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It is the end of another very hot, sticky day in the midwest. My parents are back from Alaska, so their bodies are going through some drastic changes! Time-wise, sun-wise, and temp-wise. Yikes.
I hear children snoring! Yea!
My oldest has been practicing tight-rope walking all day! How cool is that? I grounded her off the computer for the day after she got a little snarly this morning. She stomped outside lamenting about my poor mothering skills and soon was imbedded in a stack of great picture books I checked out yesterday for my "middle muffin" 7 yr. old. (I've got to get my Excel booklist going, because sometimes I just hit the motherlode.) Anyway, she was headfirst into a book about a girl on a tightrope. I haven't even read it yet, couldn't even tell you the title--but I will if someone wants it. Next thing I know she's hauling rope around the two sycamores in our driveway turn-around. It's a great location. Daddy, the wizard knot-tie-er, was soon called into to advise and assist and she's been on it all day! She was smiling and sweating and had rigged an overhead line to grab if necessary and had a pvc pipe to balance with. I couldn't help but smile and think about homeschooling and creative play and avoiding anything electronic for the remainder of her childhood. She never even mentioned the computer.
It wouldn't be remarkable except that it always happens this way. No matter what, at my house, electronic entertainment equals crabbiness, squabbling, unrest--both physical and emotional. I have said this forever and once my grandma even backed me up on it. She had been at my house for several days (this was at least 4 years ago!) and said she always thought I was nuts for saying that after they watch tv they are hard to deal with, no matter how benign the movie. Well, she finally saw that I was right and she agreed with me! It's still true. We are picky, picky, picky about what our girls watch and play on the computer. IT DOESN'T MATTER.
Last week while DH was out of town, I played some sort of game each night with the two olders. Bedtime was peaceful each night. I was heartened tonight when the eldest (almost 13) asked if we were playing a game tonight. I was glad. She likes it. It bonds all of us. With five years between girls, it helps to keep the common activities flowing.
This week starts intense barn-building at our house and I really just can't believe it. This blessing is so specifically for me, I just can't get over God's specific generosity to me--a girl whose house is messy, who didn't finish college and who can't get her desk cleared for more than an hour. Sometimes I still feel like a teenager, trying to cover all the bases around here! Anyway, the idea that we could have horses is something I could never have seen a little one-income family doing. But my husband and my uncle and my God see something important in this little (not!) foray.
Well, I'm 43 and I still love horses and riding and especially teaching young girls. I love watching their eyes light up. I love watching their confidence blossom. I love watching them overcome. It is magical. Now, thanks to my uncle and my husband, my girls are going to get that chance, and I am going to have the privilege of living it with them, right here on our own place! I can't wait.
I've bought equipment on Ebay. There was even a "horsey" garage sale on our way home from church one day! And here's the kicker--there was one saddle for sale at this garage sale--one. It was a Wintec dressage saddle. Now I had been looking at Wintec dressage saddles on Ebay and there weren't any used ones for under $150, which I just couldn't justify. "Okay Lord, if I'm going to have horses for little homeschool girls to take lessons, I'm going to need to ride them myself to train them. I'm going to need something to sit on. But, I'd really like a dressage saddle. I can't be too greedy. I'll take a Wintec dressage saddle, Lord. That's all I need. I know it's a pretty distinct request, but, that's really what would work for me. Thanks for listening. I hope it's not too selfish."
On the way to church, same old route past several nice horse farms, where they sometimes have shows on Sundays and we watch as we go by. On our way home from church, there's an open horse trailer sitting by the road with tack hanging all over it and a sign for a garage sale. Inside that trailer there is one saddle. Not just an english saddle, not just a Wintec saddle, but one Wintec dressage saddle--but no size or price on it. When the lady came out, I asked her the size and she told me it fit her, so she was sure it would fit me. I asked her how much and she said $50 and another $10 for the wintec girth! Don't tell me God doesn't know the desires of your heart. I don't think I can ever get rid of that saddle. It's a gift from the Lord, just for me.
***More to come*** |
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