May has come and gone and June is here.  Springtime has come to this prairie, the place where thousands of buffalo or bison used to roam.  I can still find on our land the places that my grandfather pointed out to me as buffalo wallows.  The indentation in the ground is still there.  The bison here weighed from 1800 to 2200 pounds.  When they rolled on their backs in a mud puddle, they packed that ground so that even 100 years later the indentation is still there.  Just three miles from our spot on the prairie thousands of bison were killed in the 19^th and 20^th centuries.  Thankfully, they are being restored in many places.   

Today on the prairie we don’t see the bison roaming free anymore.  The buffalo grass is still covering many acres in this area.  It is the perfect grass for this country.  In this drought it continues to hold the soil to the ground when our winds blow as long as it is not over grazed.  With just a tiny rain the buffalo grass comes to life and greens up and begins to grow.  We are celebrating today as we had almost an inch of rain today.  It has been at least a year since we’ve had an inch of rain.  It was a beautiful sight to see and hear.  Almost immediately the Buffalo grass comes to life and begins to green and grow.  It will provide great nourishment to cow and sheep herds in the area. 

“Cows run away from the storm while the buffalo charges toward it and gets through it quicker. Whenever I’m confronted with a tough challenge, I do not prolong torment, I become the buffalo.”

Wilma Mankiller

Our God, our Creator knew what He was doing when He said this is the right prairie for this grass.  It will do well here and it will sustain the livestock in this region.  I celebrate His wisdom and His creation.  I love to see how He made the tiny hummingbirds to fly and how the neck of a giraffe works.  In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.  (Gen 1:1) Over and over again in Genesis it states “And God saw that it was good.”  (verses 4, 12, 18, 21, 25).  Psalms 104:31 says, “May the glory of the Lord endure forever, may the Lord rejoice in His works.”  In His creation, we see His glory.  And that is worth celebrating.  The firmament proclaims His handiwork.  As it says in Psalm 19. 

“I rejoice in what I have, and I know that fresh new experiences are always ahead. I greet the new with open arms. I trust life to be wonderful.

Louise Hay

Psalms 104:14 says, Thou dost cause the grass to grow for the cattle, and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food from the earth.   

Celebrating means to praise, to extol, to commend; in my online dictionary from 1828. It means to honor or distinguish by ceremonies and marks of joy and respect. The Lord has been speaking to my heart that it is time to celebrate 

This month of May has found us celebrating the high school graduation of two of our grandsons. We are so thankful that these days of celebration were not on the same day and the Farmer Grandpa and I could attend both parties. We are excited to see how these young men will take on life and the great adventure ahead for both of them. Life is just beginning for them. Grandpa writes a Faith Vision or Blessing over each grandchild as they graduate high school. We wrote one for each of them when they were born but Grandpa thinks that as they step into adulthood his desire is to send them off with a blessing from God. He has been able to speak this blessing over four of our grandchildren now. How they are growing up when the Farmer and I are still so young is hard to understand.  

“Celebration has many different outfits, but she always wears the same beautiful dancing shoes.”

Mary Anne Radmacher

These times we live in are ripe for celebration! These are troubling times, but God is with us, He never fails us and He carries us through. My heart can get so grieved and sad as I see things in the world that my grandchildren will have to deal with long after I’m gone. But God has given us a mandate for a good life: “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think on these things.” Phil 4:8 

The God, who can do all things is more than able to help my grandchildren with all the things they will face in life, just as He has directed and assisted the Farmer and I during our lifetime. The God who made the hummingbird and the neck of the giraffe is more than able. The God who made the buffalo grass and the buffalo and taught them to wallow in the mud to protect them from parasites and for just the joy of wallowing, is more than able! This, my God and my Savior, is able to do the impossible.  

“I think what we owe each other is a celebration of life and to replace fear and hopelessness with fearlessness and joy.”

Vandana Shiva

As the Lord has been showing me, it is time to celebrate Him and all He has done for us. Not because He needs our celebration but because we need it. Bring on the cake and ice cream and let us rejoice!