Friday, May 13, 2005
There's been so much I've been wanting to write about lately that I haven't been able to narrow it down to just one. I guess that just goes to show I'm an "all or nothing" kind of person. Either I get to write it all or I'm not going to write at all. Today, however, I'm going to write. . . for my own self-healing purposes. . . even if it is just about one thing.
About three weeks ago in Primary the children planted seeds and talked about the Resurrection and new life. Afterwards, each of them got to take home their seeds so they could watch them grow. So of course, we ended up with three little cups of dirt and six sunflower seeds. By the middle of the following week we had two plants pushing their way up out of the dirt at a rather amazing speed. Unfortunately, one of the plants seemed stuck and showed no signs of growth. We planted all three cups of dirt anyway and continued to watch and wait.
Meanwhile, our chicks were also growing at an amazing rate and with the help of Grandma Stout, we decided it was time to put a "roosting stick" in their box. Apparently, chickens like to roost and will start trying to do so at three days old. So we bought a big wooden dowel at Walmart and stuck it in their box. The books instructed us to help the chickens get their balance on the stick and then carefully let go, so they can practice roosting on their own, which we did. Lucky caught on right away, but Wilbur and Jack-Jack struggled and jumped right off. We can only assume that in the process, Jack-Jack got his leg hurt. We're not sure what happened, only that the next day as he stood on his leg something wasn't right. His right leg kept twisting behind him and seemed rather painful.
Well, for the past week or so, I've stayed up many late nights trying to help my lil' rooster recover from the accident. I tried splints and physical therapy but always ended up just sitting on the floor in sheer frustration holding the little bird in my lap as he fell asleep. Anyway, a few days ago I noticed that he was no longer able to hold himself up and was sitting in the corner of the box, fluffed up and all alone. (Apparently they do this when they know they are sick.) I prayed more than once that Heavenly Father would just take him home but I guess my answer was always "no." I looked through several books on what to do and most of them said not to bother with a vet (they don't know much about chickens) and that it's best to get rid of sick chickens, sooner than later. We even spent an evening on the internet trying to find an answer. None. So, finally last night I told Mark he had to "take care" of Jack-Jack.
Now, I have to praise my husband for a minute because I know I was putting him in an awful position. I was a total bawling wreck and Mark knew he was about to do away with a bird I had put a lot of time and love into. But, my oh-so-wonderful husband took that bird and did what he needed to do and said all the right things to soothe my crumbling emotions upon his return. There aren't very many husbands that could do what he did and to him, I am very grateful.
Anyway, to make this long story short, this morning as I hurried around the kitchen packing Hunter's lunch and snack and making his breakfast, I took a moment to check on our sunflower plants. They are very long and skinny, like bean plants, and I'm not sure if they need something to climb on or not. Anyway, upon my investigation I discovered that the third set of seeds finally broke through the surface. And my immediate thought was, Jack-Jack is home and he is free with new life. And as pathetic as it sounds, I really believe that. And maybe it's coincidence that those little plants burst forth today, but either way, I think someone, somewhere is telling me that Jack-Jack is home and he's right where he's supposed to be.
  
posted by Shana # 9:37 AM 
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