Matthew's Legacy Chapter Two

Something, some unknown sound, woke me that first night. I lay awake, heart racing, trying to figure out where I was and what woke me. A flash of lightening suddenly illuminated the room and with its flash came memories of other storm-riddled nights.

Nights that awakened me and sent me to the barn to check on the roof; pulling one of the bucks out of the mud in a downpour; nights that I lay awake and prayed for the rain to end: nights when the land above us flooded and sent a river of water across our front yard and the night we came home and found that one of those storms had pushed the fence down and we spent an hour trying to repair it and then looking for the baby goats that were in that particular fence and how relived we were when we found our first born buck kid alive and well.

Then came memories of other starlight nights when my husband and I moved our bed under the window so we could watch meteor showers. Nights when we went out in the dead of winter when the moon was full and looked up at God’s handiwork amazed at the vastness and grandeur of it all.

Getting up I went to the window hoping for a glimpse of the storm during the next lightening flash and jumping at the clap of thunder that followed it. It sounded so close, so ominous. I found myself fighting back the tears and the fear that comes during every storm. Not fear of the storm itself, for once I had loved storms and found them beautiful. It was just that in the last ten years I had been through so many storms that resulted in death and destruction that now, when a storm hit, I could feel my stomach clench with the dread of losing something else.

Reaching for my Bible and searched until I reached Psalms 91 where I read:

¹He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. ²I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. ³ Surely he shall deliver thee from thesnare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.⁴ He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.₅ Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;

I thought about our setting hen. Thinking how carefully she tended her young and how gently she folded them under the warmth of her wings, protecting them from harm. Somehow, the thought of God tucking me under his wings in protection felt wonderful.

Tucking my legs under me in the chair I listened to the rain falling outside and wondered what tomorrow would bring. I thought again about the man that drove me here and compared him to my husband, wondering just what had gone wrong in our marriage. Fighting off the self-doubts I always had when I thought of him; I prayed that he was in good health and that he was happy.

Stretching I stood and started to unpack my things, after putting them away I walked to the window and looked out to see that the rain had stopped. Checking the time, I realized that it was early morning. Knowing that I wouldn’t sleep even if I were to lie back down, I straighten the bed and dressed, braided my hair and clipped my scarf over it then I stepped outside and tried to decide what to do.

As I stood, I listened to the stirring of birds, the snort of a horse some distance away, and then I hear a donkey bray. I had to smile at that bray, it made me feel like I was back home listening to the neighbors silly donkey that brayed day and nigh t. I watched as the sky began to lighten from the darkest midnight blue, to a steely blue gray and then the threads of pink and the bluest of blues began to work their way across the heavens. I watched as the last of the bats went to roost then I heard a rooster flap his wings from his perch in a nearby tree and proceed to crow. Slowly, one by one, the ranch began to come alive with morning activities and as I watched I felt a peace steal over me as a deep bubbling of excitement began to well its way up from the recess’s of my soul.

1 O SING unto the LORD a new song: sing unto the LORD, all the earth. 2 Sing unto the LORD, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day. Psalm 96

Reviews

[Wicahpi]

So many things can go wrong in a storm...
Though I enjoy watching nature's fury.
I miss my chickens, my horses ...

nicely written

[Tony]

This is a great read. I am reminded of old Herriot for some reason.
I am also reminded of the miserable morning I carried a newborn calf out of the swamp where her miserable angus of a mother had dropped her.
I guess you know then, how good of an author you are.
I'll have another....