Children and Deer Hunting

          You might be looking at the title and thinking that I have gone insane. Well, I haven't because those two things are two things that I know a lot and somewhat about. What this entry is going to be about. they go together perfectly. I have thought a lot about my passion this week because of some things going on and some changes going on in my life. I feel like during one of my quite times God brought the idea of deer hunting to my mind to compare them together and understand what it is like to have your passion put down.
           I will write down what I got told this week and that was "You don't have a child so you don't know what a mom feels like when her child is not safe in care." It could have been shorter then that but that is how I remembered it. That broke my hear and I started to cry a little. People need to think before they say and how the other person will feel. I know sometimes people slip up and they don't have any idea how the other person feels but I mean think about it for awhile. Here I am 28 years old and single but loving on children. I
           I could and do have a hard time trying not to think about being single or not having children of my own. That is why I love and work with the children that I do now and have in all of my life. I  might not have my personal children. I do have 11 nieces and nephews that I LOVE dearly and I have worked in the childcare field for 9 years so I have loved more than 200+ children in those 9 years. Another thing is don't tell that I don't know or can't feel pain. I have worked at a children's shelter for 2 and half years, almost 3 years so I really know what pain is. 
          Pain is seeing a child cry after being taken away by their parents. Pain is knowing that they might not go back or always stay in a foster home. Pain is knowing that you might lose them and all the handwork you have done to help them grow. Pain is knowing that they are children out there that knows all the cuss words in the book. Pain is knowing that there are children out there that eats from the floor and live in really dirty houses. Pain is seeing a child cry hard and nonstop when they have a a lot of lice in their hair that you have to get out. Pain is seeing the child not do something that you would think would be so simple but to them it is not. 
        The shelter has changed my life and the way I think about loving of the children that I come into reach with. I show my compassion and passion through my actions and loving on them. I was kind of always that way towards children but now I am even more. I understand that moms love their children more then single people do and that both of these passions are different in feelings but don't ever say that I don't know what it is feel like to not have a child safe. I had deep compassion for the children at the shelter so that only means that I'm going to have deeper compassion for my own children, when God is willing to give them to me.
           All this to say that I really felt disrespected when that thing was said about my passion and pride. I just came home and cried all night. All I also felt like I was on another plant. Maybe even fighting with the devil because I know what was said was no where near true. Anyone that knows me at all knows I love children more if not the same as their moms. I want the best for them too just like their moms. I will and I have fought for some children non stop. Children are my passion and that is what I live for. To be honest, that is the first time anyone has ever said something like that to me towards my passion and the way I was working.
           Usually I would get a lot of praise even from people I didn't know because it is a tough job working with any aged child no matter where they are developmentally or emotionally. I always try my best to help them out. Thinking about how I felt when I was disrespected. just this one time, towards my passion made me think about how a friend of mine is being disrespected too from people that my friend doesn't even know but it can still hit in the wrong spot, all the time and all of the world. You can and will doubt it all because we are all humans and that is where this world takes us. We just have to fight to think positively and towards God.
           This is where the deer hunting comes in. I think I can compare it better to because I know what deer hunting means to some people. I mean I grew up in a small deer hunting community. I'll be honest with this and straight forwards. I never really understood what my friend was going through when my friend says that people say a lot of mean things to him. My friend would keep saying I don't care what people say this is where I am suppose to be. God wants me here so I am here. My friend would be so strong in his beliefs and I always found it so encouraging but never know why.
           I was proud and still am proud of him for standing up for what he believes in because it does take some guts in today's world especially if you are killing animals. Our diets are so healthy nowadays, we don't think about killing for meat and food. It is just the old farmer's way when there weren't too many fast food places and stores around. I will say one thing for sure after I had to deal with a person putting down my passion and to let you all know deer hunting or really any kind of hunting is my friend's passion. I just thought of this the other night too during my quite time.
          I was raised to love on and teach children the schooling way and my friend was raised with a lot of deer hunters in his family and spending a lot of time outdoors. My friend would say that I don't know him that well but I think that phase summed up pretty good what he is all about. If not all of him, pretty much most of him.
         I wrote this entry just to say that I learned how to respect other people's passion especially my friend's. I knew it was always a big deal to him but I really didn't know how big it was until someone doubted and put down my passion this week. What I am writing down now is all that I have been thinking about this week since that little situation happened.
         I really, really, really, really (think those are enough reallys) respect him a lot now for what he is doing and trying to do and that is not showing how much I really do respect him. I should have respected him this deeply from the very start of what he is doing now. I have grown to respect him more throughout the years slowly. This week it just hit me that I had no idea what he was really feeling and going through with all the downers until I got put down. He is very busy with 3 jobs and I don't think he gets the credit he deserves sometimes. He has been and probably will continue to step out of his comfort zones a lot. I can't write on here how much more I respect him for doing his own thing, now that I have been made fun of because of my passion. I would want the same respect from anyone else for my passion. 
         That is how children and deer hunting fit together for me! They are both passions and different ways of showing Christ to different kinds of people. That never hurts anyone, does it? If they don't like these two things, then I am sure they are other things out there for them to like. I will say this since it is at the end to help him out. One of my friend's passion is an online hunting show that he is the founder of. The title is: The Huntin' Grounds and you can look it up on Facebook. His website is: www.THG-TV.com. There is some kind of hunting video online every Thursday around 8:00-Central Standard Time.