With near-drought conditions here in Oklahoma, our hay crop has been quite low.  We have less than half the hay we need to get through a normal winter. 

While coming back from a trip to purchase some new bulls, we saw a beautiful field of what appeared to be rye grass.  This "just happened to see it" moment was, of course, Divine Coincidence.   After some internet research, we were able to locate a perennial rye grass that grows throughout the winter, thus making up for the lack of hay.  Isn't God good?

As the spiritual application to all this, we've been through a bit of a spiritual drought lately, too.  We've seen so many people we love go through hard, hard seasons filled with many different kinds of grief.  I've been reading about our 'emotional well'

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and realizing that. as the old timers would say, "the well's run dry!"   I had those Holy Spirit 'churnings' in my belly but couldn't really deal with everything due to all that was happening around us. 

Then the opportunity arose.  On Saturday evening, one of our favorite horses gave birth to a filly.  The momma horse prolapsed to the point that no matter what we tried to do for her, it was useless.  She died as we talked to her, prayed over her, and wept and wept and wept.  My husband had gone to meet up with the veterinarian who had medicine for the baby,  the other kids had gone inside to gather more supplies to care for the filly -- so I took that golden opportunity to have a good, old fashioned soul-cleansing cry!  Not just a few tears running down the cheeks, but a gully washer sob fest.  I guess I'd been needing that for a while.

Once that release was obtained, it was time to devote our energies to the new baby.  Feeding every two hours, monitoring urine and feces output, and cleaning up multiple messes on the laundry room floor.  Yes. she is sleeping in the house.  None of the other horses will take her, so she is officially another 'child' in our home....for now. ;)  She is a week old now and has given us a few fearful moments.  Orphaned foals are quite tricky to raise!  Chloe (her name) is also quite the little princess.  She stomps her foot when she's tired of waiting for her bottle, unfolds laundry, 'reorganizes' books and paperwork, grabs the pillows off the couch and swings them in the air, and decided to make her own bottle.  She took the lid off the formula and knocked her bottles into the sink.  Hmmmm.....methinks she is too clever!  She has also joined us in the living room (atop her blanket and special pillow) to watch movies for school.  "He restoreth my soul..."

Isn't it just like God to take the heartaches of this world and turn them into an adventure of blessing, laughter, and focus upon something other than the pain we've been experiencing?  He is so awesome!