The Smell of Manure

One Sunday morning I was listening to BYU and a story was given in talk that I liked so much I found it and would like to share it. This is by Harold W Wood.

On my way to visit the Jameses the other evening, I saw a wheat field that appeared to be greener and talker than the others. Thinking about it for a while, I concluded that occasionally some loving farmer drives over the field with his tractor and pumps manure all over it. I thought, ‘My, it’s just like life. Here we are minding our business, growing our little hearts out. We’re really quite green, somewhat productive, and very sincere. When out of the blue, life deals us a dirty one, and we’re up to our eyebrows in manure.’

We, of course, conclude that life as we know it has just ended and will never be the same again. But one day, when the smell and the shock are gone, we find ourselves greener and more productive than we have ever been. Unfortunately, we are never able to appreciate the sound of the tractor or the smell of the manure.


This week Cory wrecked his truck. He said he blacked out and hit a tree. I can look at that he wasn’t hurt serious, that he didn’t hit anyone. But the truck was total.

Thursday I came home from work and Gary had let the Kirby salesman in the house he came at three and was still here at five when I got home. He told Gary they would clean one room what he did clean was a small area in the living room so I had to finish cleaning the carpets Saturday which wiped me out.

Kaleen had worked with us in the rehab department for five years got a chance to try something new so Friday was her last day; we had a little lunch for her on Friday.

This is just a little of last week.

Rain

We have had some good rain the pass week. I love the smell of rain more so out in the forest. The crisp fresh smell. It washes every thing and gives it a new feeling. I worked with a guy that was in an accident and lost his sense of smell, it is a sense that we take for granted. Sat was a dark and dreary day I told Gary it was a day to make bread and eat beans. I only made bread.

Friday night we went to the RV and St Johns game we held our own most of the game and even got one point ahead, then with 2 minutes left St Johns got the ball and was doing good with driving the ball so Gary and I left then we heard with 60 sec left we made a touch down and won the game. Yea Round Valley!!! Then Sat Gary was watching the BYU and Oklahoma game and BYU won it so it was a good weekend for football.

The leaves are turning on the mountains so that means cold weather is coming, not looking forward to winter.

Random stuff

Here are a few pictures of what we have been doing the last few weeks.
Gretchen had a surprise birthday party for her mother-in-law Pat on Aug 15. She has cancer and going through chemo right now.

The next weekend we stayed home and cleaned. I had bought this saying and put it on our mirror.

Last weekend Aug 23 we went to a pre session Cardinals game. It was fun being in the new stadium.

The Struggle

The Struggle

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly and he kept it. One day a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could, and it could go no further. So to help the poor little butterfly, the man took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon.

The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. The man, however, continued to watch the butterfly. He was certain that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to support the body and thus allow it to contract.

Unfortunately, that never happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never became able to to fly.

The man, in his kindness and haste, did not understand one important point. The restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening are all part of a higher plan. As the butterfly struggles through the tiny opening, fluid is forced from its body into its wings. Once the fluid is in the wings, the butterfly is ready for fight. It is the struggle that enables the butterfly to not only gain its freedom……but also to take flight.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives. If we were to go through our lives without any difficulties, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as we could have been We would never be able to fly!!

Take this story and apply it where you thing it might help. I have seen the results of not letting your children struggle and growing up still asking your 89 year old mother for financial help. There is nothing wrong with your children working, even if it isn’t the glamour job he wants.

New Sign

During one of our spring winds our sign at the store got beaten up. So now we have a new sign as of this week. Smaller but nice and insurance covered it!