Up Close & Personal
Up Close and Personal by Gloria Guest A late spring storm. Rain combined with cold winds. It had been coming down all day and was now almost dark when my son and I turned into the muddy pasture on a rescue mission. Sure enough, there in the headlights stood a mama cow, vainly trying to lick off her new calf as the cold rain beat down upon it. Before I even realized what was happening, my son had jumped out of the cab of the truck. Lifting the calf off of the ground, he hoisted it into the truck, right beside me! The wet, slimy calf bawled his protest, drowning out my arguments. Throwing me a rag, my son then took off on foot into the darkness to check for more baby calves in distress, leaving me alone with the shivering calf; mama cow's bellowing moos too close for comfort as she anxiously circled the truck. Abandoned and without much choice, I preceded to rub the calf with the rag, while at the same time pushing his determined head down, as he kept trying to stand up. This calf seemed perfectly strong and healthy to me! Still, I dried him off as best I could, until finally he lay contently on the seat beside me, while I was the one who was now the slimy mess! I couldn't help but think of all of the messiness that comes with new life. I had been looking forward to seeing the baby calves kicking up their heels in the sunshine, but sometimes to enjoy all that new life brings, we have to also be willing to put up with the blood, sweat and tears. And sometimes, it requires us to be up close and personal and get a little messy ourselves. Many people haven't had a neat and tidy life. Distressing circumstances have left them out in the cold. They need someone to come along side and give them some tender, loving care. Someone who doesn't mind if things get a little messy. Up close and personal; not always the most comfortable experience and sometimes downright messy. But later, as we returned the calf on his wobbly legs to his anxious mother, I felt a sense of satisfaction for a job well done. Up close and personal is always worth it in the end.
Blog URL address : http://gloriaguestblog.mjtimes.sk.ca
