Jen Jeffrey Billington
After off-roading once with my son a few weeks ago, I have mostly enjoyed my Jeep ‘on the road’ taking little excursions here and there.
On Mother’s Day weekend, I wanted to surprise Mama in Chattanooga. She had been commenting on Facebook about my new pup Domino, so I decided to bring him along for her to see. Domino has a special sheepskin pillow, so I placed it in the front seat next to me. He knew that was his spot and he was excited to go on our trip!
This was a real test for my new pup because when I got him he was so small, he really didn’t need a leash to go outside. He pretty much stayed put and he also had not ridden in a car for very long (except to the ranch which is a mile from our house).
Domino is a black and white Maltipoo with a magnificent personality. I knew I would have to have a leash and harness on him when we stopped for a potty break because at almost five months old, he is now more confident to roam around.
My lil’ buddy was the perfect road-trip companion. He let me listen to whatever music I felt like and didn’t mind me singing along with my John Denver CD.
Domino lay on his pillow perfectly content and looking pretty cool. He knew this was a big deal and I could tell by his expressions that he felt very grown up and loved being included.
We had left at 4:00 am while it was still dark so we could have the whole day with Mama. It was just getting light when we stopped in Nashville to potty.
Domino is still a fraidy-cat when it comes to doing his business in the dark. It seems that all the noises out there are magnified and he doesn’t like that! He was able to do his business and did well on the leash and we got back in the Jeep and continued our trip.
As we rolled around Monteagle my ears had that funny feeling so I yawned and that usually helps. Domino started squirming a bit and I wondered if his ears felt funny too.
I exaggerated a few more yawns to try to get him to yawn, but apparently yawning is only contagious for humans. I thought as the sun was out, maybe he was a little warm, so I put air on him and he was comfortable again.
We pulled up to Mama’s house around 9:00 Chattanooga time and she was definitely surprised! I captured it on video and posted it on Facebook making a lot of my friends cry.
We talked for hours and did a lot of catching up. It so happened that in planning a one day trip to Chatty, an opportunity came about which I needed to check out while I was there.
My son Nathan is Dean of Students at Bachman Academy in McDonald and he let me know a while back, that Bachman was making changes in their equine program. We knew this was coming and were hoping for a few good deals on horse tack and possible even a few horses down the road, but I was told they actually needed to place six horses to a new home now.
Six horses for a very good price – it was an opportunity that I knew God put in place, at just the right time where I would be visiting Chattanooga (and after we stopped boarding at our ranch we now had the room).
Grace Reins Ranch has a vision to use horses for therapy. After writing an article on Ginger Brown who runs Spirit Horse at Eagles Rest Ranch in Flintstone, Georgia, I loved the idea of doing that myself one day. She reaches special needs kids and veterans and I have a heart for that as well and also for women who just need more confidence.
I remember how much a horse named Smokey had changed my life and brought me back to ‘myself’ after a painful divorce and helped me to learn leadership skills as well as being assertive and confident. I want other women to experience the same.
We do not have the acreage or means that Ginger and Burton Brown do, but on a small scale, I just knew that God gave us our ranch for a purpose. And, watching the way things have come about – it is nothing that would have ever happened without God’s hand.
As we have prayed, sat patiently when needed and worked hard when able, I have slowly watched the stage being set. Even the fact that my veteran son came to live on the ranch last year and expressed wanting to help veterans… things seem to confirm God’s plans.
First, we slowly let go of boarding clients as we made changes in the direction of the ranch’s goals. Then came repairs and new projects to fit those goals.
We also had to have a four-slat wooden fence put up in sections since that is quite costly, but now we will be seeing that completed in a week or so.
As I looked over the horses, there were definitely four I knew I would take. One colt stud would not be a fit for what we are doing and there was an old horse named Goliath that I would have loved to keep, but I feared at his age, the move itself may stress him too much and he would not live long. He was quite old. But the other four were perfect.
Two sorrel Quarter Horses, “Rocky Top” and “Cinnamon” and a grey Quarter Horse, “Liberty” and the big, black Draft-cross “Cleopatra” will be arriving at Grace Reins on Tuesday!
After seeing Mama and the horses, Domino and I left for home the next morning. He did so well on his road trip! Mama loved seeing him and even getting to ‘babysit’ while I checked out the horses.
Turning on the back roads close to home, I drove slowly taking in the beauty surrounding me and the memories that were made. The joy of making Mama happy and the satisfaction of seeing God working things together just made my heart swell in my chest!
I pulled over to the side of the road to take a few pictures of a beautiful country scene and then I slowly pulled back onto the road.
I saw a mound of what looked like little yellow wildflowers in the middle of the road and just as I straddled my Jeep over the yellow patch, the wildflowers turned into butterflies scattering and fluttering upward!
They weren’t flowers at all! It was an amazing, instantaneous sight to see in my rearview mirror as I passed over them! It was almost like someone tossing up glittering confetti.
Think what you like, but to me, things like that are a romantic gesture from God. A loving gift of beauty just at the right moment designed especially for those who have their eyes opened to see them. Or possibly a sign telling me I am on the right path as I prayed about the horses on the way home.
Oh the early years when my eyes were closed and I made everything so hard. I stayed confused and frazzled as I tried to keep it all together. But in my forties I learned to give up my control, to trust God with every decision and to patiently wait on Him …even if I do not see what is ahead.
And in doing that, the decisions in our lives come about a lot easier, things around us are more beautiful, and we will recognize the gifts in life no matter how small.
jen@jenjeffrey.com