Frank J. Buchman

Cowboy • Horseman • Writer

A Second From Here To Eternity

Such a fine thread between now and beyond.

Often we are reminded of that, have expressed about such previously, and again it’s come home with intensity in the past couple weeks.

The phone rang; we hollered: “Answer it, please.” There were only two rings, so we assumed she had.

That awoke us from our late evening nap, we got up and the ring came again. Upon our answer, the cow-manager  in the barn on her high-dollar mobile-phone, panting exasperatingly, shouted: “I need help desperately.”

It seems such a major ordeal for  an old cowboy, stumbling into the cold dark at bedtime, but we hurried as fast as possible, which obviously isn’t too speedy.

“A rodeo was in progress” to put it most simply, when we entered the barn where the cow-manager was doing her best to assist a very uncooperative, but big, bad, mad, black heifer unable to give birth alone.

There were two back-legs showing, but remainder of the calf was nowhere to be seen.  Looking out for our own feelings first, we questioned “Where’s the hired man?” Well, he took the night off, forcing Dad to do a kid’s work.

Never too strong, nor maternally instinctive, we truly tried our best following orders to do this and that, “Watch out, she’ll kill you,” and stronger non-repeatable directives.

Just when the mechanical-assistance-device was in place, the young confused momma would rampage forward as her trying-to-be-helpmates scattered the opposite directions to not be knocked down, ran over, and beat up in the tight-confines of the barn.

Between almost choking herself down and rioting forward when the lariat loosened around her neck, the first-time-momma finally slowed down sufficiently, and after no less than a half-dozen re-hooks, a what-seemed-gigantic baby bull was pulled into this ever-so-cruel world.

Eyes still alert with breathing seeming adequate, as we were ready to release a sigh of relief,  when  instantly: “He’s dead.”  Every known attempt of resuscitation failed.

It is a major economic loss, yet an essential reminder that life and death are just that way.

Reminds us of Jeremiah 21:8: “Behold, I set before you the way of life, and the way of death.”

Fortunately, Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord.”

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