Greener Pastures
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Dumbfounded.Totally dumbfounded. That is how I feel when I see pictures of burnt cattle, charred wildlife, and read stories of people that have lost their lives to wildfires that raged across multiple states this last week.I am heartbroken for the ranchers, farmers, and people dealing with the aftermath of destruction left behind from the wind and flames. I cannot even begin to imagine the horror of finding livestock burning alive, or the feeling of total helplessness looking upon blackened land and blackened carcasses. I cannot fathom the stench of death, nor the pain of putting one single animal down; much less the thousands of head of animals whose agony ended with a bullet and a hell of a lot of human tears.Ranchers are a resilient breed of people. It isn't an easy life; between Mother Nature, world trade, and market trends, we have learned to keep a soft hand on the reins and our hearts towards the heavens. We rally around each other when things get tough, because it might be our turn next time.National news sources may not care about ranchers losing their homes, their animals, and their livelihoods. The mass of the general public may not rush out to help build fence, haul hay, water, or bedding. And you know what? Life will go on. Ranchers and farmers will come together to seed new crops, to repopulate the land with cattle and other livestock, and to rebuild. They may not be able to see past the overwhelming pain, and emotional damage these fires have caused. They are probably immersing themselves into the work that has to be done right now, because working keeps them busy, and busy keeps them from quitting. Ranchers, farmers, Americans are not quitters. Life may hand us a terrible blow now and again, but we rally. We work together to carry on.I pray that God provides strength to the residents of Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma and Colorado. I pray that He watches over everyone that is donating feed, supplies, food, blood, medicines, labor, and anything else that is needed to help these families move forward. I pray that if you have the ability and the desire to help these folks out, that you don't think twice about it. Send a prayer, share those Facebook updates, keep them in your thoughts. Pray for rain for greener pastures. I know my family and I will be.With Love,Richelle