One Good Deed, or, The Answer to a Prayer

I told you I would tell you all about the pretty mare who was here over the weekend.

You see, this beautiful girl is a very important rodeo horse, worth a lot of money.  No, she's not a bronc, she is a highly trained athlete, a roping horse and performing horse.  She's very smart, and very hard to keep in her pasture.

Her owner is the Barrios family, and they came to pick her up yesterday afternoon, along with a sheriff's seargent.  We wanted to be sure she was going to the right owners, you see.  Mr. Barrios (Eddie) saw our flier we put up at Country Mart in Tonganoxie.  He had been searching for her for two days, and his wife and little son Eddie were distraught. 

When he came to get her, he gave a quiet little whistle and she raised her head and came right up to the gate to greet him.  The smile on Little Eddie's face told me all I needed to know.

She is boarded down the road from us, but the family lives about two miles away, so they come daily to feed her.  Friday she was not in her pasture.  They drove up and down all the roads around here, looking for her. 

As we walked up the drive so he could walk her home... his wife was going to follow in the truck, and the deputy to lead them to protect them, we spoke at the gate for a few minutes.  Several times he asked what he owed me for taking care of their beloved horse.  I told him absolutely nothing, that it had been our pleasure and a delight to see her grazing in the pasture, or standing in the barn. 

As we got to the gate, he handed me his card.  On it was his business name, and the legend "Roofs, Gutters"

I made an exclamation and looked at him and said "You do ROOFS?" and he grinned and said yes.  I showed him the unfinished chicken house, and it's partial roof.  He told me he would come back within the hour to give us a bid.

After they left, I busied myself in the yard, mulching several garden beds in the opressive heat.  Pretty soon, I saw the truck come back up the road, and went out to the gate to meet Big Eddie and Little Eddie.  They walked around the henhouse, checking it out. 

Pretty soon, we headed for the shade of the maple tree.

He told me it would only take about two hours to do such a small building.  I told him that we had the wood, but had not gotten the felt and shingles because we had not worked on it for so long.

I asked what he would charge.... and he told me NOTHING.  He would do the work for our taking care of his mare.

I almost cried, and told him no... we would pay for the labor... but he said he had the flashing, the felt, the shingles, and it would be no trouble. 

Today, while Keith worked from home... we had this:

And this:

Resulting in this:

I cannot tell you how I feel this evening.

Kindness begets kindness, we firmly believe that.

Keith and I are so grateful to Mr. Barrios and his crew. 

We would have kept his mare safely for nothing, and never expected this kindness from him.

So now you know the rest of the story.