Planning a day away, living with a smile

Mama and I were out early again today. We headed to Wichita Falls to pick up the metal for the goat barn and well house. The people there were so much nicer than the people at the Metal Mart in Ponder, which is only a half hour away. It took longer to load than I had anticipate because as the load was being set on our trailer the guy helping us thought something was not right.

He started counting everything in the order - it was a big one. As he progressed he discovered that we were short several pieces of one particular length. How he was able to see that is beyond me. Have you ever counted sheets of metal stacked together? It is not a simple task. For him to notice that the order might be short was impressive…and far better to have caught it there than to end up short as we installed the metal. Especially since the missing pieces were for the upper roof of the barn.

Mama and I stopped at Sam’s after we had the metal loaded. It was directly on the way home and we did need a few things - although they did not have one of the items that was on the top of her list. We went in with a list of two items and came out with $108 worth of items. I can’t fault Mama. Part of that was my fault.

Mama and I will be leaving early tomorrow for Chappell Hill to see Dad. My sister Martha , our primary contact with Dad, tells us that he is settling in well at the mental care unit where he is being housed. I am not sure what to expect when we get there but we will make the most of whatever interaction we can get.

Although he cannot remember our names, he recognizes Mama and me and Mom used to say that he seemed especially glad to see me when we got the chance to come. Whether that holds true or not, he is still my Dad and one day, not very long from now, he will have a perfect mind. That hope sustained him for years and, thankfully, he passed that hope on to me.

Grandma and Grandpa will be staying here through the day Friday and on into Saturday. Mama is very worried about her animals - especially getting them sufficient water in this heat. But I think Grandpa is up to that challenge; even if it involves feeding our bottle baby goats three times per day. ((We have learned to put out fresh feed for the bigger goats each time we feed the bottle babies. (It is part of the training the goats are putting us through.)That way we have less spoilage because they will not eat food that has gotten wet - even with dew  - or has sat out too long.))

But just to make certain that everyone is cared for we will do the morning rounds, fill the bird feeders and the hummingbird feeders, give the cows a fresh round bale of hay and write out specific instructions for them to follow for the chickens, pigs, goats and dogs.

Secretly ,Mama is worried for the dogs that normally spend their days inside - not a routine Grandma is content to follow. So we will fill waterers and put them in shaded spots outside the house and hope for the best.

This life is fun to live day to day, but it is difficult to leave even for a day. Most of us have discovered that when there is pleasure in a task, it seems easier to do. I was told by an elderly gentleman years ago, “If you want to go through life with a smile on your face, a smile in your heart, start off with a smile and look for ways to keep it there.”

Can’t find a reason to smile? Look for someone who needs your help and help  them. 

The bigger smiles come not from having joy but from sharing it.