Feeding the horses ...

I didn't know whether to title this 'feeding the horses' or just 'the simple things' ... because it is often in the simple mundane things of this life that some of the profound truths lie. One of my friends asked me if I'd like to go in with him and buy a trailer of round bales of coastal to set back for the winter. It's tempting, because walking out to the barn in the early morning darkness in whatever the weather throws is drudgery. When the girls were younger, it was their chore. Some of my fondest memories are of them in flannel pajamas, boots, and a barn coat. Like so many things, it is a two edged sword. I think every morning I am reminded that I spend more on hay for those two horses than I do to support an orphan(age) in India. Yes, there is some guilt in that, but they are an obligation we committed to fifteen years ago. We will see them through. But those two horses have provided much pleasure and fulfillment to this family and to many others. Every morning I go out to the barn, they are waiting for me - and are glad to see me. Most mornings they jockey for position to see who gets to nuzzle me first. I'm reminded that when you are hungry and lonesome, people are glad to see you too. Jesus told Peter three times, "If you love me, feed my sheep." Yes, it is an inconvenience - and those phone calls come in all sorts of weather and it is usually an inconvenience to my schedule, but folks are hungry; and they're lonely; and they're usually glad to see me. We tend to complicate life. But it is in those early morning trips to the barn that the cold north wind and the impending light of the sunrise remind me that I too am hungry, but I'm not alone. Thank you Ace and Fancy.