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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS (Don't write about the song) (04/16/15)
From Goats to Grace



I was ready to succumb to despair that evening. It was pouring rain, thunder rumbled, and the herd of dairy goats was running free in the field, straight for our neighbors' corn! No matter what I did I could not convince my seventeen Sannan beauty queens to abandon their desperate efforts and return to the dry barn. I was getting soaked to the skin and the storm was intensifying.

Grain had failed to coax them back, and the boarder collie was even worse. My daughter, Andrea, was with her dad in Connecticut that weekend, where a dairy farm was selling out and we hoped to get some more breeding stock. But I didn't care at that point; I needed Andrea or Carl here to help. The goats were now freaking out because of the storm, but they wouldn't go back to the barn. Instead, half the herd continued pursuing the corn patch, and the other half was headed straight for the river.

Okay, I told myself, think. You have to decide which half you want to save. I was standing there in the middle of a hoof-trodden, wet, muddy field, watching my beloved girls running away, on a high speed chase for my neighbors' field. Why hadn't I double checked the lock on the barn's back door?

As I started walking again, I heard a voice say, “They're acting just like you.”

I stopped. Like me? I don't rob my neighbors' fields, I don't go out in the pouring rain, I don't . . . but I do runaway, don't I Lord? In that moment, I realized they were acting like me. I had been running from God in the simple things and here I was paying for it, not just in the goats running away, but in other things in my life. I was probably the most ungrateful person I knew. Always needing more, always fighting for more, always yearning for more – just like the goats.

Stop it, Sandy! I scolded myself. Look at what you have for once instead of pining for what you don't.

I had the most wonderful husband, the most caring, loyal daughter. A beautiful dairy farm, a gorgeous view which we looked out over. Most of all, I had God. And despite all my mistakes, He loved me – just as I was. I was so blessed in so many ways. Why hadn't I taken the time to see that?

And in that flooding field, I made up my mind to one thing that would shape the rest of my life. I made up my mind to thank God for the small things. The things that many, perhaps, would take for granted – even the runaway goats. A beautiful, peace-filled grace flooded my heart. The grace of God's abundant blessing.

As I watched the goats suddenly come to a stop as the next door farm owners appeared to return the herd, I felt a wet nose touch my hand. Turning around, I saw Lily standing there. She was a first freshener and probably the sweetest goat I'd ever met. Her big eyes seemed to be saying, “Look at me! I didn't run away, now did I?”

Laughing, I ran to catch up with the neighbors and the goats to get everyone back into the barn. This time, I would remember to latch the door . . . right?
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This article has been read 684 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
Ashley Rowland
04/23/15
I enjoyed your article.

Although I haven't been around many goats, the picture you painted reminded me an awful lot of horses. I could picture myself right there with you in the rain, frustrated and overwhelmed.

I also liked your transitions from goat herding to introspection. It seemed to flow really well, and the parallels were insightful.

Not sure if you just missed them or haven't figured out the italics. Someone had to tell me how to do those. I would suggest putting thoughts in italics, which if you've read your whole life like most of us have, you know. The problem is probably knowing how. Just put before whatever you want to italicize and after. There's a post somewhere that has more codes for other things like if you want something bolded (I can't remember those) that you can search. I hope that helps.

God bless and great job!

Ashley Rowland
04/23/15
Oops. It just italicized the text instead of showing you what I was talking about. Duh.

Let's try this again. Hopefully this will work. :)

Put this before:
Put this after:
Ashley Rowland
04/23/15
Good grief.

It's spaced out. Put it together. If this doesn't work and you need to know how to do it, I suppose you can search for the post that talks about it. Or ask again. :) Someone smarter could probably get it right.

Before: < I >
After: < / I >
C D Swanson 
04/23/15
I loved this entire piece! Well done for bringing the topic to life in a powerful way.

God bless~
Ingrid Forsberg
04/24/15
I liked reading your article. I think in pictures and I saw the goats. Your story got your message across to me. And you know what? In my mind I can still see those goats, and you, in the rain. So that means I won't have trouble remembering your article. Tell more stories. I bet you have a few.
Loni Bowden-Horn 
04/24/15
This story had a nice flow. I could picture the goats running willy nilly as you chased them. One the goats listened. I could see how these goat were like humans whenmost of us fail to listen to God.
Amy Gaudette 
04/25/15
An entertaining as well as a great teaching story. It flowed well and I could see it all. Thank you for sharing it!
Toni Babcock 
04/25/15
I love goats - they are so adorable. Loved your story.
Shann Hall-LochmannVanBennekom 
04/26/15
This is a great piece. It has everything, a conflict right out of the box, a great inner dialog, relatable MC, and a lovely message.

You may want to double check some of your comma rules. I still need to look them up at times. Jan's Writing Basics on the message boards has a list of great resources, including the one I use for punctuation. Also the html code for italics, bold, and underline or on the forums FAQ.

You nailed the topic. I love your subtle humor. Your ending was great too. The resolution left me with a smile.
Richard Hicks
04/30/15
This is a beautifully woven story that touched my heart. I could not stop reading it. It really made me think of my own life and to remember the little things to be thankful for. Thanks for blessing us with your writing.
Shann Hall-LochmannVanBennekom 
05/01/15
Congratulations on ranking 9th in your level. The highest rankings can be found on the message boards.
http://www.faithwriters.com/Boards/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=55&t=39298