It makes you wonder.......

Have you ever wondered if things are just a coincidence, or if there is a stronger force behind it. I often ponder that very thing. No matter what you believe the reason is behind things happening the way they do, you have to agree, it almost always will get your attention. This my friends certainly got my attention....

During our drive to Colorado, I was driving. Now, if Steve was telling this story, he would most likely say, "the one and only time I was driving." But, let's not talk about that. Anyway, he was sleeping, and I was driving. We were just on the northern side of Amarillo, in the panhandle of Texas. It was in the morning, and all along the road were corn fields and open range.


For some reason, and I swear, I do not know where these thoughts came from, I remembered something from my childhood. I was about six or seven years old, and we lived in the country, so to speak. I loved to catch Horny Toads from our yard. Back then, we had lots of them, usually they were the large ones, but on occasion, we would see a small one. My favorite ones were the small ones. I recalled how I would catch one, put it in a shoe box with grass and a little bit of water. I was convinced that was all I needed for these Horny Toads to live.


I remembered how my dad would always make me turn them loose. In fact, I was taken back to a night when my dad came into my room, and took the little Horny Toad I had decided to keep for a pet, outside all the while I was crying. He assured me I did not want the little frog to die and it was the best thing to do.


Well, as you can guess, I was not concerned about the little toad dieing, I was sure he would not. After all, I would catch fire flies and they certainly lived just fine in a mason jar.


I remembered while I drove along that lonesome highway in the panhandle of Texas how mad I got at my dad over those Horny Toads. Now, my dad has been gone from this life for five years, from my life, many more years than that. So really, for these thoughts to just suddenly pop into my head was very much out of the ordinary. But, still it was so fleeting, I did not think much of it.


The thought even occurred to me that the Horny Toads were probably close to being extinct. I had not seen one in years. Years. Not since I was a little girl. I just figured with the building of more homes, construction, and more people everywhere, that surely these little guys were not seen anymore.


Now I have to say, these thoughts were not the lingering kind, it was just like a fleeting thought and it was gone. Nothing unusual about that. We all have those take me back thoughts. Right? I really never gave it another thought......


But even as I type this out, I ask myself....Where did that come from? Why did I think of that night with my dad, and who in the world thinks about Horny Toads at random? Shakes head at monitor, I don't know for the life of me....... Wait till you read what happened next.


About an hour later, I woke Steve up, Sophie and Dora needed to stop for a potty break, and we were in the middle of nowhere. No rest area in site. Steve said just pull off the road, and we pulled into a drive that lead to a corn field. We got out and I was holding the dogs, he walked around to the front of the truck to assist me with the dogs. He stopped, looked at the ground and said in a funny voice, "look under that tire when I back the truck up."

Well, I was freaked out, the first thing I thought of was a snake or something like it. I am petrified of snakes and I did not see anything at all.


He backed the truck up a little ways and got out, and looked down and there it was. A Horny Toad....a baby Horny Toad. Not one, but two little Horny Toads actually. Talk about a funny feeling in the pit of your stomach. All I could think of was you have to be kidding me. I did not say anything at first, and I am sure Steve wondered why I had such a funny look on my face. Truthfully, I did not know what to say. When the words finally came, I told Steve the story about my dad and the Horny Toads. I told him how strange that was, because I had just thought of that very thing as I was driving. I really don't think he believed me. He sorta looked at me like I was crazy. Well, maybe I am.


We both were astonished at seeing them, and neither one of us has seen them for a long time. Talk about taking you back to a time long ago. We both were pleased that they still existed and thrived in our environment these days.


This was one of those moments for me in life when I pause and take a time out. Steve ended up taking both dogs to do their business, while I stayed at the truck, watching the little toads. Frankly, I was a little shaken. But in a good way.

So I ask you, coincidence or something more? I really don't know what the answer is, but I tell you, I still get a funny feeling in the pit of my stomach when I think about what happened that morning. It really makes me wonder.........


.......coincidence? Maybe. But I tell you the timing of it all really makes me think that it is something more than just a coincidence. ~Good Stuff....in a strange way.