Flying lessons

I want to tell you a story.
I have had to put it off because I am in a bit of pain, and it hurts to sit for any length of time, but I must get it out of my brain, so it will let me be!

I will begin with this....
Saturday evening after baths were taken and prayers were said; when it was dark and the clock said it was way past a reasonable bedtime, my daughter approached me.
She stood bravely right in front of me with her beautiful blond head tilted to the floor.
As she raised her chin to look at me, her eyes peeked out above her glasses and they were moist with fresh tears.
With a bit of a tremor in her voice, with joy and unsurpassed love in her eyes, her voice quivered as she told me with great sincerity..."You really were my hero today mom, thank you!"

Don't worry, I held it together as I scooped her into a big hug and relished holding on to my little girl, who is growing too fast for my comfort.
What led her to say this?
Well, that is what I was gonna tell you next!
My baby girl and I had the opportunity to be out at our friends ranch again. We were having a time of celebrating living in Texas with some folks from my husbands work!
Part of the splendor of a Texas ranch is the horses.
What grand beasts, who can carry you on their backs with no hesitation at all.

My girl and I jumped at the opportunity to climb on the broad back of a spunky gray horse, who was saddled up ready for walks around the field.
I was pretty proud of being able to haul my own self up there without a boost from below!! My legs are definitely stronger, due largely to my vigorous workout regime and partner in that! (thanks Shelbster!)
I set my camera on automatic and handed it to my dear husband, who was able to point and shoot some pretty cute pics of my baby and I!!



As we got a little farther out I began to get nervous having my child behind me, not really knowing where she was in relation to me or the horse.

It was especially unnerving when the horse began a trot, and my girl started bouncing!

We circled around and came to a stop.
I asked Mr. Nathan (the owner of said Ranch and said gray mare!!hee hee) if he would swing my girl around to the front, so I could hold on to her better as we walked around.
He easily whipped her off of the back and right back on again, in the front this time.
She settled firmly in the space between me and the saddle horn. I felt much better about where she was, so we turned the horse and began another circle around the field.
I was expecting to do exactly what we had done before.
A gentle swaying walk, heading into a bumpy trot, then slowing back to a walk again.
I feel like I gave the horse all of the same directions as I had before, but she heard something very different. We most assuredly had a communication problem!
This time when I gave her a "come on let's go", it went more like this...
Walk, walk, walk, walk, trot, tro...gallop!!!

Oh, my friends, she laid into that gallop with fervor!
My mind emptied completely of
every.
Single.
Thing.
Except, figuring out how I was going to protect my girl.
Nothing in the whole world mattered to me at that moment in time.
It seemed as though the birds stopped their singing and the wind stopped its blowing.
Nothing moved, no one breathed.
All was quiet and still despite our pounding run.
I gripped my daughter tightly with my weaker left arm, drawing her in as close as I could to help cushion some of the bouncing.
With my right arm I desperately tried to draw in the reins of the horse, as best as I knew how.
I was wishing this horse responded like the brake pedal on my van, where the more you push the more it slows, gradually!
I probably could have pulled in quite a bit harder, but had a great fear of a sudden stop, where the both of us when shooting up over the top of the horse, thereby causing great injury to my little passenger.
Of course the other option flashed across my mind as well.
You know the one where the horse rears up and we both get tangled in a mess of stirrups and saddle.
Neither was a viable option for me, so on we went...staying atop this horse by sheer will and determination.

We kept plowing mercilessly ahead, with no sign of stopping and no control of the horse.
It happened so fast. Just seconds from a nice calm walk to a full out run.
I began to panic as I wondered what to do to keep my child safe.
Where would we stop?
Just where was this horse going to go with only a fence in front of us?
Well, a fence and a handful of children and their parents, whose attention were also now divided between the running horse and their little ones.
I grabbed my baby tighter and tried even harder to bring in the reins in a way that seemed firm but not harsh!
The next few seconds are a complete blur. I remember being on the horse with everything moving in slow motion. My brain struggling to click away on solutions.
The next thing I notice is Mr. Nathan suddenly making a dash to run right in front of this mass of uncontrolled horseflesh.
I figure he must have seen us begin to come off of the horse to the left and he jumped at us, which caused the horse to turn a bit away from the other families and dump us off completely.
Somehow, I held on to my girl as we plummeted off of that horse.
I felt us whirl as we rolled over midair, so that we landed on our backs, my baby desperately grasped in my left arm.
Mr Nathan managed to position himself beneath the right portion of my body, and I felt us thud down to the ground together, the three of us.
Uggghhhhh, Baaammm, bounce, skid!
I remember the feel of the dirt and sand as it rucked through my blue jeans, filling up my pockets and making contact with the bare skin beneath my shirt.

I felt Mr. Nathan pull himself from beneath my shoulder and I felt someone lift my daughter out of my arm as I laid there in shock, try to get my bearings.
I tend to get very quiet in a disastrous moment as I take stock of all the different parts of my body and how they are reacting to the trauma.
For a minute there all I could think, as I laid there seemingly paralyzed, was that my shirt had come up over the top of my jeans and my tummy was probably showing!!!
A bit of vanity, mixed with a bit of modesty!

I finally managed to move my legs around a bit and with help, hauled myself up into a standing position. I could already feel the pain settling in my lower back and left hip where I had come down hardest. People were dusting me off and I felt the sand running down my neck as it fell from my hair.
My daughter had a tiny scratch on her bitty little pinky finger, but was otherwise unharmed.
( I had a feeling, she would show up with some soreness in the next day or two as the adrenaline wore off. She ended up claiming the most hurt in her tush!)
Everyone gathered about to check on our progress and proclaim their account of what happened.
My daughter heard over and over again that I was her hero, clasping her to me as we shot off of that horse.
She did a little dance as well, saying in a sing-song voice, you are my hero mom!!!

As the day went on and I began to settle into my injuries, my daughter came to see that I had really been hurt.
The injury I incurred, in part, saved her from feeling the same.
I tried to press on for awhile, indulging in taking a few pictures despite the pain.
I hadn't come all that way to just get injured and leave. There were baby horses there that needed their picture taken.
Just look at how they have grown!





I ended up having someone drive me home in my own car, for safety sake.

My kids and my husband and I gathered about for prayer time and rehashed the days events. We talked about how fear should not control your life.
How accidents happen all the time, and that we should show good judgment in choosing our actions, but not live a limited life because of irrational fears.
We talked about Mr. Nathan, seeing this potential for disaster and his willingness to jump in to help cushion our fall.
We took time to thank our God that this was a minor event with manageable consequences. We thanked him for the beauty of our land and his creation of such wonderful things as horses.
We celebrated again that mom could be the hero of the day, to protect her baby.
We laughed a lot!
I hugged each of my children goodnight, while laying prone on the couch...too sore to do much more than raise an arm to bring them in a bit. I may have moaned some too!

I slowly and carefully made my way down the stairs to get another icepack and try to veg awhile.
When I came out of the kitchen, my daughter was standing there.
Her chin down, her little seven year old body in her turquoise pajamas that should have gone in the give away pile last year. Her hair freshly washed and dried.
She tipped up her chin and looked at me over the rims of her glasses.
This was like no look I have EVER gotten from my girl.
Something clicked in her mind, and she understood my love for her which led to my actions.

I cannot help by think of God, and his son.
I cannot help but imagine that he desires that desperate look of love from us.
Can you look over the rims of your glasses at our God?
Can you, with misty eyes, truly understand and be thankful to him for his sacrifice?
The biggest sacrifice ever given.
All for you, and me.

I think I am finally getting it!
I think he is filling my life with blessings and circumstances that give me a greater understanding of his awesome love for us.
And that is why I had to share that story with you today!


BTW, both my doctor and my chiropractor say I am gonna be just fine, and I tend to believe 'em!!