God Given Talent

Aine at Blue Raspberry Sunday  gave the prompt writing about a talent that you or an ancestor had. 

Since I am trying to write my stories for my family about me, it will be a talent I have. 

A talent I have been blessed with would be called God given.  I did nothing to develop it, it is just me.

I was blessed with the talent of looking outward and caring for others.  Looking back one incident that stands out to me, probably not the first time I had done, but a memorable experience; was when my mother caught the hillside on fire.

We live halfway up a sizable hill, not a mountain, but definitely could wind you if you walked up it.  (Side note:  Rocky Mountain states say Oklahoma mountains are hills. J)  In the 1950s, people burned their trash in the country.  My dad, to be safe, had a 50 gallon barrel with a mesh wire top to keep the fire contained.  This day, my mom had lifted the lid to add some paper to what she was already burning and the wind caught something loose in the barrel and blew it out onto the dry grass.  She was horrified as the small spark on the grass exploded into a line of fire that quickly began to spread, she used the towel to try and smother the flames, but it was spreading too fast. We did not have a phone, but our neighbor about a mile or so down the hill did.  The only solution to her was to run down and call the fire department.  She told me to stay at the house and she would be right back.  Well, now you will see what my talent was not… obedience. Just after she was out of site, I saw the fire headed toward the barn… Our cows, chickens, and pig were in that barn, so without one single hesitation, I ran to the barn with my dog, and opened all the pens so the animals would get burned.  I was not scared for myself, although many years later, my mom told me her regret was she had not taken me with her because the fire was near our butane tank.  Of course she might not have gotten help in time had she not done what she had.

Me and my trusty dog in front of the house.

After letting the animals loose, I went to the end of the driveway, waited and cried.  A kind black man, never knew his name, pulled up and knelt down and comforted me saying my daddy would be there soon. He was right; my daddy did come soon, with a whole lot of other men with burlap feed bags, hoes, and shovels. 

 After they took off down the pasture to help the firemen to stop the flames.  I went into action.  I got my red wagon, and started the job of carrying water down to the men.  I always worried about my daddy since he had lost his leg, and I became his feet while he was healing.  Soon, the flames were stopped before any homes were burned, and all the men were okay in spite of the heat and hard work. I am sure I slept soundly that night tucked in by my thankful parents.

This trait of thinking of others first has always just been a part of me, so I guess it was meant for me to help those that I can.

Share or write your own talent story… Leave me a link about it. I would love to read your story.