he is always near

I went to bed last night at 8:30 and was asleep by 8:31. I set my alarm for 12:30 so I could wake up, put my barn coat on top of my bathrobe, and head out the barn to feed a hungry lamb.

If you're ever looking to add a little something to your life, set your alarm for the middle of the night and go walk around the block. It's quite something. I have to seriously psych myself up because it's cold and quiet and for a girl with an overactive imagination, this could be bad.

But it's not. Truly. Because every single time I have walked out to the barn God has given me a special gift. Every time. And I know he's near. The first gift I felt grateful for was the huge moon we have had this week so that the whole farm is covered in moon shadows. That moon has served as one giant spotlight, lighting up my path, illuminating everything around me.

One night my gift from him was a big owl in our oak tree calling out. The owl who-who-whoooed, and then I who-whoooed back to him. Back and forth we talked and talked. I was certain he was asking me what I was doing up so late. And I was telling him that I'm sort of amazing. He agreed. Another night it was a low sky with stars that hung so bright and huge that I was reminded 'who is man that you are mindful of him?'

One night it was coyotes howling in the distance. I know that sounds unnerving but the cries made for a very pretty song. And I figured at least I knew were far away by their distant barks.

Tonight my special gift was eight deer lit up by the moon, right in the middle of our field. They were amazingly close, looking at me and standing perfectly still. I starred at them in the silence for a long time and they looked back at me...that one lady who comes out for late night walks in her bathrobe, winter boots, pajama pants, barn coat, husband's work gloves, hat with the over-sized pompom and two baby bottles in her hands.

***

When I consider your heavens, 
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?
You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.

You made him ruler over the works of your hands
you put everything under his feet:
all flocks and herds,
and the beasts of the field,
the birds of the air,
and the fish of the sea,
all that swim in the paths of the seas.

O Lord, our Lord, 
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
-Psalm 8