Timing is everything....

This morning I had the opportunity to sit and visit with our homeless neighbors.  They are temporarily "house-sitting" for another neighbor that lives and works out of state most of the year.  It was good to see them, especially in such positive spirits.  I appreciate the attitude they have taken about starting over, though I am sure they save their moments of despair for each other and not with me.  They are soon to be moving to Springer in a cousin's vacant house, but first the water line and furnace need to be repaired.  There has been an outpouring of assistance, and even the radio is announcing the bank accounts established for people to donate their support to them.  We talked about the paperwork, the lost treasures, and even how to treat gout.  If possible, when they are more settled, they would consider putting an old single wide back on the land to enjoy day trips or overnights in comfortable weather...their own private picnic grounds when life in the "city" gets to be too much.

 

From there I headed in to work.  The sun was already high and warming, and as I approached Rayado, I saw a wonderful sight.  There was a cluster of shapes moving west across the ranch land on the east side of the highway.  I anticipated the cluster, about 8 or 9 deer, would move across the highway, so I slowed and watched them spring up over the barbed wire and prance across the highway to spring up and over the fence on that side.  The deer were really quite beautiful, and it was just plain fun to watch.  The way they can bound over the fence from a standing position is quite remarkable, as I can neither jump that high nor that far from a standing position.  And sure, even a running start wouldn't change things much.

 

It just made me thankful for divine timing.  There is nothing one can do to change one's course in a day to make sure one is in the right place at the right time because we just can't anticipate what we might get to see.  Thomas didn't drop trash at the dumpsters Monday on his way to work, so he stopped on the way home.  From there he watched a pair of bald eagles diving into a field as they hunted for their afternoon snack.  He didn't know when he passed by in the morning that the afternoon stop would be worth the wait.  When I saw the mountain lion and the times I have seen eagles, I didn't know to be at a particular place at a particular time to witness something special.

 
And then I wonder what the good reason could be that I got stuck behind the school bus coming home from work, and not even just the school bus, but behind a slow Texan that was behind the slow school bus.  It took a while for the right opportunity, but I passed them both and was on my way.

Anyway, I ramble, but truly I feel blessed with God's timing to lay things before me, both majestic and mundane.  It is, as I was teaching a few weeks ago, a gift of the Spirit...wonder and awe!