My Life Totally Changed at age Sixteen

My Life Totally Changed at age Sixteen

October 31,  2013

A good day can go bad in a matter of seconds

In the winter of 1956, I lived a day that I would like to take back. I’m sure that almost everyone has a day in their lives that they would like to start over and maybe do some things differently. I had that day and you can’t take it back. When the day is over, you have to live with the consequences of it for your entire life.

My day started out great. It was a warm, winter day, not a cloud in the sky. It was a Saturday, a day out of school. My family lived on a farm and we lived a very primitive life compared to life now days. This particular morning was filled with the normal chores. Feeding the animals, milking cows, and etc. The main job on my agenda was to gather wood to renew the supply for our wood stoves used for cooking and heating our home. My father had found employment in Colorado and I had the responsibility of taking care of the needs of our family. Our primary need that day was to get wood. I prepared by harnessing the horses used to pull the dry trees from the hilltop to our wood storage area.

That day I decided to take my gun with me, thinking I might find a rabbit to help with the evening meal. My father had taught me well on the importance of safety and responsibility of handling a gun. At Christmas time a few days earlier, he had given me the back sights for my 22 rifle. We had spent some time sighting it in on Christmas day. For some reason, we had placed a target on the side of our outhouse.

That particular day I checked the outhouse to make sure it wasn’t occupied, and then stepped back, adjusted the rear sight, and then aimed and shot at the target.I immediately detected a movement inside the building. The shock and realization that I had shot someone, nearly destroyed me. I dropped the gun and ran as fast as I could to the outhouse. I opened the door and there lay my sister! My grief was overwhelming! My whole world had fallen in around me. I yelled to my mother for assistance. She came quickly and as terrified as she was at seeing what had happened, she evaluated the situation and decided that we had to get Kathlyn to the hospital as quickly as possible. 

At that time, there were no telephones or ambulances available. The nearest hospital was about 40 miles away. Everything seemed impossible. 

As we carried her to our old 1948 chevrolet, I could see that the bullet had entered her head at the hairline on the left side of her forehead. She was still alive, but unconscious.My uncle arrived and helped get her into the car. My mother sat in the back seat and held Kathlyn’s head in her lap. Uncle Elmo drove and I collapsed in the passenger seat. My grief was unbelievable. 

The warmth of the day had caused the dirt road to become very muddy and in about a mile out, the car got stuck in the mud. Everything was so desperate and after several tries of getting out, I remembered the horses that I had harnessed earlier at the house. I ran all the way home and climbed on one of the horses and ran all the way back to where I had left the car. During my absence, Elmo had managed to free the car from the mud and had left me. I remember standing there in the middle of that muddy road knowing that only God could help me now. I fell to my knees and poured out my heart to my Father in Heaven, begging for His intervention, pleading for the life of my sister.

Today and every day I give gratitude to my kind Heavenly Father who looked down upon me with mercy. He answered the prayers of a very sad and humble young man and made it possible for me to move on. 

My sister has been a joy to me and she has had a good life. My actions that day put her through some hard trials that I have continually sorrowed for but she never complained or condemned me. Her life has been such a blessing to me.

We can choose what we do on a given day but the consequences of our actions are with us always. My advice to you is to be careful. A careless act can be a part of you forever. You can’t take it back.  

Thank you for reading. This is a very personal story to me, but one that forever changed me. It taught me how fragile life is and to be grateful for every moment you have with your loved ones and to always show that love so when their time comes you will never have to wonder if they knew how you felt about them. 

It is my wish that my stories will have a positive effect on those who read them. 

Taylor Thayne

Autumn is Such a Special Time of Year

October 30, 2013

Fall is my favorite time of year

The hot summer temperatures give way to a touch of frost, just enough to turn the leaves gold, orange, red and brown. The sun reflecting off from the shimmering colors are amazing. I could sit for hours in a trance taking in the beauty of the season.

This is also a very busy time. So much has to be completed on a farm before the snow comes. It’s such a relief to haul the last load of hay from the field to the stackyard. The animals seem happy to be released from their summer pastures to clean up the hay fields. 

Fall is also a time to sell some of the produce and get a little payback from the long hours of labor and expence. It seems there is never quite enough money to go around. Getting paid once each year requires a lot of self control. One would like to go spend some money and celebrate, but it is wise to just catch up on the bills and budget for the coming year. We find ourselves wondering,”Why do we do this?” I guess it must be the quiet, pleasant time in the fall with the beauty of the trees that keep us hanging on for another year. God bless the farmers. They are such an unusual group.

I hope you have caught the feeling of this special time of year and the special people who put food on our tables. I’ve always been a farmer/rancher at heart. I spent my life working  in the construction field. After these many years, my dreams have come true. I have returned to my roots…I don’t know why. Maybe it is the magic of fall.

I enjoy writing stories of my life. It has renewed many memories and awakened me to a talent that I truly enjoy! You too can blog about what you love.

Natural Disasters Make Good Neighbors

Natural Disasters Make Good Neighbors

October 29, 2013

Heifers for South Dakota

My brother, Guy, must look a lot like me. (Poor guy). We have been mistaken for one another for years. I keep telling everyone that I’m the good looking one. This mistaken identity has caused a lot of laughs. Several years ago my brother served as county commissioner. Occasionally, I was stopped by county citizens and complained to about the county streets and roads. Each time I was forced to throw my hands in the air and say “Whoa, you have the wrong person.” However when he is involved in some noteworthy cause, I’m happy to sit back and get his pats on my back. We have had a lot of fun with this confusion.

Last week as I was going about my business, I was inundated with several folks expressing their appreciation for the great act I had supposedly done. I wish that it had been me. I was happy to learn that my brother had performed a great act of kindness. I am proud of him for being so thoughtful and humane.

Several weeks ago a huge blizzard blasted the state of South Dakota. That storm caused unbelievable damage. I’ve seen estimates of hundreds of thousands of cows being killed from the devastation of that terrible storm. Many of the ranchers were put out of business. Nearly all of their animals have been destroyed!

Guy, having felt the pain of their losses, had gone on social media and offered to give a young heifer cow to the cause and had challenged all the farmers and ranchers to do the same. The hearts of many have been touched and the word has spread throughout the western states. Many have rallied to the cause. Farmers and ranchers have donated cattle. Truckers have provided transportation. Businesses  have provided fuel. Individuals have given money. This great movement has been heart rendering. The passion and goodness of people has been amazing.

I’ve always known that I live among wonderful people. They have empathy for those who have lost their life’s work in just a few days .We invite anyone who would like to participate in this endeavor to help the families in South Dakota to get in touch with those listed below.

Your Attitude Can Determine Your Altitude

Your Attitude Can Determine Your Altitude

October 17, 2013

Do the things you fear to do and death of fear is certain.

My life on the farm in my youth gave me the tendency of being very shy. Interaction on a daily basis was always with family members. We seldom traveled away from the farm. That quiet, antisocial environment gave me a lot of comfort but not a lot of experience of interacting in a social way. My reserved life style gave me a lot of discomfort when I started school. I attended grades one through twelve, trying never to become the center of attention, always hoping that someone else would take the lead. My attitude kept me bouncing along the bottom. My flight was so low that my feet was always on the ground. 

During my senior year in high school, it was a custom at that time to be given an aptitude test. The test was used as a tool for the graduating seniors to help direct them on their path of life's occupations. At the conclusion of the test, a student councelor spent some time interpreting the results of the information gathered. I sat in the interview, pretty much being told that I was destined to failure. I was told that I should never strive for a leadership position.

You can imagine how that knowledge could have launched me into a future of thinking that my chances of succeeding in life was slim to none. I'm glad that it made me angry enough that I refused to accept their sentence of life without hope. That aptitude test may have been one of the greatest lessons that I learned from school. I became so determined to not let the results of that test be my lot in life. 

I made every effort to claw and climb out of the introverted station that I had become accustomed to. I put myself into every uncomfortable situation that came my way. I found joy in overcoming defeat. I remember writing a statement in my notebook that said, "Do the things you fear to do and death of fear is certain."

In my quest to accomplish big things, I put my heart and soul into being the best heavy equipment operator that I could be. There was something about climbing up into the seat of a huge piece of earth moving equipment and pulling the throttle back and feeling the adrenalin flow. My attitude gained altitude as the black smoke bellowed skyward. My power from within intensified as the track began to roll forward and the dozer shot into the soil causing it to boil over the top of the blade. Talk about casting off fear and taking on an attitude of power! My altitude changed and the wind under my wings strengthened. Good things happened when I was able to look down from an elevated position.

I experienced literally flying through the air in a backhoe on the Upper Stillwaters dam project. During the building of the dam, one of the designs of excavation was to cut a keyway full length of the dam. The keyway cut high in solid rock abutment at each end of the dam. It became necessary for men to climb ropes hundreds of feet up on the mountain face and with jackhammers and explosives, they began the cut. As the workers cut the keyway downward, they soon made room to lift a small backhoe onto the bench to remove the blasted debris. This was made possible by positioning a crane high on the mountain side and lifting the backhoe even higher onto the excavated shelf. It became my job to climb the ropes up to the backhoe that had been lifted into place. Each night shift, I would climb the ropes and excavate the debris that had been made ready by the day shift blasting crew.

On occasion, it became necessary to lift the backhoe up the excavated face and remove loose rock that could be a danger to those working below. The job soon became routine and doing the thing you fear to do and death of fear is certain. Lifting me and the backhoe high on the mountain face became no big deal. 

One evening as I was performing that procedure,being lifted three hundred feet above the excavated surface, I found myself and the backhoe flying high in the air and bouncing back and forth, like a fish on a line. Fear came home again! I wasn't sure I would make it out alive. Eventually I stopped swinging in the air and in the dark of the night, I hung there. All the lights had gone out and the only sound that I could hear was my heart beating like a drum!  

I called the crane operator on the radio and asked him what had happened. After he had examined the situation, he returned to the radio and informed me that a huge rock had fallen on the cab of the crane truck. I asked if he could get me down. He replied that the crane was operable and that he could. I said, "Do it Now!" That may have been the height of my flight!

I am now flying high in this business and enjoying every minute of it.

Angel Sister

Angel Sister

October 11, 2013

Freda, One of God’s Chosen Ones

Quite often life’s journeys put us in touch with individuals who I’m sure have been given their earthly assignment to serve others. I have had the opportunity to have associated with some such good people. Their attitudes are quite different from most folks. It seems they find their greatest joy in making others happy. This concept is rather foreign to my thinking. I would like to have some of those tendencies and be more alert to other’s needs. Most often I’m beyond the opportunity before I take notice and can only wonder what might have been.

I respect and admire those who have conquered their selfishness and have become selfless in every aspect. Maybe I can receive a little forgiveness if I shine a little light on someone who would never want to be noticed in their service. I’m only making this attempt because I respect her so much and am so grateful for her constant vigilance in caring for our family.

This sweet person is my wife’s sister, Freda. We have spent almost two years worrying about her health. We were shocked to learn that she was diagnosed  with leukemia, and it has been such a heart rendering time for our family. This just can’t be happening to our sweet Freda! She has always been so strong and energetic, always on the move and aware of everyone’s needs. Even though we live nearly 2000 miles apart, she found a way in her service to shorten the distance.

Early on, Freda and Gail began exchanging gifts at Christmas time. For the first few years, it seemed to be a pretty even exchange. Freda and Ken had three boys and we had three boys. Our fourth baby was a little girl and from then on, it wasn’t so fair anymore. Freda was a beautiful seamstress and she enjoyed sewing cute little girlie things. We had four more little girls and Freda’s load got pretty heavy each year at Christmas time when she would make a beautiful dress for Gail and each of our five daughters. Gail had it easy, as Freda’s family was complete after having her three boys. The dressmaking continued for a few years until I said, “Enough!” I’m sure she must have been sewing for 365 days each year.

This example is just one of many selfless projects that Freda had going on simultaneously. There was an older couple, George and Ocie, her neighbors, who lived down the hollow road, that she cared for as if they were her own mom and dad. She cared for their every need and made sure they had groceries and everything they needed. She thought the world of them and they loved her.

Freda brought her aunt Bett, who had alzheimer’s  disease, into her home and faithfully cared for her for years. She was always grateful for that opportunity to care for her Aunt Bett who had been such a kind and giving person herself. Freda always remembered and talked about all the things that Aunt Bett had done for her when she was growing up.

Each time we had the opportunity to visit Freda, I came away totally amazed at the heart and strength she manifested. I thought, “Oh, if I could only be like her!” What a great example she has always been.

After the long siege of medication and chemo, we received hope. We were overjoyed at her recovery. Our many prayers were answered.

This summer, my wife Gail, and her sister Debbie, traveled to West Virginia to visit their sister, Freda. They had such a great time, three sisters together. I would have liked to have been with them, but I was told that this trip was just for the girls. I’m so glad they had that time together.

Again we have received bad news. After a short season of the leukemia being in remission, it is back. Her advice to us is that we are not going to be sad. We are going to celebrate the good times. We are going to find joy in the time we have left. This is the time to prepare and we must leave the rest up to our Lord.

Freda, do you mind if I feel bad a little bit? I have a hard time consoling myself. I don’t want you to ever have pain and suffering. You have taken a lot of pain from our lives. I realize the battle is not over. You have not begun to fight.

I know the angels are heralding her life’s work. I know that Heavenly Father is smiling down upon her. He loves her as we love her.

May God bless you in your fight for life is our prayer.

For those of you visiting my blog, please show your support by leaving a comment and sharing this post. I know that Cancer affects so many people’s lives and just want to rally support for all who feel its devastating affects.

America the Beautiful

America the Beautiful

October 2, 2013

My favorite song! My memories as a child in elementary school have provided me with good feelings of pride and love of my country. I remember each morning the first order of business was to stand beside our desks with our hand over our hearts, looking toward our beautiful flag standing in the corner, pledging allegiance to our flag and our country.

How grateful I am for those days! To this day, my heart leaps in my bosom with pride when I see our American flag. That little two room school house is the root of so many fond memories. I wish that every young child would be given experiences such as that.

I have driven across America the beautiful many times and my excitement never wanes. From the high mountain tops to the expansion plains, I am overwhelmed with the breathtaking beauty.  ”America, America, God shed his grace on thee.”

From my humble childhood, I continue to hang on to these jewels of the past. The message and the greatness of America will not be lost as long as good men will stand up for the principles that established America. I lose my patience with society when our flag and our constitution is trampled upon. Please people, can’t we get back to the basics? Why do I have to see on facebook ads that state, “If you think children should recite the pledge of allegiance to the flag..tap like.” In my mind, this is a must. Children need to know the story of America and it’s people.

America has had it’s struggles and it’s darkest hours have been overcome with the blood of many good men and women. The gratitude must be shared with the youth. How can anyone have a firm foundation that’s needed to be a good citizen of this great country, without feeling the love and respect of where we came from? You get those feelings from good teachers planting the seed of gratitude into the fertile minds and hearts of our children.

I love America and I’m concerned that enemies of our way of life are entering in and subverting the principles our country was founded upon. We can’t let this happen. We lose our liberties and identities by good men standing by and allowing bad things to happen.The process shouldn’t be that difficult. We just need to get back to the basics. If patriotism could be planted in the hearts of children in my day, I see no reason why it can’t be a part of the curriculum today.

“…And crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea”.