From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same, the Lord’s name is to be praised. Psalm 113:3

These morning memories began to surface in my childhood. I couldn’t help laughing, remembering all the antics that used to take place when we grazed our cow. Grazing the cows simply means tending to the animals while they are eating.

As a young girl, I was a daydreamer, so I always had a book handy to read. When it was my turn to graze the cow, I would read and daydream about my book, never really paying much attention to what the cow was doing.

One day while I was supposed to be grazing the cow, I was reading a book that had captivated my attention so much that I didn’t realize the cow was right in front of me. When I looked up, the cow had somehow managed to pin me with her horns! The cow kept moving forward, which forced me to walk backward. Then she lifted her head and tossed me on her head! I was in panic mode, and I screamed out to my sisters. This made the cow nervous, so she started moving fast.

When Lillie Mae saw what happened, she ran to the house to get my mother; Beulah jumped into action. You would have thought she was a cowgirl by how she grabbed the cow’s chain and wrapped it around the pole to stop the cow from running. When the cow stopped running, I fell to the ground and got out of there as fast as possible. When Momma and Lillie Mae reached us, Beulah’s quick thinking saved the day and my life.

My mother asked what happened and how in the world did the cow manage to pick me up with her horns. I said I didn’t know, but my sisters screamed out that I was reading instead of watching the cow. My mother was so grateful that I wasn’t hurt and that she didn’t get mad at me, but my sisters were furious because they were scared.

I have always been a dreamer, but that time nearly cost me my life. We eventually learned to laugh at it; we made fun of how the cow had me on top of her head, how Lillie Mae ran so fast to get momma, and finally, how cowgirl Beulah threw the chain around the pole to save my life. We have great memories that bring joy to us when we are older and need a play-back. Jesus, thank you for our memories and the pleasure of recalling them.

Be blessed in Jesus’ name.

Mary Simmons is a columnist for The Kenbridge-Victoria Dispatch. She can be reached at aboxoflove37@gmail.com.