Brook told us about her brother, Jonathan told us at supper time that one of his work guys lost an uncle recently to a terrible accident--having his arm caught in a halter or something and being dragged to death by a mule. Jonathan's work guy's wife had just returned home from two funerals back east. It is a hard time for them.
 Just a couple days earlier, Timmy had made arrangements to pick up some free logs of wood near Woodland Park where someone had advertised them from where he was clearing out some trees and brush.

Not only did we end up getting two huge loads of logs, but the man there hired some of our children to help clear more logs and brush this week.

This is how some of the logs were pulled!

Quite the adventure that day!

Today Timmy mowed and worked for another man while the rest of the children went up to this log place to work. Then Timmy printed his thankyou's for his graduation cards and gifts, and he took off down the road to deliver one thank you to a sweet neighbor. Yesterday another neighbor came for eggs; another one offered to let our cow run with her bull for a few weeks so we can have another calf next year. 

Other neighbors' kids come here to play on a regular basis, usually knocking sometime in the morning, and then later running through the house at any hour of the day! I tell myself it's okay; how will they meet Jesus if they find me to be a grouch? They are sweet kids and I love them.

In between times, Timmy got his sawmill running and was starting to saw logs into lumber.

Last Friday we headed to our home school friends for some music practice and a walk. We saw these twin fawns on the way.

Yes, whether we meet up with ladybugs or toads,
whether sorrowing people or happy ones, whether friendly ones or needy ones,

God has a purpose for it.
May we always be ready to share His love and value each one He places in our path.