Maturity I Guess

by Michele Boy | September 30, 2021

After this paper goes to press I am headed to shear some sheep. Our sheep season didn’t go as planned but we are going to give it one more try and get to Hutchinson this weekend for the Kansas Junior Livestock Show. 

Normally my daughter and I shear the sheep together but she missed too much school after being quarantined because I was sick. And I just can’t pull her from school.

Hutchinson is about a four hour drive. Considering the farthest I have been in a month is across town, I have concerns. 

I guess coffee is the answer - to most of my questions. 

Then after this weekend, sheep season is over for us. 

We talk about cattle, dairy heifer, bucket calf, big beef . But right now I am a day to day woman. 
My hope is we get to Hutch and things go smooth. No flat tires, breakdowns etc. 

But life isn’t like that is it? Life has lots of twists and turns along the way. 

I am grateful through all of this my daughter has learned what’s important and how to roll with things when they don’t go your way. 

Throughout my life I have had so many dreams that I pushed and pursued and tried to force to win, to rise to the top. But that didn’t always work out. 

Mostly my body can’t keep up with my dreams.  And while I am always pushing to learn more on how to strengthen it, I have to give some gratitude for the illnesses I have battled. 

They stopped me from falling too deep into the wrong crowd. They  taught me to slow down and listen for direction from God. 

They taught me humility too.  Illness may not be the thorn in your side. It may be a loss of a loved one, relationships that failed or didn’t work out the way you wanted. 

I saw a preacher talk about how we want mentors in life that we pick.

Often we want to learn what we want from who we want when we want.

But the truth is life hands us lessons with people that make us uncomfortable, relationships we can’t control, dreams that are shattered. 

If I look back on my life I see more failures than victories but if I look at who I was as a person and who I am now, I am proud of the amount I have grown. 

I am not where I want to be yet but I am so far from that young, know-it-all punk who hurt people with my words and my actions. 

I was hurt, I was scarred.  Still am but I have released so much from the start of my journey.

Wherever you are, whoever you are with, whatever you are going through, I pray there is some sunshine or rain, whatever you prefer..

In a dry arid land, a rainy day is celebrated! 

I pray today you see your victories and have peace that whatever you are going through there is a purpose. 

And while my dreams may be on the back burner now, I am alive. I am working toward another goal. I am breathing. 

And as the world seems to get crazier and crazier, I am drawn deeper to Jesus. 

You know the bible verse that says I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I always saw that as I can do anything like marathon running etc. But then maturity says it means I can do the hard things too. 

I don’t like that as much. The kid in me wants the fun stuff.  

But I pray for enough. Enough good times to drink in the joy of life. Enough challenges that I continue to grow. Enough laughter,. Actually I pray boldly for great joys and great laughter. I mean why not, right?