Promised Land

A tiny answered prayer, snuggled in purple pajamas with feet, is fast asleep in her cozy nest for the night. Echoes of an Irish Lullaby danced in the shadows of our home as I took steps around the creaks in the floor of the only room she's known.

Sitting down after The Little Poky Puppy and The Little Red Hen have been put to bed, my body starts to relax, my heart is full, and all is still.

I close my eyes and can feel the dust of harvest on my skin and can see the fields of gold that surrounded us tonight. I wonder if it's what Heaven will look like.

Does Jesus let the sunshine down on the honeyed fields to give us a little hope for Tomorrow?

Tonight, little chubby cheeks full of applesauce sitting on her Daddy's lap for supper in the outdoors, gave me hope. Hope that whispered prayers don't fall on deaf ears.

In the hush of that big ol' prairie sky, I'll crawl into my own nest, waiting for my husband to come in from the field, I'll say a prayer and drift off. I'm choosing to remember Hope. Those moments, even when they are day after day, and you feel like the skin on your hand is peeled right off from hanging onto that last knot on your rope, remember Hope. Hang onto that golden rope instead and remember there will be another day,take a breath in the knowledge of that fact.









I am linking up here.

Fall

The sun shone today and I soaked up every moment of it. I turned my face towards the ball of heat and took a big breath. I rolled that sunshine up in my hand, placed it in my pocket near my heart, and will save it for a a bleak and snowy day.

The leaves crunched, the kiddo squealed, and I was happy.

A wise lady, who lives a hop, skip and a jump (in prairie distance) away from me talked about what Fall is in Alberta. Drop by her blog home and say howdy! Tell her I sent you...she gives you a good description of what Fall is like in our part of the world.

A Request

Dear Laziness,

You are overwhelming me these days! I know it's cold outside, I know they are calling for snow, but why do you think you should curl up in my home? It seems you have sat in my comfy green chair, with a little hot chocolate and have settled in.

I have projects to finish, a house to clean, and someone needs to teach this kiddo to keep her tongue in her mouth. The poor kid wanders around with her nappy  hanging out begging for a pair of suspenders or something, but gosh, Laziness, here you are trailing behind me, slowing my every step down.

I'm not sure what to do with you, but I'm getting awfully close to making pals with you. I'm thinking it maybe is time to head into hibernation mode. Maybe I could give you a nickname and share a bit of foreign chocolate with you.

Maybe I could call you Relax or Rest and then I'd feel more chummy. Do you think you could come back when everything is canned and all the Fall cleaning is done? There is a neighbour momma around here who seems to be able to do everything, could you go visit her?

Sincerely,

Cheyenne

PS-Do you know how hard it is to type with mittens on? Could you go visit someone in the south and haul some sunshine back up here? I know this is where you insert the eye roll. Thanks a lot, Laziness, I'm just going to call you Lazy from now on, 'cause that's what you deserve!

Road Trip!

Image found here

I've got one for your bucket list: Going To the Sun Highway in Montana.

What can I say? It is the most breathtaking road you will ever take. It is like something out of a National Geographic magazine, without a yellow border around the photos. Law, my eyeballs were almost bugging out of my head, and it wasn't because I was shocked at the fact you pay $15 for a lil bag of coffee at the beginning of the park. No sir, it's because the view of God's finest is comparable to your first dog- a rare beauty.

You do need to be prepared for wall to wall traffic, some construction, and a screaming baby. Oh wait, you don't have a screaming baby?  My hard and fast rule was to never give my kiddo food in her carseat, but gosh, I would've given her the $15 coffee and a Big Mac if I needed too!

This road is only seasonally open, and I don't know if the Chilkoot packers would want to be caught up there in the winter. It cost $25 for entrance to Glacier National Park, but that's for the week, and if you are into fishing, you can fish your heart out in the park. Not bad, considering we pay something like that a day up here in Banff.

If you are anywhere near Montana, or heck, if you aren't anywhere near Montana, set your GPS for this road of wonders and experience it in your lifetime. You need to!

9-11-01

Remembered.

Looking Around

A couple of years ago we visited a dear friend who was working in a children's home, for abused and neglected kids in Gallup, New Mexico. We loaded up our car and traveled almost 23 hours to show love to little brown faces. These children have left tiny fingerprints on my heart.

 Today when I was sorting through one of my drawers I came across a note from one of the sweet girls we met. Where is she today? Is she with her mama?

We often think we need to travel the world to make a difference in some child's life that is hurting, but right smack in the middle of the powerful and wealthy U.S. we saw poverty. When I helped in our own community's little school, there were kids who would show up without lunch-day after day.

My friend Jenn and a couple of the children, hiking through the rocks behind the home.

 Look out your own back window, there is probably a child who could use a smile and a word of encouragement spoken into their little lives. A grin and a "good job" goes a long way!

Remembering Big

Around 100 miles west of our home, across the prairies, into the foothills, and finally in the mountains is where  family history runs deep and my heart lies. Our cows are taken out there in June and pushed up high in the hills to grow fat and sassy. They'll wander down in the fall when it starts to get cool, ready to come home.
  
The range has been in the family for years. My heart grins that my daughter will make her own memories there, and hear about the memories of her family's past.
 
Stories that are vividly remembered and told over and over because history is so important to us. Stories about when her great, great Uncle was riding along with his five year old Bobby, in the bush, they came across a creek and the little guy said, "Dad, what's the name of this creek?" A reply came, "Well, son, don't   you know this is Bobby Creek!"

      
The same Uncle was guiding a televised moose hunt, when they came around a bend, onto a creek bed, and stumbled across a grizzly bear. Faster than you could spit, he was off his horse, rifle in hand, and a bear on the ground. When this hunt was shown on TV, it's the one time mom's family was allowed to stay home from church on Sunday and watch the hunt. To this day, these creeks are still named Bobby Creek and Grizzly Creek.
 
One creek crossing, that's referred to in the family as Wet Socks was aptly named after my Grandpa's  mishap. A hired man found him sitting by the creek, drying out his socks over a little fire, where he'd obviously fallen in while he was out checking cows.
 
One of the best stories of a trick to pull my Dad has passed along to my husband. After a good, heavy wet snow, give a tree a good boot while you're riding by, and the next guy get's covered in snow.
 

My mom grew up riding through the range at a very young age. While her love for these parts grew strong, so did her ability to ride a horse. I heard on a few occasions from my Grandpa how good at riding Mom was.

  

Mom tells stories of my Grandma, bringing five children out in the summer to play and make memories. She cooked huge meals in a little cabin, with no running water or electricity. She would bring her typewriter and sit and clunk away in the beauty of the wild, as there were no extra house chores to do, or people phoning or popping in. 

 
Grandma had an ability to tell stories about  life. She wrote for most national farm magazines,published several books, had stories that were heard over CBC and Drumheller radio, and many recall her hilarious weekly columns for the Red Deer advocate that would include stories about being 'Out West.' Grandma's stories were never exaggerated, our family simply remember's big! I'm blessed beyond belief to continue to pass down these stories, and am  fiercely proud to be a part of this family.