Down and UP

Brent had a very bad day at work yesterday.

Our little corner of Virginia has been receiving alot of rain this spring. It rains in the mornings, or it rains in the afternoons, or sometimes both. Sometimes it follows up with rains at night. This was the case on Thursday night...it rained, again. Brent had closed up the brooder when evening fell, so we were sure everything was all right.

Everything was not alright. What sounded like normal raining, was really flooding. During the night, more water flowed over our bridge than under it, entire fields flowed like rivers, driveways washed out. Everyone is talking about the amount of water, and the damage it did.

When Brent went out to open the brooder and feed our chicks yesterday morning, he found that one of the four stalls had flooded with 5 inches of water. A quarter of our chicks had drowned.

We have lost investments before. Shipping mistakes at the retail store would cost us hundreds of dollars, theft cost thousands, and our retirement stocks have lost alot too. But this is different than just finances. This is life.

When Brent came in to tell me, he was choked up. He was so concerned for what they must have gone through. He said that he kept thinking about Job as he painstakingly removed hundreds of drowned chicks. The part of the story when a man losses all his livestock suddenly made sense to his heart. Brent prayed that he would see this loss through spiritual eyes and learn what lessons God has for him.

Is this why we were supposed to make this complete life change? So that we would learn to deeply feel, through undeniable, tangible lessons. Our days are no longer just about buying, selling, doing, but about feeding, protecting, growing. There is no way to walk through these days asleep.

One thing we feel is thankful. Thankful that, unlike Job, our precious children were safe. Thankful that the rain stopped. Thankful that in the other three stalls, all was just fine...

Dry bedding, warm heaters, clean water, plenty to eat... happy chickens!

After his very difficult day, the kids and I thought Brent could use some encouraging. This seemed like the perfect thing:

What a wonderful movie! While it has enough moments with animated dogs and birds to keep small children happy, it is so much more than that. It is about life. Commitment is encouraged, age is honored, relationships are valued. I wept...twice, it was so beautiful.

A major theme in the movie is to stay positive and to keep living. That was a very good reminder last night.