December First Readings:
Gospel Luke 10:21-24
Psalm 72:12-13
"He shall rescue the poor man when he cries out, and the afflicted when he has no one to help him. He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor; the lives of the poor he shall save." Psalm 72:12-13
Oh, how I have missed my morning routine of drinking coffee, saying my prayers and meditating on the daily readings. I am still at my family's ranch and anytime I am out of my routine, I find myself missing and longing for my quiet time with Jesus. Since I haven't had much prayer time with the Lord, I am more on edge with my children and thankfully I am out in the middle of nowhere or I would probably find myself being sucked into the ways of the world of worry, materialism, drama & selfishness....and list goes on. I know this is going to sound crazy but this Psalm reminded me of the Christmas tree hunt with my dad and children on saturday. I have never known another person, especially a man (a tough, true cowboy that is..) that has such a heart for his Christmas tree every year. He takes the task of finding the perfect christmas tree for he & my mother's home very seriously. As we were about to drive an hour away to a special christmas tree farm that has fresh trees straight in from colorado, he decided we needed to go look at a pond on the ranch first just in case there might be the perfect tree there. So Dad, Ben, Clementine, my niece Kennedy and I all went to the "tailwater pit",or pond in laymans terms, to look for a tree. My dad told us the story of how my grandfather built the pond for irregation purposes back in the fifties. He had planted Cottonwood trees that died during a drought but thankfully through nature, cedar trees sprung forth. Now, the pond is filled with beautiful cedar trees with little blue berries. As we walked around the pond, there were so many giant and full trees that would have made perfect christmas trees. We picked out a few strong and tall trees that we thought would look nice but as we were making one last round, there he stood. A smaller, skinnier tree, but one that seemed special and stood out among the rest. After several minutes of discussion, we decided on this special tree....more frail in stature but a sweet little personality. We named him "Barley". As Barley stands tall, loved & proud in my parent's home, he reminds me that the lowly and forgotten have a stunning way about them. If you look real close, more than likely you will find a more beautiful heart and soul then any tough, proud & arrogant figure might have. It is in the lowly where we find Christ. This is such a crucial lesson we as mothers have to teach our children. By searching out the lowly and forgotten and giving them a handshake, a smile, a helping hand, we are showing our children to love Christ in others.
So after Christmas, my dad will take Barley to the Christmas tree cemetary that lies in an old wagon trail up from the red windmill that stands tall over this place I love so dear. In the cemetary, you will find the remains of the trees that have touched our lives over the years by brightening the home and making christmas so special for our family. They will eventually turn back into the soil and their christmas spirit lives on each christmas here on the Venneman Ranch. So as you go and search for your special "Barley" this year, welcome the beautiful creature into your home with a loving heart and a smile. Let this be a reminder of how we should welcome all "creatures" into our lives....wealthy or poor, sick or healthy.
Blessings to you this Wednesday! I will write again this week sometime....when I make my way back to the barn.
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