My Uncle Bud and Aunt Jeannette lived about a quarter of a mile away and raised six kids. Their ranch was located on the other side of the Big Ditch, which was used to irrigate pastureland in the summer. Coming from Tabletop Mountain, the icy grip of the current could numb a leg in minutes as it was fed by snowcapped mountain streams. As a child, the water looked incredibly fast moving, wide and treacherous and was the scene of many balking horses as we tried to get them to cross it. We also thought the area around it, known as the six acres, was haunted. We often heard the rustling of wind in the trees, owls hooting and the lonesome cry of a coyote. Add that and the tall tales of our older siblings and cousins and our imagination ran wild!
My cousin Donna, who was a year younger, and I spent a lot of time walking or riding our bicycles back and forth between our two houses. One summer we decided to walk barefoot for no other reason than we read somewhere that certain Indian tribes wore no shoes at all and well, the rest is history. To this day my poor feet have felt the repercussions from that 3-month endeavor.
The Big Ditch was the dividing point between our two places even though it was much closer to Donna’s house. The rushing water that was contained in the covert underneath the wide gravel road, often made us uneasy. The fact that my Geronimo action figure supernaturally lost one of his hands in the ditch when we were playing made us even more afraid! Sometime along his 50-year journey with me, he lost his other hand, too!
Like most country kids, the rise of the moon was our indicator it was time to stop playing and head into the house. More times than not, either Donna or I had to make the trek home on that dusty road. We would accompany each other to the edge of the Big Ditch and watched as the crossing took place. We were blood sisters…. you know…where each person would slice their own wrist and tie up the two hands so that the blood would intermingle with the other, making them bonded for life… Although we were quite intrigued with that idea, in the end I think we decided to just spit in our hands and shake on it to complete the ancient ritual.
Knowing that we were there to watch the other cross the Big Ditch, gave us the courage to put one foot in front of the other. We traveled quickly and when we made it to the other side safely, we turned around and waved, signaling that all was well. We had survived to see yet another day and it settled us down into a good night’s sleep, dreaming of more adventures to come.
Isn’t life easier when we have someone to watch our back? There was not a single thing I could have done if the Geronimo hand eating monster arose out of the numbing, icy waters to snatch Donna along with her hands! But what I did for her, and she for me, was give courage and the comfort of knowing we were there for each other.
Sometimes, God allows us to be put into situations that are uncomfortable and scary. Sometimes we have a spit sister to watch our back and sometimes we aren’t that fortunate. However, God says in Deuteronomy 31:6 (NIV) “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”
It’s simple. God has your back! His hand is upon you and He is by your side and will never leave you. Trust Him completely as you travel the dusty road called life.
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