My Father

The moon setting behind the house as I left to brand this morning seemed like a sign that everything was right in my world today. I climbed in my pickup and started the engine, as I topped the mesa lookin down on headquarters Willie started to sing... "All my hero's have always been cowboys" and I couldn't help but remember today marked the 1 yr. anv. of my cowboy hero's wreck. Yep Dad had a bad wreck, not a car wreck, the cowboy kinda wreck, where you step on a nice young 3 yr. old colt and before you turn him around he breaks in two. They say he rode him for a few & then tried to shoot for the Moon!! In true cowboy fashion he just wanted help up, to catch his horse and go about the days gatherin. However, after catching said ornery kritter realised a trip into town was probably in order.

Long story short, it took em 4 days to find the break in the hip, pneumonia then set in. Fight with workers comp., fight with Dr. & finally 6 days later got him transferred to repair the hip. New hospital finds blood clots in lung, have to put in screens & stabilize before they can repair. Repair hip & bring him home. Ten days later bleeds out, leg swells 3 times it's normal size, have to reopen and repair. Two weeks later develops swelling and has a staph infection, have to reopen again.. give 6 weeks of iv antibiotics in a port and just ended a yr long round of antibiotics. They tell us it has a strong chance of trying to come back and attack the plate in his hip, but we are rebuking that and standing on word!! Can I get a Amen??

Through this long ordeal I saw my strong, faith driven, spirit filled, tough old cowboy daddy crumble, become weak in health and at times in spirit. I had to lean on my other father during this time and pray my daddy wouldn't be taken from us..... but the Lord has seen us thru this season and we have all done some growing, learned to trust, keep the faith & above all love at all times.



As we left headquarters to trailer down to the pens and we crossed the river Kid Rock was singing to me.... (I know you are thinking Kid Rock? WTH?) the words "It's a matter of salvation from them patience up above,
So don't give up so damn easy on the one you love, one you love
Somewhere you got a brother, sister, friend, grandmother, niece or nephew
Just dying to be with you
You know there's someone out there who unconditionally, religiously, loves you
So just hold on 'cause you know it's true
And if you can take the pain
And you can withstand anything, and one day
Stand hand in hand with the truth
I said amen, I said amen
I said amen, I said amen,
Amen-"

Well at that point I couldn't seem to stop the tears. Tears of rejoicing and praise..... thankful that my father is still here. Still doing what he is so good at and loves, ranching, cowboy'n & spreading the gospel truth to cowboys...... He may not be able to sit as long in the saddle, his loop may not have the zing it once did, he may not have a skip in his step, it is more of a shuffle now, but he can still ride with the best of them!



So as I go to sleep tonight I am thankful for all of the cowboys who prayed, & laid hands, to all of our family, friends and even my facebook family who lifted us up this past year. God is Good & my Father will ride another day to help gather HIS herd!

Blessings & Love,
Kara