I wanted so bad and I tried so hard, but I couldn’t put the life back in his lifeless eye.

Another calf’s heart stopped beneath my hand for the second time in 12 hours.

I hate that. The cow waited patiently offering soft calls to the dying calf.

And there was nothing more I could do.

The eye gets me every time.

It doesn’t get easier.

Nor should it.

Calving started out really good, but the last week has been rough and the weather today and forecasted for next week is hard.

We really, really need the moisture. If we want to be able to keep the cows and raise these calves then we need snow now.

Man, it’s a tough country to live in sometimes. Everyone is pretty tired.

Eyes tell what’s going on. We look at eyes all day long. Do you think that calf is sick? Look at the eyes. Is it alive? Look at the eyes. Does it need to be brought in and warmed up? Look at the eyes. Is it getting enough to eat? Look at the eyes. Obviously, often times there are other signs as well…but the eyes are almost always the first thing we notice.

They say that the eyes are the window to the soul.

Do you know someone who’s eyes are telling you something? Someone that needs you to tell them just the right thing? Someone who needs you to listen? Someone who needs the encouragement to keep trying? Someone that needs Jesus? Someone that needs to be reminded that God cares? Do everything you can to put a spark back into those eyes.

I guess I better head back out. It’s pretty cold out and snowing again… we got one of my calves in the hot box and some eyes to check. Better make sure nothing has drifted away from shelter. Hopefully my gloves were on the furnace long enough to dry out.

Sometimes I wish it wasn’t so hard. But I can’t think of anything else I’d rather be doing, I guess.

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(The calf pictured is alive and well. Two calves had drifted away from shelter and this cow had gone after them. I hauled the one back to the sheds and then went back to make sure these two were on their way.)