What is your job?

We woke up to a low and loud "MOOOOOOOOOO" the other Sunday morning.    The dogs were barking and the cow was mooing.  We squinted as we tried to open our sleepy eyes and get a glimpse out of the window.  Yep.  It was a cow.   It was actually many cows in our fields far and near.  Most of them were couplets of cows and their calves. 

The rancher who has cattle next to our property has been wanting to put cattle on our land for a year now, but has used other pasture because of the dryness of the grass.  This spring things are green and relatively lush for here.  This Sunday morning was the time for the gates to be opened between the properties and for the cows to have free reign. 

It really is a peaceful and beautiful sight with the black and brown cows on the green hills with the bluish/purplish mountains in the background.   The dogs were beginning to settle down as they realized that the cows couldn't get to them and that all they were doing was eating, and eating, and eating.   There was only one thing that the dogs really hated.   There was a white donkey in the field.  It stuck out like a sore thumb.  He was moseying around eating just like the cows.  The dogs did not appreciate the big white thing in the field.

We watched him and tried to figure out if he had a purpose or if he was just another animal that the rancher had that needed pasture.  He came to the fence and became fast friends with Isabel who was ready with some carrots.  He seemed like a gentle and docile old creature. 

The next time I was at work, I was talking with one of the midwives who lives next to the rancher whose cows we are hosting.  She said that the donkey is about as sweet as they come, and that he is invaluable.

It turns out that the docile donkey does indeed have a job.  His job is to protect those calves.  He keeps the coyotes away from the babies.  She told me that they got him about four years ago and haven't lost a calf since to coyotes. 

What an unlikely hero.   He is a donkey with a mission.  He herds the cows around and keeps the calves from wandering.  He reminds me of each of us.  We are placed in the fields, surrounded by others, with a purpose.  Be alert!  Do your job!  Eat your grass and occasional carrots, but be on the lookout for the coyotes.  Embrace your purpose-- seemingly glamorous or not. 

1 Peter 5:8 "Be self-controlled and alert.  Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."

Three Days of Community

I was introduced this week to yet another new concept--small town community. Saturday night there was a fundraiser at the school for a family in the valley in deep financial need. The mom has cancer, and they are without medical insurance. Isabel's dance class was invited to dance at the event, and so we planned to go.

As I got in the vicinity of the middle school, I was overwhelmed. There were cars everywhere. There were hundreds of people there. They were there to celebrate knowing this lady and her husband and kids, and to help in whatever way they could. There was a silent auction of things donated from local artists and businesses-- even a big freezer of elk steaks. There was a barbecue dinner and ongoing talent on the stage.

On Sunday, our crew went hiking with some friends of ours, and on the way home we had to stop for some commotion in the highway.   Someone's fence had fallen and their horses were out and in the highway. About five truckloads of people (including our hiking partners who were a few minutes ahead of us) were out in the road corralling the horses and helping them get back into the fence. Things stood still on the busy road until the horses were safely contained.

On Monday night, the PTO for the schools had invited the Harlem Ambassadors to town for a basketball game versus the hometown heroes. We had gotten tickets a couple of weeks ago to support the PTO, and the kids were thrilled to see a few of their teachers play ball. When we arrived at the high school, it was like something from a movie. EVERYONE was there. The team of local heroes included principals, teachers, the sheriff, the owner of the garbage company, the owner of the electric company, the city manager, and about twenty others. Every seat in the gym was packed with standing room only. It was a bit like being in a movie, or taking a step back to simpler times. For a weekend we saw community at its best. People thinking beyond themselves and meeting the needs of others.

Small town life is no utopia. It holds the same pressures and life heartaches, but what a beautiful reminder of how we are to pitch in and be a neighbor. We are to gather in hard times and hold each other up, and in lighter times we play and laugh.

Philippians 2:3-4 "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.  Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others."