Friday, February 1, 2008

 

Dejunk our Life Series

 

Psalm 103:15-16 “As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.”  

 

Treasured Days

 

On the farm one summer there was a huge problem.   A pack of wild dogs were attacking the stock.  Our life today can fool us into thinking this is the natural way.   Dogs in our culture are domesticated.  In point of fact, a dog can go back into the wild easily.  

 

Periodically, wild dogs on the farm were a problem.   The summer of my remembrance they were a big problem.  They had attacked a calf and other valuable stock.  One night they attacked the chicken house across the lake from the big house.   Joey was spending the night in the amber room with me.  Granddaddy came in and said, “Boys, get up and help me!”  

 

Our dogs had been in the heat of the battle defending that chicken house.   I always remember the sound of the wild dogs attacking those warm July nights.   Several of our dogs were hurt.  Lady had a bad bite on her neck.   Toby, the Golden Retriever, also had been badly bitten.   Joey and Granddaddy both shot a dog but the pack was still large.  

 

My Granddaddy decided that Joey and I would spend the next few nights down at the chick house.  He decided the chick house was most vulnerable. There was a feed room that was off the main house where we would sleep.   The chick house, of course, was where we put the chickens that were hatched until they started to lay eggs.  

 

We would go down every night just before bed and sleep on some blankets in the feed room.  The feed room smelled like bran and even today when I eat bran muffins I remember those nights.  I remember that first night I would not stop talking.  Joey called me my embarrassing nickname and said “to stop talking and go to sleep.”  I was excited and kept thinking of things to say.  He, in exasperation said, “We have the rest of our lives to be friends.  Be quiet!”   

 

I wish we had been friends all these years.   Joey died at the age of 18 and I went on to a life of many things but never again did I have such a friend.   Those childhood and teenage years were unique.  

 

I believe we need to treasure each day because the gifts therein may never come again.  

 

Prayer:

Dear God, help me to treasure my days.  Amen.