Branding Daze

I hope they always remember these days with as much fondness as I do.

Waking up with the sun, pulling on stiff, cold jeans and dirt crusted boots. Walking out the door with tired eyes and happy hearts. Catching horses in the brisk morning air, the feels and smells of everything so different this early. The horses look sleepy too, and look a little grudgingly at us as we throw our saddles on. 

Listening to the top 20 country countdown as we cruise down the highway, eating our hurried breakfast in the truck, I look in my rear view mirror and see excited little faces, and little voices asking, "Mama when will we be at the branding?"

And, "Can I help nut calves today?"

I love their eagerness, and I know I'll look back on these days as some of the sweetest in my life. 

We pull up to the trap, smells of corral dust and sagebrush invading our senses as we step out of the truck. 

We hear the calves bawling, the air is starting to grow warm, and it's going to be a beautiful day.

Maybe She's a Wildflower

Maybe she's a wildflower,

Growing in the sun and the warm summer rain.

Bright, sweet and lovely, 

Filling our days with joy and love unfeigned.

Maybe she's a wildflower, and maybe she will always be.

Running barefoot through a field, 

Growing up to be just like me 🩷

Intention

Sometimes I look at my precious babies and think...

There's no way I'm the mother God chose for these souls. I fall short, I lose my temper, and I don't always parent with as much intention as I should. And I just know I'm not doing enough. That I HAVE to do better, because of course I do. These babies deserve better, and so do I. God calls me to do better and be better. Improvement and progression is, after all, why we're here. 

But I don't feel pressure from Him to do better the same way you might feel it from the world. The world says, you're not enough. You can't do it all, but you have to anyway. 

Christ tells us that through Him, anything is possible. Anything. So I don't feel pressure. Instead, I feel called. Uplifted. Even carried in my rough moments. We are all called to do better and live with intention in the life God made us for. Not with deadlines or pressure, but with a sure sense of who we are, and because of that, we know we're meant for more. And we can achieve anything, through Christ, after all we can do.

So no, I'm not going to give myself a break because I'm "doing my best". I am not, in fact, living up to what God is calling me to do. 

So this year, what I am called to pursue is intention. Intention behind my thoughts and the words I speak over and to my children. More intention with my time and energy. Leaving behind those things that do not serve my family, because I am the spiritual protector of my family, and I form the culture and atmosphere of my home. 

If you feel exhausted and overwhelmed in motherhood or in life, give it all to the One who pours blessing out upon you. He will lift you up, call you to more, and help you achieve what you never dreamed you could. 

❤️ XO, The Cowboy's Wife