Angels in Hay Season

The girls and I just returned from a mini holiday at Kings Island near Cincinnati. They had never been to Kings Island before. I hadn't been in 22 years. Brian doesn't enjoy Kings Island...AT ALL! He hates the rides, he hates the walking, and he hates the crowds. I, on the other hand, LOVE IT! Going to Kings Island was a family tradition for as long as I can remember. Being from a large family, it was not hard to find enough people to go together and get the reduced "group rate." (My mother reminded me this morning that she remembers paying $6 per person...a far cry from what we paid this week!)

As a kid, the day of that "big event" brought alot of excitement and anticipation. We would all gather at Uncle Paul and Aunt Dee's house early in the morning. The men would squeeze into the front of Uncle Paul's blue pick up truck with the white camper shell. My mom, two or three of my aunts, and a whole passel of cousins would climb in the back where there was a mattress and a cooler full of food. Singing songs and laughing, we would crane our necks to peer out of the camper shell window vents, each of us hoping to be the first "spotter" of the Eiffel Tower. It was always a great deal of fun! We would ride ride ride, eat lunch in the parking lot, take in a show, and ride some more until the sun set and the fireworks began. (Funny, I don't remember the rides home. Probably because we kids would sleep all the way, likely being carried to bed by equally-exhausted parents!)

That trip was always a summer highlight for our family, and I really wanted my kids to experience something akin to it, so Brian and I agreed they deserved a mini vacation. I talked to my best friend Rita (who has 4 children close to our girls' ages), and we made the plans and reservations for a two-day event. In a nutshell, we had a BLAST! Rita, who is not a rider by any stretch of the imagination, followed the two little ones while I took off with the five teenagers. It was so nice for our families to enjoy the time together.

On the flip side however, was the "fun" that Brian had here at home. As the girls and I were leaving Tuesday night, Brian headed out to pick up two wagonloads of hay. While we girls were chill-axing at the resort, Brian and three of his buddies arrived at the field to find only one wagon load of hay ready. They waited about an hour for the 2nd wagon before they headed out. On the way home they had a flat tire...ever try to change a tire under a wobbly load of hay? When they finally got back to the barn and started unloading and stacking, one of the helpers pulled a shoulder muscle. Needless to say, the job didn't get done Tuesday night! Brian was exhausted and frustrated when we talked early Wednesday morning. After I hung up the phone I said a little prayer specifically asking God to aid my husband in his tasks at home.

Thursday morning dawned and I called Brian again. He was trying to figure out how to give riding lessons to five students and unload and stack that hay. Feeling guilty for being away from home when he needed us, I offered to leave the park early enough to be home in time for the girls to instruct the lessons. He insisted we stay and enjoy our time there. "I'll work something out. Don't worry."

I should learn by this point in my life that I don't need to worry when God is in the matter, for "something" did work out, and it was nothing Brian planned. God delivered angels in the bodies of our students' parents! While the girls and I wrapped up our "mini vacation" and Brian instructed students in their riding lessons, three parents and a male student unloaded and stacked hay. And when the final lesson was over, that student and her grandfather stayed to help feed horses. Those acts of kindness were a major blessing to Brian and us girls. Those men and that one little girl performed a labor of love that served us all! Yet again I have been treated to a "God moment" lesson. Yet again, I am humbled to think that His promises were fulfilled in these acts of kindness. "Seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom."