Every so often, I see something completely in reverse.  And it doesn’t make any sense.  It’s like you see the whole sequence of events but nothing registers until you see the last thing, and then all the previous things you saw fall into place.    

It’s almost like I started out in reverse on this little thing I’m writing.

I saw the mama cow running, maybe not for all she was worth, cause mama cows rarely run all out, but running persistently, nonetheless.  I couldn’t figure it out; you can often find little calves cahootsing around, tails up, heels reaching for the sun, but the bigger they get, the slower they move. 

You just don’t see Mama Cows run very often.

The next thing I saw was the angle of her head.  Something seemed off about it.  If a cow is running persistently, like this one, it doesn’t run stretched out with its head cocked with one side tilted up.  Whenever I see them run, it’s usually with their head full up looking things over.

The off angle of her head connected with what I had seen just seconds earlier, and that was a circle of three vultures high up and a little ahead of her.  And I realized she was watching them.

Then my vision tracked backwards, by memory now since I was traveling down the road in the opposite direction.

And I saw a little black huddle, just on the other side of the hill from Mama, and in direct line of sight of the vultures.  And it was so forlorn.  And tired.  And thin.  So newly born, yet so nearly gone.

I hope Mama made it there in time.

This all made sense in reverse but driving by as I was it didn’t make any sense at all, until I saw Mama.

And I think life is a lot like that.  We don’t make sense out of lot of things until we see it in reverse. 

Especially when it comes to Mama.

I look back now, and I see how it all figures together, all that she did for me.

But at the time, it was all just everyday life. 

Now I look back and see the times she came to my aid; she saw the vultures, I didn’t.  She had hills to climb that were betwixt me and her, but it didn’t matter.  She climbed them.

I see backwards and can trace the times my friends came a runnin’ to me when I was down and out.  I realize that they are all good people, every one of them, and would do it again today if there was a need.

These days I see the Mama in this house doing a lot of runnin,’ mostly because of all the wedding hubbub I suppose.  And today, here in this area, will be the first day of school.  I’m sure school wouldn’t even happen if it wouldn’t be for all the mama’s who got up early and made sure their children were ready to go. 

So, what I say to the Mama in this house, I say to all.  These might be the most wearisome years, but they are also the best years.  

And I think that little black huddle is a big strapping calf today, because his mama came a runnin’ and made it there, just in time.

Runnin’ Mama’s everywhere, God bless you.