Out Our Way: Round bales

Out our way, we listen to the U.S. meteorological agency, but put our trust in The Farmer's Almanac.  Last year, the "experts" in Washington said it would be a harsh winter but the Almanac said it would be mild. As most of the local ranchers and farmers expected, the Almanac nailed it. This winter, I am told, the winter will be tougher, and old Goliath is very pleased to see the number of round bales being set aside. Even if the winter isn't as bad as some are predicting, its nice to be ready.

Now, as many of you know, I have been attempting to recruit Goliath to help ring bells for the Salvation Army, but he is convinced I will make him wear those reindeer antlers and he flat refuses to consider it. But that doesn't mean he doesn't care.

As he was munching some hay and oats the other day, he looked up and sniffed the wind. Then he said to me, "It's going to snow. Glad I have lots of feed for the winter. Its going to be a tough one." Well, it did snow and we had an inch or so that night as he predicted. But I figure he was just lucky on that one. But maybe not. Maybe it will be a tough winter. Like I say, the round bales have been brought in and make Goliath and Babe feel a little better about this coming cold season.

Goliath doesn't really understand about human resources like grocery stores and even Fed Ex that keep the food supplies coming to many of us all year round, but he does get we all need our own version of the round bales - especially when the Alberta Clippers start blowing. And so he wondered what us folks are doing to get ready. Do we have lots of extra round bales set aside for the dark season?

Well, I assured him many of us have pantries and funds to take care of our needs, but then I recalled why we have the annual Salvation Army Red Kettle drive, and the fire department and others out collecting for the food bank, and the special offerings many are making for the soup kitchen.

These opportunities to help - and the generosity of those who donate to them are - our "round bales."

Christmas is when the big drives that helps support these programs all year round get most of their funding. Just as there is a season for cutting and bailing for the winter seasons, so Christmas is the season when we need to cut and bail and store up for our neighbors in need. The Christmas spirit flows this time of year and hearts are open to being generous. I told Goliath about how when I was ringing bells folks made a special effort to not only put money into the kettle but gave money to their children to do the same. It's pretty amazing to see the generosity and warmth of the season in so many people.

Considering what God has done for us in Christmas it is not surprising that the same spirit flows through all flesh this time of year. Goliath asked me to give a second bag of oats worth of cash to the kettle this year when he realized that our "round bales" are not always as plentiful as his. His brain is only the size of an orange, but his heart ... that's huge! Indeed, as even the Grinch discovered, at Christmas time the heart grows twice its normal size! Thank you all for being the round bales that will make such a difference to so many this winter and beyond!

(John Bruington, Goliath and Scout can be read at havrepres.org along with sermons Bruin Town Tales and various cartoons. The Book  Out Our Way: Theology Under Saddle is available at Amazon.com.)