For those that might not know, we downsized our life a lottttt and live on 15 acres with my in-laws! It is their property, although they have always said “ours” and made it feel like my home too. And while the plan was to sell our large home and move into this tiny trailer while we renovate another and build outside areas that we wanted for living (for a few years), I can’t help but shake my head and laugh every time something like this happens. Something that glues us a bit deeper to the roots of this ground...that certain something that you grow more fond of each day…that makes it harder and harder to leave. This past week, that “thing” was another family member. Scratch that. Two new family members.
And believe me, as much as I love animals, and as much as it used to be me who would make Tim pull over on a freeway to rescue a turtle, I HAD NO PART IN THIS. I was NOT about to get a goat right now. But isn’t that when some of life’s blessings come about?
You aren’t “wanting” or “needing” them, and they come anyway.
That’s what these silly goats have been to us. The girls have learned how to feed constantly and how to take care of something more delicate than a hairbrush or hammer (they are “country” y’all) and I have been reminded to slow down and make sure I appreciate their childhood even as things with me get a little back to normal. My work life can’t take precedence over their scraped knees or worm buckets. It can come close, and it can cross the same lines some days, but it can’t outshine their moments. Those are theirs and I refuse to forget that. So, here I am, a goat Mom, with two “kids” (whoever came up with the kid reference was SPOT ON) and two human children, too. I’d call it a full house but 1. I am sure Mammaw and Pappaw aren’t done and there will be a pig soon and 2. They are outside now, so it’s not really a full “house” like the first few days and nights where we co-slept with goats in our bed. True Story. True-dang-story.
The girls came up with their own names, “Laura” and “Brownie” but by day two, I had decided Brownie looked and was BENNY and Laura had flat, large ears that looked like a plane coming in for a landing so I said PLANE…JANE (this would later come to be even funnier when my Father In Law called her Mary Jane and it stuck. Her eyes and demeanor…I’ll let you figure that one out). And for the first few days the girls would say, “Mom and Dad will tell you their names are “Laura Jane and Benny Brown…but they’re not“! I realized it was THEIR goats and THEIR names to choose, but to my surprise and delight, the names have stuck with us all.
Laura Jane & Benny Brown(ie) are the two best goats that anyone could ever have! The two best…goats….and we’ll never ever ever leave each other (anyone know that song)?
So here’s to the blessings you don’t see coming that fill your life with a little more joy.
Love y’all!
