Enjoying the “Red Chicken”

Our 2021 post-COVID Thanksgiving was large and wonderful, with all of my husband’s siblings convening on our house for a big gathering.  We also added his parents and mine, so we had a wonderful crowd!  After 1 1/2 years of not seeing each other much, we were ready to get together again.  We did a family Thanksgiving, along with an early family Christmas the following day.  It was wonderful to see each other again!

The last time I saw my youngest nephew he was a baby, and now he is an active toddler full of life and personality.  As he asked for another helping of ham, I was tickled by his request for more “red chicken.”  It is funny how kids process things in a way they can understand.  

I wonder how we do the same?  How often does God look down and chuckle at our feeble attempts to explain His actions and plans with our limited understanding?  What glorious and profound things do we miss?  At times we can still enjoy things, even if we don’t fully understand them, as my nephew enjoyed his meal.  

Perhaps at times we should not aspire to understand God’s plan, but rather should simply enjoy what He offers us.  May we continue to take joy in good things as they are experienced, even if, in our limited understanding, we think of them as “red chicken.”

I Go Where He Takes Me

I am blessed to have a husband with a great sense of direction.  While I am capable of navigating maps, it takes an excessive amount of brain power.  However navigation comes naturally to him.  He can look at the map once and know where he is going.  I much prefer GPS that tells me where to turn.  

Thus when we went on a weekend getaway, he did the driving and I did the riding.  And when we got where we were going, and had to navigate around country roads within a state park, I sat around daydreaming and looking at the scenery, and he took me where we needed to go.  This was my detour to blissful ignorance.  That kind of trust is beautiful.

It made me think about my kids when they were little.  They never asked how to get to the store, church, school, or back home.  They just went where I took them.  Lucky for them I know my way around town, and I don’t need a map for that. Lucky for me, if I need to venture out somewhere else as the driver, I have GPS for that.

The Illusive “Bobber Fruit”

My husband and I took a weekend get-away to Beaver’s Bend State Park in Oklahoma.  While there we had a picnic lunch near a common fishing spot.  As I looked up at the beautiful scenery around me, I saw 3 dark pink, round “fruits” handing from a limb on a tree.  I wondered what kind of fruit they were.  Kumquat?  Apricot?  My husband, who seems to know nearly everything about the outdoors, was certain he knew the answer.  With a matter-of-fact voice he declared confidently that it is the “illusive bobber fruit.”  

I got up from my seat and was certain he had to be wrong.  I have done some fishing in my life, and those fishing bobbers were red and white, not a uniform bright pink color.  Yet with a closer look, the fishing line was clearly dangling from them.  They were, in fact, fishing bobbers. 

My husband went on to explain in greater detail about the “bobber fruits.”  They have a tough outer shell, and there’s usually nothing in them.  I could infer that they are not good eating, and the effort to retrieve them would not be worth it.  I laughed about that for the rest of our trip.  

Sometimes its good to be silly and laugh at your misinterpretation of things, such as fishing bobbers as “fruits.”  I thought I discovered some native fruit tree I had not previously seen.  Nope.  Just the illusive “bobber fruit.”

Sometimes You Can’t Turn the “Mom” Off

My husband and I did a weekend getaway to Beaver’s Bend State Park in Oklahoma, and opted to do a 9.5 mile hike with elevation change on our last day.  I had not previously done a hike that long.  While I was confident in my ability to walk 9.5 miles, the addition of elevation change was another story.  While this trail had a reported elevation change of 1800 feet, our app showed it to be closer to 2900 when all of the “uphills” and “downhills” were added together.   Suffice it to say I was pretty spent during this hike.  

About midway through we were passed by a young man hiking by himself.  He had hiking poles and a backpack, with the appearance of a young but experienced hiker.  He stopped for a break and we passed him.  Then we stopped to take pictures and he passed us.  A couple of miles later we saw him hiking the opposite direction back towards us and sensed something awry.  This hike was longer than he expected, and he was concerned this circular hike might end at a place he was not familiar.  We compared maps and assured him he is much closer to the exit going the original direction rather than doubling back.  We also told him where the trail ends and how to get to his campsite from there.  He was appreciative and headed out ahead of us in the original direction.  

At that point I started to be a bit concerned for him.  He clearly landed on a trial longer than he expected.  Did he have enough water?  Did he have any snacks for energy?  Perhaps he would let us drive him to his campsite when we ended the hike.  In short, I could not turn the “Mom” off. 

He paused for a break and we passed him.  Then we stopped for pictures and he passed us.  Then he stopped for a break, we passed him, and we did not see him again. We climbed another hill giving me a pretty big view of the trail behind us, and I still could not see him.  My husband thought that he abandoned the trail for the road we crossed about a mile back.  That would actually make his hike much longer, but my “Mom” self was satisfied that he would have access to help on the roadway if he needed it.  We finished the hike and headed back to the cabin. 

On our drive out of the park, we saw him walking along the road.  We couldn’t help but turn around and ask him if he wanted a ride, which he gratefully accepted.  He still had another 2 1/2 miles to go on the roadway to his campsite, and he did not seem to know exactly how to get back.  My “Mom” self was satisfied.  He was delivered back to his campsite where he had supplies, security, and rest.  

When I’m on vacation alone with my husband, shouldn’t I turn the “Mom” off?  I think not.  In the end, this is the “love your neighbor” commandment in action, and that is never supposed to be “turned off” or ignored.  I wish I could say I am this receptive all the time.  Those brief encounters along the trail were sufficient to develop enough of a relationship that we offered the ride, and he accepted it.  

Before we saw this kid on the roadway during our drive out of the park, we saw another guy walking along the roadway looking pretty tired.  We did not stop for him, and in fact that idea never crossed my mind until I sat down to write this.  Did he need help?  Probably not.  Unlike the young man, did he have friends or family at the park he could call for help?  Probably so.  His car may have been parked right around the bend.  Yet then again.....

The Search for the White Indian Paintbrush

One of the joys of living in the country is having a springtime meadow!  Every spring the pasture is full with a large assortment of more than 10 types of wildflowers.  This includes my favorite, the Indian Paintbrush.  

Indian Paintbrushes are usually an orange-red color, yet last year we saw one that had white flowers located near the corner of our inside fence. I estimate that we have tens of thousands of standard Indian Paintbrushes, yet last year I found only one white one.  

One of my favorite things to do on the property is to take a walk in the field, and in the spring and summer I will sometimes pick wildflowers to complement a bouquet started with stems from my cut flower garden.  On most days I take a walk past the corner of the inside fence to look for the white Indian Paintbrush.  Did it survive to seed and regrow this year—who knows?  Yet I look for it every time. 

During these days of COVID-19 isolation, I find it useful to begin looking for the unique and good things in my day.  It is too easy to see what is not good, what is not happy, and what is not fun.  Yet intermixed with the maneuvers of the day are flashes of smiles, glimmers of joy, and lessons learned as we figure out how to enjoy our homes and our families a bit more.  Technological advances are occurring with a speed that only a crisis can produce.  Unusual for sure, yet for us it has not been awful. 

Could we weather this crisis better if we looked tangibly for the good in our day?  Would this give us a positive sense of purpose that motivates and inspires?  Like searching for the white Indian Paintbrush in a large field of thousands of wildflowers, we might be fortunate enough to spot something beautiful and unique. 

Gizmo

I have heard it said that showing people pictures of puppies makes them feel happier.  While this might not be true for everyone, many people’s brains  fire some sort of “happiness neurotransmitters” when sweet little puppy pictures are shown.  I guess this is the reason therapy dogs are so popular in hospitals, nursing homes, and other places.  It is interesting how such cuteness captures us. 

I am one of the lucky ones who gets to have a puppy in my home.  While puppies are a lot of work, they bring a joyfulness that is hard to explain. We are fortunate that he is a pretty good puppy, and yet even when he is bad he is so stinkin’ cute!

One of my favorite things to do at our farm is to take a walk around the property.  The dogs go with me, and since we have enough acreage they can walk without a leash.  Yet if I were to be more precise, the puppy does not “walk.”  He runs ahead at the fastest speed he can muster, then rolls around in the grass with fervor.  He rolls for a while, sniffs for a while, then runs again and repeats.  I can only wonder what is going through that cute little head of his.  Is he chasing a squirrel, rabbit, or mouse?  Whatever it is, he gets it every time!

Another thing about this puppy during our walks is he is truly happy.  His eyes light up, his tongue hangs out, and he has not one single worry on his mind.  At that moment he is fully invested.  At that moment he is the luckiest dog in the world.  I wish I could cast my cares aside like that. 

What is it that has you worried today?  What has made you sad or downhearted?  I don’t have all the answers, and I realize we can’t escape from our problems too long.  Yet it helps to do something we enjoy for a while to relieve tension.  We could learn a thing or two from this sweet little puppy named Gizmo.  If we could embrace our joys with the same fervor that Gizmo uses to frolic in the grass, we might find we feel a lot better.  

Dad as Copilot

We took our first ride in a small plane recently.  Alaska is well known for their large number of private pilots, due to the fact that much of Alaska is not reachable by car.  Many of these planes are float planes designed to land on water, and we felt this may be one of our rare chances to get to ride in one.  Thus we took a float plane ride to get an aerial view of Misty Fjord’s National Monument.  

I have known since the beginning of our relationship that my husband has always wanted to fly a plane.  He had childhood dreams of flying fighter jets, yet learned early on that his lack of perfect vision would make this dream impossible.  He had never had the chance to go in a small plane prior to now, and there is no question that he enojoyed our flight the most.  On the last leg of the flight he sat up front next to the pilot, and got the chance to listen to the air traffic control banter and watch the pilot adjust the nobs and dials.  My kids and I thought the flight was kind of neat, yet my husband thought it was amazing.  I have no doubt he would regard it as one of the biggest highlights of our two week trip to Alaska. 

What should we make of these childhood dreams that never get realized?  While my husband may have the chance to take private pilot lessons at some point in the future, the fighter pilot dream is out of reach.  Many of us may have childhood dreams that will never be realized.  Sometimes when we get to adulthood we realize that our initial dreams were silly and don’t miss them much, yet some of us still may have an inner longing for something beyond what we are doing now.  The Apostle Paul told us his secret to dealing with such things in Philippians 4:12 when he said “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation...”

Another secret is submission.  We are where we are because God wills us to be there.  We submit to His plan, not ours.  We might have unrealized dreams of being a rock star, yet maybe we can sing worship music in church, or teach a children’s choir.  We might have unrealized dreams of being a superhero, yet maybe we can be a hero to our kids, or help others in a critical time of need.  We might have unrealized dreams of being a fighter pilot, yet maybe we can lead in other ways, in other kinds of battles.  When I think of my husband, he leads our family mightily, with precision and strength that far surpasses anything that can be registered in a flight plan. His fighter pilot dream, although unrealized, helped to form him into the wonderful husband and father he is today.

What are you doing with your childhood dreams?  How are you adapting these interests to your life today?  Are you using contentment and submission to open yourself up for use by God for His purposes?  If we faithfully assign these childhood-derived interests and talents for use in God’s plan we might just find that these “silly” childhood fantasies were not so silly after all.