Change

 

C leverly

H idden

A uspicious

N ever-ending

G rowth

E vents

Good day!  It is I, the Goatmother... Well, former Goatmother...  Well, maybe still a Goatmother...   Of sorts.  But I digress.  Since the passing of our beloved Marigold , there have been many changes.  I don't know about you, but I am not overly fond of that word..  Change.  It seems a bit of a pox. Yet, it is the only constant in life.  Or so they say.  But then they never seem to remember laundry or dishes. Still there you have it.  Change.

After the passing of Marigold, you may remember our dear Watson tried, or maybe didn't try so hard, to be a conduit for Marigold's wise and instructive thoughts from beyond.  I guess she made the afterlife sound a bit too enticing for not long after, Watson joined her. He was followed by Ella and  I  do so hope the great beyond was prepared for her.  Alas, poor Peanut was left all alone.  He refused to even venture out of the barn.  Taking pity, Marigold and Peanut's former Goatfarmer gave us a 'loaner' goat in the form of The Ottoman. (more on this at a later date).  After a period of adjustment, Peanut finally quit butting her all over the place and things settled down to a tenuous calm.  At any rate, this is why I am a former, but still sorta' kinda', Goatmother.

Things weren't too bad until our equally beloved Mighty Quinn developed heart problems.  We managed things for quite awhile, but last Halloween, he too went to join the others.  I imagine the goats are none to happy about this since there are no electric fences across the Rainbow Bridge and the Mighty Quinn is no longer hindered by that fear.   I am quite sure  his natural herding instincts are now in full force and the goats' only hope of respite lies in somehow managing to figure out how to throw a frisbee.

So there you have it.  That dirty little word - Change.  No one likes it, but I guess we need to somehow learn to accept it.  And maybe even laugh about it while we're at it.  In the time since Marigold's passing I have decided two things:  

1) Llfe goes on and we need to look for the good.  As the late Thich Nhat Hahn, Buddhist monk, wrote: "No mud, no lotus".  The beautiful lotus flower blossoms, transcending the tenacious and unforgiving mud from which it grows.  Perhaps, as my wise neighbor says, the lotus flower is always there and we are like the man thirsting but up to his neck in fresh water. Hmmm....

2) Change is simply an acronym for what appears at the beginning of this post - C leverly, H idden, A uspicious, N ever-ending, G rowth, E vents.  Things that occur to challenge us to become better.  To find the joy in our life instead of constantly ruminating over what we think isn't now, or hasn't ever been, right.  Joy is contagious, just like laughter.  If we find it in our life, it will fan out away from us just like ripples on the water.

So stay tuned, please, because I'm Movin' On.