In a Pasture Somewhere
Daddy doesn’t often raise his voice. His words aren’t ever harsh, but he sure can be stern—and he saves that for when little cowboys are in danger. Mostly, if Daddy has something important to say, a lesson that needs to be learned, you’ll go haul hay with him. Hauling hay isn’t hard, and there’s quite a bit of road time if you’re taking it to a far-off pasture. You can’t go very fast, and the radio in the old ranch rig quit working years ago. It’s a pretty good time to talk. Often, he’ll ask questions and offer up advice. He’ll remind you about the words writ- ten in red, and how they’ll always guide you, even when Daddy’s not around. If it’s really important, he might suggest, “Y’all sit outside,” and he’ll let you fiddle with a rock or a piece of hay while he does his best to explain something. His words aren’t particularly eloquent. There’s no beating around the bush, but there is often an analogy pertaining to livestock. He’ll remind you that our Heavenly Father wants to sit and talk with us, too, and that it’s important to make time to listen to what He has to say. And, after Daddy feels you understand, the subject will change, and before you know it you’ll be contemplating the state of the grass and whether it would be a good idea to put a swingset in the backyard. Daddy doesn’t put on a big show of teaching life’s lessons. They get handled like everything else: with a little time and a little care, and most often in a pasture somewhere.