Ain't That The Way?

Uncle Bubba had a cow that was about to calve, he just knew it because he had a busy couple days lined up. Yet he remained vigilant though it added to his busy schedule; he didn't mind. He rode by her daily on windshield inspection and noticed some telltale signs: a switching tail, kicking at her belly, turning in circles, and other signs of discomfort fall into this category too. Separation from the herd is another sign. No one likes to have a kid with all their friends watching, and cows are no exception.

On Sunday, Bubbie and Sweet Pea went to church and as they arrived home that afternoon they drove up to their homestead to see the cow lying in the field and without a doubt she was definitely in labor. Uncle Bubba dropped Sweet Pea off at the house and then punched the accelerator and darted across the field. As he approached the momma, the calf’s front legs and dark nose were out but it was obvious that momma was having some difficulty. Bubbie didn't hesitate and dove right in. As luck would have it, Sweet Pea had quickly changed her clothes and scampered across the field to witness the birth. Uncle Bubba called to her to hurry because he was going to need her help. He had been pulling at the calf's legs and asked Sweet Pea to take over while he worked on getting the shoulders and then hips out with the contractions. Within a few moments, the calf was born. Momma was exhausted.

She eventually got up with their encouragement and quickly found the calf and started licking it and making momma moo grunts to her. She licked the calf and licked and licked some more. She then found its umbilical cord and snipped it off just at the right length. It was very cool that she knew exactly what to do. Uncle Bubba and Sweet Pea stood and watched in awe and amazement at the miracle of birth and new life. It took a long time for the little girl to get up on those wobbly long stilts of hers, but when they left the barn to come in for supper, she was up and nursing.

It had been a long few days of waiting and wondering so now as they sat at the table reflecting upon the event they smiled contentedly at one another. Just that morning Bubbie had been out checking on the momma cow before the sun had shown its face and a pack of coyotes ran across the back fence line, no doubt awaiting the birth as well. In the dim dawn light, Uncle Bubba reached into the cab of his pickup truck and grabbed his .270. He braced it across the hood and touched off a round with his squinted eye peering through the crosshairs of the scope. The coyotes turned tail and scrambled and disappeared into the woods. In Bubbie's view, ain't that the way that it is? When a good thing is showing up in your life, if we don't guard against it something will come in and snatch it away. How many blessings do we miss because we failed to prepare?