When Tragedy Strikes

He never saw the tractor.  Didn't see those blond curls bouncing in laughter on grandpa's knee.  It was dusk and by the time he saw the green John Deere it was too late.  It was just an ordinary evening- they weren't doing anything they hadn't done a million times.  People are quick to say "what in the world was he doing driving a tractor without lights in the dark WITH A 5 YEAR OLD ON HIS KNEE?"  But this is farm country and every child around here has been riding a tractor since they were old enough to sit up on daddy's (or grandpa's) knee.  And this particular little girl loved to be by her grandpa's side- helping feed and care for the animals, she was an excellent farmhand.  The best (and the prettiest by far).

 

Now a 19 year old boy has to live with this overwhelming sadness and a family has lost two loved ones.  And around town, you can hear the question being whispered, "Why would God allow this to happen?"

 

But we are all born with the promise of death and these two were no exception.  I will die and you will too and so we must be ready because life could be over in an instant.  Death can be tragic, as in the case of this grandpa and smiling grandbaby; or you could go to sleep tonight, just like the 17 year old down the road, and not wake up the next morning.  In the blink of an eye. 

 

We don't know when it will be our turn, but we do know that God will take this accident- this

tragedy- and do something great with it.  Souls will be saved and lives will be changed; all because of this sweet girl and her papa and their last tractor ride together.

Change

As the weather starts to warm, I find myself knitting less and less with each passing day. After a recent long day, I found myself drawn back to the needles and wondered what to knit. After all, what knitted item could be enjoyed in the heat of a north carolina summer? Then the thought occured to me- what if I had to knit enough sweaters, mittens, hats, scarves, etc. to keep each member of my family warm this winter? What if their warmth relied on my diligence and hard work?

This thought led me to think of other things.  The way we eat, the waste we make, the way we choose convenience over health- all of the struggles one must confront in this modern world.  Our lives have not become busier, so to speak; they have become a tangled mess of running- from this practice to that and from this group to that club- and mama must have a night out alone, yes?  We have crammed so much unnecessary activity into our short lives that necessary activity has been forgotten.  Our ancestors lived by the seasons.  Each season presented a to-do list of its own- planting, producing and preparing food; caring for animals; weaving, knitting, sewing and mending; teaching and preparing our children to follow in our footsteps when we are gone.

 

How can we go back?  Can we stop time from passing us by and grasp hold of a real life?  A life that God intended us to lead?  Can we give back instead of taking away?  How can I make a difference?

 

All of these questions have taken permanent residence in my mind and in my heart, and I have pondered them for quite some time now.  The information is out there, waiting for me to accept it and prepare myself for change.  I am not afraid of change- quite the contrary, actually.  I love change.  What I am afraid of is the effort it will take to gain the knowledge needed, the work it will take to get to where I want to go, and the resistance of my family.  For we have become quite the entitled bunch. 

 

So, where to start?  There are so many issues plaguing my heart, how do I choose just one? 

 

Perhaps the answer can be found in my daily activities.  My morning coffee, for instance.  How can I enjoy it in a responsible way?  How do I choose the best beans- the ones that have been grown in a way that leads to a positive impact on the workers that harvest the beans; how do I purchase them in a way that leads to no waste; what do I put in my coffee to sweeten it that doesn't give me cancer?  And what about the milk that I use?  Milk is expensive, people!!!  Do I buy store brand because it's cheaper?  Or local because it's good for our local economy?  Do I try to find a dairy farmer that will sell it to me straight from the farm?  And how do I know he doesn't mistreat his cows?  Good grief....sounds like I need to buy a cow!

 

These are the thoughts that race through my mind and hold me back from making even a small change.  It's quite overwhelming.  But change must happen.  So, I will take it one day at a time.  Even a miniscule change is still a change, yes?

So, before everything that I do, I will ask myself, how did my great-grandmother take care of her family? And from that, I will gather the information that I need to move in a different direction.  Let's see where it takes me.