Oak Trees and Tumbleweeds

So I want to tell y’all a story. It’s not based on a true story with a bunch of Hollywood fluff; it’s just an honest, true story. A few years back, I was home on Christmas break from college. As per usual I spent most of my break on the ranch with my dad. It was a cold and drizzly morning, the sun was nowhere to be found and the clouds were socked in. All the cows and their calves had been gathered the day before and were in the field around the corrals that morning. It’s December so all the cows should have calved by now but true to some cows’ fashion, they keep that bun in the oven longer than was originally planned. So the day before, I preg checked the few cows that had yet to calve to see if they were open or if there was a calf getting close to making his/her arrival. Remember this. Side note: for those of you not directly connected to ranching I’m going to let you in on a little secret—things never go according to plan, no matter how hard you try. Back to the cold Decembe

There is nothing more precious, beautiful, or rewarding than an obedient heart. I've been a Christian for the vast majority of my life. I was born into a Christian family, went to church most Sundays growing up, and accepted Christ as my Savior when I was 8 years old. But my walk with Christ hasn't always been on the paved yellow brick road. I've veered to the bumpy shoulder, crossed back across the smooth paved road just to flip across the bar ditch and land upside down in a seemingly empty field where all lost hopes and dreams can be found next to a mess of heartache and sin. It has been said before, and I will gladly say it again, being a Christian isn't easy, it isn't all sunshine and roses. My days get dark and dim just like everyone else's, but one of my favorite qualities of Christ is His unrelenting, reckless love . He never fails to show up and pull us from the wreckage, even when we have lost all hope, even when it seems like we'll never make it

Unpopular opinion below, read about it and my reasoning behind it if you care or if you dare.  I don't want to be taken care of, I want to be supported.   Yep, there I said it. And I'll say it again, I don't want to be taken care of, I want to be supported.  I hear so many people, girls in particular saying they can't wait to meet that one special man and get married so they can be taken care of the rest of their lives. *shutters* Being the strong, independent woman that I am, that just makes my skin crawl. Now I don't say this in a condescending tone, if a girl wants a man to take care of her, good for her! That is her  choice to create the life she  desires. But for me, I speak from experience, I know that a relationship structured on the principle of the man "taking care of me" just won't work. Now this isn't me saying that when I'm sick and down for the count that I don't want a little extra TLC, because I mean come on, we