Moment of Truth

This was the last straw! A huge tree had split apart, falling and crushing the chicken coop! The two remaining hens were looking puzzled and bedraggled with barely enough room to move near the chicken-wire door. The other three occupants were missing, but a pile of feathers near the exit told the story. Howard resignedly opened their enclosure and set them free. He said the only time he wants to return to the farm is to go fishing!

I felt for him, but the only thing I could think of was, free at last! Free of the daily trek to feed and water, collect the eggs and watch for snakes. I felt he was overdoing anyway, sometimes carrying pails of water, then having his arm ache afterward. "But it's therapy for me!" he would protest.

It's hard to see a dream die (even a dream of a chicken farm), but sometimes it's too hard to keep it alive. But it was fun while it lasted, you might say. Nurturing chicks into robust birds, raising the beautiful and mysterious guineas, enjoying the jumbo farm-fresh eggs.

There is a saying that goes, "When God closes a door, He opens a window." A follow-up on that says, "Until He does, I'll be happy in the hallway." At our Bible study the other night, the verse in Jeremiah 29:11 was mentioned: "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." Some translations say he has plans for us, to give us a hope and a future.

Well, while we're waiting in the hallway, we are looking forward to visiting family in Texas in a couple of weeks. Howard's cataract surgery went so well, there should be no reason we can't go, since the doctor okay'd it. Hopefully we will leave a couple of days after his check up.

We enjoyed an estate sale today, chatting with our kids, and lunching at a 50's style restaurant. Listening to the juke box and seeing classic car photos on the wall, Howard remarked that the best music and the prettiest cars were from that era. Maybe that's because that's when we grew up! At any rate, God was with us then as he is with us now, and we can't wait to see what new plans he has for us!