Sarah’s Gift
A GIFT FROM SARAH AND SHAE
A dear friend, Betsy Moore invited me and my granddaughter, Sarah Angelley, to visit her ranch near Lane, Oklahoma. Betsy also brought her granddaughter, Shae Hagans. Sarah and Shae got along really well, fishing, riding a 4 wheeler and a Kawasaki Mule.
On Thursday evening, July 20, 2017, Shae and Sarah whispered and giggled more than usual. They were in and out of the house with a couple of trips to the refrigerator and one rushed swipe at something spilled. Dinner was not on their radar; they wanted Betsy and me to eat fast so they could show us something urgent and important. We weren’t in a hurry, thinking what inspired an 8-year old and an 11-year old probably would not have the same impact on us, i.e., baby birds from a destroyed nest, Smoky the stray cat, wiggly fishing worms, or overheated calves.
So, we sat our wine down and went outside where our chariot awaited: the Mule. Shae drove and Sarah rode shotgun. Betsy and I sat in the back. Shae said, “We have to hurry.”
She drove the Mule to a nearby pasture and stopped next to a large hay round. “You have to crawl to the top,” Sarah urged. Using the seat of the mule for a boost, I was able to crawl up on top of that 7-foot high hay round. Sarah had gone before me and laid a bath towel over the hay so it wouldn’t scratch my legs. I sat on the towel and she sat beside me. “What are we looking at?” I asked.
Eight-year old Sarah swept her right arm in an outward arc, displaying the soft glow of the setting sun. I was humbled and amazed. Betsy and Shae stayed in the Mule, savoring the same experience. The girls offered two glasses of chocolate milk for us to enjoy while we watched the sun set.
The evening lay soft and grey like a silky web on my skin. I breathed in the warm night-mist that smelled of new mown hay, moist earth and moldy leaves. Frogs galumped off in the distance, birds chirruped their evening call, and crickets cried out to a hoped-for mate. Best of all, my precious granddaughter sat beside me enjoying the same sights and sounds, obviously very pleased that she and Shae had planned this for their grandmothers.
We watched the trees standing sentinel on the horizon fade from green to gray, then they disappeared into the darkening sky. I told Sarah what an awesome gift she and Shae had given us and that I would remember that night forever.
Betsy and I thanked the girls for planning and preparing the evening and getting us outside to experience one of God’s most magical gifts, freely given but too often taken for granted — but not that night.