"Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands........" 1 Thessalonians 4:11

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Out of all guests that we encounter in our life' s journey.........death is the most unwelcome.

 







 
Death comes to us in many ways,........... unannounced......... uninvited..........and always dreaded. We all know that one day, no matter how many precautions we take, no matter how much we have protected our circle, and no matter how much we prepare ourselves for this unwelcome guest..........death has it's way.
 



Over the years, I have come to know death as it has dropped by on the path of my life. The memory of it's visit comes back to me when there is one less guest at our holiday table,..........






when the phone no longer rings for a chat with a friend,





when I open the small cardboard box that sits on a shelf and feel the warm, soft, worn leather of a collar worn by a cherished pet. No matter when death comes and who it decides to take away with it.............I am never graceful about it.

 






Such is the case for yesterday. While I was out and away , death made it's visit. No announcement, no warning, and not giving me a chance to interfere. Coyotes came to the barnyard, dug a hole underneath the fence and took 16 of my chickens. This has happened before...........and it will more than likely happen again.............and it's what is to be expected when living out in the country. My mind knows it............my heart does not want to agree.

 








If it were my wish to be granted, everyone and every thing would be able to live to a wonderful old age, enjoying the blessings of life around them..........then........... when we know that our plate is well over full...........we could simply close our eyes and stay...........asleep.

 




There is a saying I once heard.............

We cannot tell the wind to stop blowing..............






but we can hold onto the One who created the wind.






That is what I have to hang onto on this pathway of my life, until I can find another path to take to better times.



 

23 comments:

Michaele said...

I am so sorry. This happened to me last summer, overnight, 10 layers, gone. It is hard to find any peace in this.

Paula said...

I am SO SORRY, Kathleen...
This news has me bawling because I know that terrible feeling all too well....
I'm praying for peace for your broken heart right now.
((HUGS))

Terra said...

Oh yes, hold on to the hand of the One who created the wind, when death pays a visit. Sorry to hear about your chickens. Could it have been neighbors' dogs running loose?

Vickie said...

Aw, Kathleen, I'm SO sorry to hear about your chickens taken. And so many of them, too! I think some predators are not killing just for eating when that happens like that. There's no reason to take 16 of them. SO sorry! There are alot of chicks and pullets available right now, so I guess you'll get some more. I'd feel terrible if something got to my hens. I'm not foolish enough to think it can't happen to me, too.

Anyway, I'm very sorry to hear about this...

Elaine/Muddling Through said...

No, death is never easy, though it may be a welcome release for some. I am so sorry about your chickens. It truly is like losing part of your family, I know. Praying for you, Kathleen!

lil red hen said...

Oh Kathleen, what a great loss for you! On the farm I see death every day; I'm just back in from feeding calves and found a little one dead. It had tried to get inside a hay ring and got its little legs wrapped around the pipes. And I so agree about things living together in harmony; I know it will be like that someday.

magnoliasntea said...

Kathleen, I'm so sorry about the loss of your chickens. I know exactly how that feels as we lost a lot of ours to a stray dog several years ago. The shock took awhile to get over.

On the other hand, look R you, I'm looking forward to a happy land where that won't happen anymore.

Karen said...

Kathleen, I'm so sorry that you lost your beautiful chickens. It must have been horrible to come home and discover them gone. It's never easy to lose our treasured little critters, I will be thinking of you!

Betty Lou said...

I'm so sorry to hear of the loss of such favored chickens. No matter how small, we are all Gods creatures and we are loved by Him.

Connie said...

Oh Kathleen, this is so sad to hear. I am so sorry about the loss of your chickens. Hugs to you, my friend.

Bev C said...

Hello Kathleen,

That is awful, been there several times until I decided to take the chook pen apart and cement the bottom wire in. Mr Fox can no longer get in.

Happy days.
Bev.xoxo

KathyB. said...

I really know your pain. I have lost whole flocks of ducks, chickens, and even a lamb to coyotes. Always I think of the loss , of the terror the animals felt before killed, and after I am done being angry with the coyotes, I remember this is the way of life when you raise livestock in the country. But it still hurts. I am so sorry to read of this terrible loss Kathleen.

Sherri Farley said...

Very sad for you. Your post was very poetic.

Dreaming of Vintage said...

Sorry about your loss Kathleen!

Mary E.Dadds said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Laughing Orca Ranch said...

Beautiful thoughtful post!
I'm so sorry for your loss. Losing a chicken is just as sad as losing a beloved pet, because they are full of personality.

We have packs of coyotes around here in New Mexico. And they are very bold. What we have done to protect our flocks is build Ft Knox.

When we put in our fences, we doubled them, making them over 6ft high with a 3 foot long 'tail' that lays across the ground at the base. We then, bury that extended section of fence just a few inches under dirt, and then we lay railroad ties on top, towards the end of the extended fence. We line the entire coop this way with the railroad ties and nothing can bury it's way into our coops. If they even attempt it, first they are met with chicken wire fencing, followed by a heavy section of railroad tie.
We also have a motion sensor light beside the coop, too.
And below the gate, we placed buried concrete pavers which prevent critters from trying to dig underneath the gate.

Across the top of our coop we have bird netting to keep out the hawks, owls and eagles, too.

~Lisa

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

Saddened to read of your loss, Kathleen.

Brenda Kay Ledford said...

Oh, no. I'm so sorry about the lose of your chickens. That' just awful. I know you were so sad to lose them. Death is a sad visitor. I lost my Uncle Reuben Ledford last week. He was 85 and passed away with a heart attack. It is so sad when we lose loved ones be it animals or humans. But we have blessed assurance when our loved ones are Christians, that they are at peace in heaven. Blessings to you.

A Colorful World said...

So awful, Kathleen! I know what you mean about the pain, even when we know it is part of life.

The Farmers Daughter said...

Such a heartfelt, full of wisdom post. My eyes filled with tears for all our losses. That's the hardest thing about getting old for me--so many loved ones "leaving" or "gone" that my world is in constant change and sense of loss--and that includes people and pets. I'm so sorry about your chickens. It's a big loss for you. So I'll simply send you. . .
Hugs and Blessings,
Dru

Flat Creek Farm said...

I'm so sorry.. the coyotes have been unrelenting in their howls here at night. They are definitely on the prowl night and day. On this topic, been down that road a few times on different levels.. never easy. This was beautifully written... Hugs to you ♥ -Tammy

The Woodbury's said...

Loss is hard, no matter who, what, or when. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

Stickhorsecowgirls said...

I'm sorry--this happened to my daughter last summer - a predator killed several chickens. Then this fall a friend asked her to keep her chicken til she finished her coop. Unbeknownst to both of them it was sick and my daughter lost ALL her 37 chickens! She and my granddaughter were traumatized by the loss. This past weekend they got a new flock--Granddaughter, Julia, said she didn't know how much she had missed the sounds and antics of the chicks.
Yes, life is capricious it seems, and the only stability is to hold onto the hand of the One who created the wind. It is our only hope and certainty in this life. You said it well.
V