Moms care, the farm, the drought, our business God seemed so far away. And now our donkey Sissy was having birthing problems
The sun beat down and the temperature was above 90 degrees when my husband, Alan, and I arrived at the farm late in the afternoon—and it was only May. A severe drought gripped our part of Oklahoma. Ponds were dried up, and the grass was brown. We had to truck in hay to feed the cattle.
Alan and I ran this 320-acre farm, but we didn’t live here. My parents had bought the land when they retired in the late 1970s. They raised wheat, oats, alfalfa, cattle and a small herd of Sicilian donkeys. The donkeys were miniature size, with distinctive cross-shaped markings on their backs. They served as excellent guard animals for the cattle. Donkeys are alert and protective. They’re cute—but watch out when they kick!
A few months earlier, my mom had fallen and broken her hip. She was 90. Dad had died nearly two decades earlier. Mom had continued farming with help from extended family and the occasional hired hand. Now she was in a rehab facility following hip replacement surgery. Alan and I were in charge.
Life was becoming too unpredictable and turbulent. In addition to coordinating Mom’s care, Alan and I worked long days running a farm equipment business where we lived in Stillwater, 130 miles from the farm. Several times a week, we made the two-and-a-half-hour drive from Stillwater to feed the animals and tend the crops. Extended family members who’d helped in the past were facing health crises of their own. We were exhausted, fearful of making a misstep and letting everybody down.That May afternoon, I felt as parched and brittle as the grass. The house where we’d shared so many good memories with Mom seemed abandoned in her absence. I felt abandoned too. No matter how much I prayed, God seemed far away.
This story is from the October 2018 edition of Guideposts.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the October 2018 edition of Guideposts.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
EVERYDAY GREATNESS: Jessica Manfre
Uniting military and civilian communities through acts of kindness
The Cake Mixer Mishap
I should’ve listened to Mom
Star Turn
I worried about my introverted daughter. Then Olivia flipped the script
Unearthed
I pulled the overgrown remnants of my herb garden, putting it to bed for the season, and went over a mental list of all the things to do before winter began—change out the screens for storm windows, finish the yard work, bring down the draft blockers from the attic.
Confidence Builder
My five boys didn't need me to homeschool them anymore. Now I wanted to be good at something else. But could I?
Ordinary People
The story behind Norman Rockwell's celebrated painting
A Woman of Courage
After I was widowed, fear took over my life. How could I trust anyone if I couldn't trust God?
Keep on Truckin'
How to bring a couple back together: share a long-haul drive in an 18-wheeler
My Answer to Pain
Inflammation was wreaking havoc with my health. Was God trying to show me a better way to live?
Letters From Phil
My older brother and I went our separate ways: he to the Air Force, me to a marriage that didn't last. He lived a rough-and-tumble life, but that's not what really worried me