Of Lost shoes and Bull-Thistle.

It amazes me at how God can use something we despise to guide us to what we are asking for. Let me share this   little story.
  Thursday, as Ben was having a good time playing hard with Levi, he threw one of his front shoes, a-typical for the poor guy. Now, this doesn't sound like much until you think about trying to FIND a mud-covered horse shoe in a pasture that's about 1-1/12 acre, AND you only have about a half-hour before you have to come in for a piano lesson, after which it will be too dark to find anything! Not a very nice outlook of finding a shoe that night.
  So, thinking that I actually knew where he lost it, I headed out confidently and started searching that spot. It wasn't there..... So, I searched a larger spot; still no shoe. At this point I knew I needed to head in and figured I better call the farrier to come out so I could get a new shoe. I figured if I left it out overnight it would get buried in the mud and I would never find. It's happened before!
  As I started to come back up to the barn, I prayed. I just wanted to find the shoe. As I continued toward the barn I glanced back behind me. I stopped. There in the grass under the opposite fence line (My pasture is long and narrow) I saw something silverish-gray and somewhat horseshoed shaped. "Thank You Lord," I prayed! I half-ran over to it and started slowing down. My "lost-shoe" was a bull-thistle.-- Stupid thing anyway! Why on earth did God make a bull-thistle? What purpose is in it? -- Thoughts like that were going through my brain as I turned around. And then I looked with amazement. There in the grass about two feet from the hated bull-thistle was my horse shoe, half buried in the mud in a way that it would have taken me hours to find it if it hadn't gotten buried before hand.
   If it hadn't been for that bull-thistle that I thought was my horse shoe, I might have never found my shoe, let alone found it so quickly. It reminded me of the fact that sometimes God uses trials and "bull-thistles" in our lives to help us find what we are praying for. So, next time you see a bull-thistle, thank God for them. Maybe they will help you find your "sought-after" someday!!

~Becca and Boys~

Happy Mother's Day!!

Mothering is a wonderful thing. From watching a mare love and care for her foal to watching a mother cherish and raise her child, you know that motherhood is a heavenly assigned job. We women are the lucky ones to be able to be the mothers of the next generation. Prov. 31 says this about good mothers: "...and her children shall rise up and call her blessed."
  Well, here is my chance to "rise up" and "call" my mother "blessed."
My mother is a wonderful woman. She has shown me what true femininity is; what true strength is; and where true strength and femininity (yes, those two words do go together) comes from, the Lord Jesus Christ.
  I have this to say to anyone who down-plays the wonderful job of at-home motherhood. My Mom was a cook, nurse, teacher, biblical counselor, coach, psychiatrist, chauffeur, encourager, and the one I always knew,and still know, I could go to anytime, anywhere. You tell me of any other career that covers all of that in one day!
I look forward to one day, hopefully, being the "Mom" of my own children. And if/when that time comes, I will look back at what my Mom has taught me. I am sooo glad that God gave me such a wonderful woman to call mother, and friend.

Well, it's getting late. May God bless all of you mothers out there. Goodnight.

~Becca and Boys~

Spring has sprung? Not Really....

Happy May Day!!
  Spring is coming slowly but I am very glad that we aren't getting the horrible weather that our southern friends were unfortunate to receive. It was spitting snow today but no accumulation!!
  Ben got his spring shoes on this past Friday and so this last week I was able to drive/ride him several times. NO lameness! Praise the Lord! I am excited for show season which is starting in about two weeks. On May 15, Ben and I have a 4-H safety clinic we are hosting with our friend Katie Brown. I am going over simple farrier basics and Ben is going to be my model. I am excited for it. Then on May 21, Ben and Levi and I have our first show of the year!! So far, Levi is not yet gelded as the weather has not cooperated enough.....maybe I will be showing a yearling STUD colt? That would be interesting!! :)
    The pastures are not growing very well as it's been WAY too cold. The horses are keeping what little bit of grass that's growing nipped right down....They are tired of the hay, too.

Welll, God Bless to you all!! May the Lord keep you and bless you.

~Becca and Boys~