Today, we witnessed a magnificent example of the power of community, and I want to give credit where credit is due, but also share from a first-hand example, just why it is important to be able to have community. So, to begin, thank you to all of our neighbors, friends and strangers alike, who helped us out today.

A few months ago, it was decided that my brother would raise some cattle on our land. We have a large field we’ve always wanted to utilize for grazing animals, and cows have always been the goal, but it was an endeavor we still, after 10+ years of homesteading, did not feel ready to undertake. But since somebody else wanted to do the work, we said we’d put up the fencing and let them use the land for the next few years at least. We’d help as needed, but the responsibility was on somebody else’s shoulders. Fast-forward to yesterday… research was done, preparations were made, and the day of pickup arrived. The calves went into a smaller paddock within the larger perimeter fence, but within 30 minutes, they breeched the paddock. Thankfully, they stayed within the perimeter, and we were able to get them back in the paddock, and they remained there until this morning.

I woke up early this morning to serve as sacristan at our parish for Mass today, and when I woke, I could see the girls still within the paddock. When I left over an hour later, they were still content within the paddock. When the rest of the family arrived, one of our boys informed me that the girls had breeched the paddock again, but were still in the perimeter, and so we hoped they would remain there until after Mass, which they did. When I got home, a little after everyone else, the girls had completely breeched the perimeter, and they were already combing a large search area trying to track them. Within a 30 min. window, one of them had already traveled over 2 miles. Being inexperienced with any kind of cattle, this was surprising to us. But the girls needed to be brought back safe, and so we had to formulate a better plan.

My husband began calling friends to get advice on catching the calves, and we started to contact neighbors. My dad heard the news and came out to drive the neighborhood and ask around. The neighbors started to scout the area. I contacted the sheriff’s office, so that if anyone saw them, we’d get a phone call. Friends posted the news to social media. After that, we focused on securing our fencing better. (Lesson learned!… Cows need to be homed, too.) Both my family and my brothers got involved in making a secure paddock, a real team effort. The older girls watched the younger kids so that the adults could focus on the work at hand, which was a huge blessing.

For a couple of hours, we took a break, based on advice from friends and neighbors. They said that hopefully, the girls had worn themselves out and bedded down for a while, so we went for a Mother’s Day visit to my parents for a bit, but when we got back, the search continued. My brother, husband, and I were each out driving around, looking. I stopped to give our number to more neighbors in hopes that somebody would call with news. Some of the neighbors continued searching with us. When one of the girls was finally spotted, some of the neighbors we don’t know came out to try and help. She broke loose, but other neighbors saw her and started to help, and with their assistance, the first girl returned home. Once we got her back to the pen, my dad was able to calm her down and actually pet her and feed her, which was amazing to witness (we had no idea he had any experience with wrangling cows until this morning).

While we were getting the first girl in, we started to get phone calls and messages that the other was spotted nearby, and so people started herding her towards our place. One neighbor whistled and called, and helped get her closer in the right direction. A little later, she got very close to home, and neighbors walking on the road with their dog were able to provide a bit of a block to keep her from going the wrong direction. Once she was back near the fence, it was a group effort between my brother, husband, some of our boys, and myself, to get her back in the pen. After we were sure everything was secure for the night, we stopped to say a prayer together, and then went about notifying everyone that the girls had be found and secured, which was celebrated all around.

The number of people who prayed, or corralled, or helped in other ways was truly incredible. Most people are good and willing to help when there are problems, but this was just amazing to witness, and we felt so blessed to have such a wonderful community, from friends who could give advice to family saying prayers or lending a hand, and strangers spending a significant portion of their day trying to assist. I’m especially grateful for the network of people we’ve connected with over the years who made it possible for us to mobilize in such a way and wo could offer support and advice. And though there were things that could have be done differently initially to prevent this issue, it was one of those things that is difficult to prepare for, because you just don’t know what you don’t know! But it was a comfort to learn that “it’s not a matter of if they get out, but when,” and that overall, everything was done right… this just happens. No judgement, no negativity, just support and encouragement.

So, again, we want to thank everyone that helped my brother and us out today. What a blessing you truly are! It was amazing to meet so many different people, and to work with everyone the way we did. The world would be a better place if people interacted like that on a regular basis!

And for those who are longing to embark on this homesteading lifestyle, I want to give some encouragement. It’s hard to do things when you have no idea what you are doing. It can be hard to find the right help and information when you are preparing. But you will meet people who can lend a hand and give advice. It’s quite often that you don’t find them until you face difficulty (or start sharing with others what kinds of things you do or want to do), but when you do find them, you will have built new relationships or stronger ones. Don’t be afraid to introduce yourself to the neighbor (even if it’s 2 miles away) who is keeping cows or bees or chickens or fill-in-the-blank… Most people are actually happy to share their knowledge and lend a hand if they are able to, just treat them courteously and respect their boundaries and time.

Whenever I think about the concept of community and the mystical Body of Christ, I am reminded how vast the body is, and how many amazing parts it consists of. Sometimes we don’t interact much with the other parts of the Body, because we don’t have a need to… they aren’t in close proximity, or paths simply don’t cross very much, but once those parts interact, new connections are made that make the Body stronger. And yes, part of that community is the communion of Saints! You can bet we were asking for their intercession throughout the day, and thanking them for their help at the end of it all, just like the others who helped throughout the day.

I pray that you, too, would know the joy and blessing of community and see the fruits of working together! It is such a testament to the goodness of God!

In Christ,
Danielle