Petting Zoo

 A whiff of lilac washed over him in the air, bringing back a memory of long ago. It was a springtime day, and rebirth had begun. Wildflowers bloomed in the meadows into a rainbow of colors while trees dressed themselves in leaves, and the cry of a newborn calf as a mother's love echoed throughout the barn and fields.

They built the farm together as newlyweds with great hopes and visions of what would come. He toiled the soil, and she made a house a home, working together as they always had. Their favorite time of year was spring, and every evening, they sat on the porch holding hands like young lovers, smelling the air as the lilacs bloomed and washed over them like a gentle goodnight.

They were never blessed with children, but the farm had become a place where school kids came to learn about the animals and soon became known as the farmers petting zoo. It wasn't something they had planned. It just took shape over time and brought them great joy and happiness.

He remembers how good she was with the children. She showed them how to feed the baby goats from a milk bottle and brush the horses, all with love and tenderness. He could see her this springtime day, letting the kids reach into a pail of chicken feed as the hungry chicks chased them around and around for their morning meal.

When the school bus left, the children waved goodbye until they were out of sight, and she joined him on the porch with a smile as big as Texas. I feel so blessed, she told him as she held him close, the scent of lilacs in her hair along with a few strands of wheat that made her more beautiful in his eyes.

We've been very blessed to have hundreds of children at the farm, some sending thank you cards that she treasured all of her days. When she passed, he couldn't imagine the farm without her, but he kept the petting zoo alive until the work became too much for a man of his age.

Nowadays, he still sits on the porch, looking out at the empty barns and hoping for a whiff of lilac and the sounds and smells of spring, which were all a part of their life working together as they always had.

Mike 2025