The Rabbit Hunt

Before I post this I must add a word to my readers. As I have said before many of my siblings tell me that my memories aren't accurate or maybe that I exaggerate. I'm not sure if that is true or not but the story that follows is a memory of a time in my early adulthood so it happened years ago. As you read it,if you lived it with me realize that not all the facts may be exactly as you remember them and if you didn't lived it with me, then this is the honest truth of the matter.

Everyone was excited and talking fast as we sat dinner on the table. It was a birthday celebration for Leonard and I so the family was all gathered at Mama and Daddy’s for dinner and cake. Daddy was out of town on a job and wouldn’t be able to join us and we were waiting for my fiance Steve and my brother Leonard to get home so we could serve the meal. They had left early in the morning to go rabbit hunting in the snow covered mountains of Wyoming. My six younger brothers and sisters were excited and anxious to have cake and were starting to protest about waiting so long. We looked at the clock and at the sun setting in the west and assured them it wouldn’t be much longer.
Leonard and I had always shared our birthdays. We were only a year apart and our birthdays were on January 10th& 12th. We were not only close in age, we had shared friends through all our growing up years and now as young adults we continue to run around together. He and Steve met when Len returned from the army and quickly realized that they shared many of the same passions, one was hunting. They loved to go walking through the mountains hunting for small or large game. Today they were hunting for rabbits. The snow fell deep the previous night and they were glad to know that tracking would be easy.
The sun was completely gone now and the night was getting dark. The little ones were complaining about being hungry so we went ahead and fed them. We could feed them now and then have cake when our hunters got home. I could hear my mom and my older brothers talking in the living room. They were discussing how long it would take to drive from where Len and Steve were most likely hunting. I could hear the concern in their voices as they discussed the weather. The temperatures were supposed to drop well below zero tonight and I heard my mom say she would feel much better when they got home.
I helped my mom and my sister-in-law clear away the dishes from the table and clean up the kitchen. The tension in the house was building and everyone was aware of how late it was getting. My oldest brother came into the kitchen and said as calmly as he could, “I think if the boys could get home, they would have been home by now. It is bitter cold outside and it is dangerous to be stranded out there. I think it is time to report them missing.” I felt my heart skip a beat as I weighed my brother words. We had lived in Wyoming long enough to know that the weather could be deadly if you were stuck out in it unprotected. My mom moved to the phone, called the sheriff and said she wanted to report someone missing. The person on the other end of the line asked how long they had been gone and when my mom replied, “Since this morning.” The deputy told her that you couldn’t file a missing persons until they had been gone at least 24hrs. My mom’s voice grew more insistent as she reminded the officer that the temperatures were suppose to drop to 30below zero during the night and if they were without shelter, tomorrow would be too late. They finally agreed to send someone to the house to talk to her. As she hung up the phone I whispered a prayer, “Please God watch over Steve and Len and bring them home safe.”
Mama was telling the little ones that they should go get ready for bed when the deputy arrived at our door. We invited him in and told him about Steve and Len and asked that a search be started. The deputy replied, “They probably just stopped by the bar for a drink on their way home.” “No”! I replied, “They don’t drink and even if they did, it is Len’s birthday and they knew we would all be waiting to celebrate. Something is wrong or they would be home.” The sheriff looked around the room at the concern on everyone’s face and finally agreed to put out a bulletin to keep an eye out for their car and in the morning send out a search plane. My mom cleared her throat and tried to remain calm as she repeated her concern. “It is too cold to wait until morning! They are out there and may be freezing. We need to start the search now.” The deputy looked at her and responded. “If they stayed with the car they will still be alive in the morning and if not, they are already dead.” The words echoed in my ears. I couldn’t believe what he was saying. I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes and my face felt hot. I was sure he was wrong. I knew that God would watch over them and keep them safe. My mom remained insistent and finally the deputy agreed to send one car out to look for them.
My two older brothers decided they would conduct their own search. They had hunted with Len and Steve before and knew some of the area they liked to hunt. Mama made a thermos of coffee and packed some food, and then Charley and Johnny left to start their search. There was nothing else to do but pray and wait. The radio was playing and the weather man reported the temperature as 20 below zero. Mama said, “I’m going to pray the rosary she moved to the bedroom and knelt beside the bed. My sister, sister-in-law and I joined her and we began to pray. “Please Lord keep them safe. Keep them in the car and safe from the extreme cold.” The hours passed slowly, the little ones fell asleep on the couches waiting for word but the adults continued the prayer vigil. The weather man reported the temperature had dropped to 30 below zero, again my mother suggested the rosary and again we all knelt around the bed and prayed.
I thought about what the deputy had said and I knew that it wouldn’t be possible to survive in the extreme temperatures of the night unless they were inside somewhere. I thought about how much I hated the cold and I prayed even harder, “Please Lord keep them safe.” The weather man reported that the wind chill outside was 50 below and warned that you should stay inside because it wasn’t safe to be out. Mama began to cry and then announced that we should all pray. Again, we knelt together and begged God to protect them. How could something so terrible happen on Len’s birthday. This couldn’t be happening. “God please don’t let the night end sad.” I prayed.
The first signs of dawn were painting the sky and we continued our prayers. We hadn’t heard anything from Charley and Johnny or the deputy. The ringing of the phone sent a chill through the room. Would it be good news? Mama answered. It was the sheriff’s office saying they were sending out the search plane now that it was light. “Thank you!” my mom said and hung up the phone. “Let’s pray.” she invited and we returned to the side of the bed and got down on our knees. We had just started praying when the phone rang again. Everyone held their breath as Mama answered the phone a second time. It was Charley. “We have them and they are alright. Call the sheriff and end the search then meet us at the hospital.”
When we arrived at the hospital they were already with the Dr. Their toes were frostbitten but otherwise they were fine. “Thank you God!” I prayed as I entered the ER and hugged Steve. He told us the tale of the previous day and night. “We lost a chain off the tires and then couldn’t get out of the ravine we were in. We tried to dig our way out but once it got dark we knew we were stuck for the night. We were wet from being in the snow all day and cold. We could only run the engine for short periods to conserve the little fuel we had left. Lucky for us, I had your birthday gift in the trunk of the car. It was an electric blanket and we used it to keep warm until Charley and Johnny found us. Leonard kept going to sleep but I would wake him and remind him that you shouldn’t sleep or you might freeze to death.” Leonard laughed, “I told him we might freeze to death anyway and I would rather do it in my sleep.” “When Charley and Johnny finally found us, we were huddled together under the blanket, wishing we had some way to plug it in. When they opened the door and said there was hot coffee and food in the truck Leonard replied, “Shut the door it is cold out there.” So they carried us to the truck.” My sister-in-law responded, “I can’t even count how many rosaries I prayed for you tonight and I’m not Catholic so I don’t even know how to say the rosary but I said them right along with everyone else” Everyone laughed, laughter of relief and of joy.
Steve and I have been married for 37 years now but we haven’t forgotten the lessons learned that January night. We always carry some food and blankets in the car during the winter. We tell someone exactly where we are going when we go hunting or camping. And we end each day thanking God for his constant protection and his never ending love.

Rose Colored Glasses

Rose colored glasses
I have been told by people that know me and love me, that I don’t see the same world as most people. Some say I exaggerate things, others that I fabricate stories and many that I see the world through rose colored glasses. They say I see the world the way I wish it was, instead of how it truly is. I focus on the good in people and try to see their “whys” for the things they do that I disapprove of. Whether that is true or not I don’t know but it got me to thinking…

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if everyone in the world wore rose colored glasses? If all of us look at the best that the world has to offer and saw the strengths in people instead of their short-comings. So many times when someone does something we don’t like we are quick to judge their behavior as bad or evil instead of stopping to look at all the possible reasons for their behavior. We take their actions personally, as if they did it to us and don’t treat it as, merely a random act.

I read a book once called The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz and he talked about creating a better world by all people living according to four agreements.
1. Don’t take things personally
2. Always do your best
3. Be impeccable to your word
4. Don’t make assumptions
After reading the book I thought about how it could change the world if we could all live by those agreements. What if when someone did something that scared us or hurt us we would look for the possible reasons for their actions or better yet what is we asked them about their reasons rather than assuming we already knew them.

I wondered how much industry and economies would prosper if every person that came to work put forth their best effort and felt pride in the job they were doing. Not only would the employees change but also the management would work at being the best, the most understanding, the fairest, the most organized that they were capable of being.

And what a change our world would see if no one uttered a word that would do harm to another person. Not one word of dishonesty. No gossip about another person. No criticism unless it was to that person and was only meant to help them improve the situation. No nation would judge or criticize another, unless they were discussing with that nation what their needs were and were offering assistance to improve a situation. And even then they would allow the other nation the right to choose whether or not to accept their offer of assistance.

And finally what if each of us gave up our claim to mind reading powers and stopped assuming we knew what was in another's mind or heart when they did or said something. What if we went to the source? What if we allowed others the right to make mistakes sometimes and then learn from them without criticizing or making fun of their efforts?

So today I will get up and start my day but first I will put on my rose colored glasses and remind myself to see the world as it could be and look for the best in each person I meet.