My RA Ch. 03

It was one parade, Anne let Jacob ride 'Friend', Noel rode next to him, 'Apache', 'Spirit', 'Companion', 'Beauty' finished the six-horse parade. The cowpokes would drive their trucks in.

Jacob took his Christmas sermon from Luke, as he knew many of the children watched "A Charlie Brown Christmas."

Miss Sarah was embarrassed about showing 'Beauty' with the carriage. Several pictures were taken and a video was made of all the children in their finest Christmas clothes with their bear or dolly. Each child was puffed with pride as this would be proof that they brought their doll or bear. They never knew when Molly would do a snap inspection, so they were always prepared.

The next day, Christmas morning, Molly got up and got Spirit ready to ride, Sarah didn't know what was going on until she saw a white blur ride by.

Sarah called Joy, "Time to get dressed sleepy head, you have a visitor inbound."

Joy knew she didn't have time for a shower, 'Spirit' might be small, but she is fast.

Soon Molly was hitching 'Spirit' to her fence. Molly thought if everyone at the ranch got up at sunrise, so should everyone else.

Miss Joy gave Molly some egg nog while she had coffee.

Molly said, "Miss Joy, Miss Sarah said all the kids are looking up to me and expect me to have an answer for everything. Miss Joy, I'm not God, I do not have all the answers."

Joy said, "Molly that is about the best answer you can tell yourself. Anyone who says they know everything means they know nothing. You are a very smart girl, you are figuring more and more things by yourself.

"Remember, the best way to learn is to talk less and listen more. Miss Zoe is very good at that. If you listen well, you will conquer anything.

"God never gives you more than you can handle. That means you already know the answer and you will figure out the problem or God is ready to teach you new things, either way you will grow. When you grow, you get stronger. Even if you make a mistake, even if you make a huge blundering mistake, God just makes it a learning lesson. You will know not to make that mistake again.

"The children will see you change and get stronger, they naturally will want to know how you do it so they can do it. They all love you Molly and they feel honored to be your friend.

"If or when you will decide to follow Christ, a lot of soul searching will be done by the children, to see if they want to follow you. Some may need more time, some may never follow God. You cannot force anyone to be a Christian, it must be an informed decision; it must be a confession of your sins to the utmost sincerity.

"While you cannot force anyone to be a Christian, you can be a role model and they will ask God questions. Being a role model is tough, I had to leave school because I didn't want to be one. You must ask God how to be one, and ask Him if He wants you to be a role model.

"Right now, it looks like God wants you to be a role model. How are you going to know if you do not ask Him? He may have you on this tract just so you can meet certain people and then take you in another direction.

"Just think, if Mr. Buck never put a flyer out, Miss Anne and Miss Zoe would have never gone to the ranch. 'Angel' would have never been born and you would not have job at the ranch. All the things you learned at the ranch you would have to learn a different way and it would take more time to learn.

"Every few months ask yourself what God has given you, all the things you prayed for, all the blessings He gave you even though you never asked. All the questions He answered.

"Just think of 'Angel' and baby Joshua, the miracle of life itself. We could never do that.

"Molly the next time you need a face to face with me, ask Miss Sarah the night before. Sunrise is hard for me to get up, and I never know when baby Joshua will have a bad night."

"I am sorry Miss Joy, it was very important that I talked to you."

"Merry Christmas Molly. "

By now Molly's head was swirling with questions and ideas Miss Joy gave her. She rode over to her home and tied 'Spirit'. Molly's brother and sisters were thrilled to see 'Spirit'. They dug into the feed bags, which Miss Sarah approved of to feed 'Spirit' and the others unless they were on a special diet.

"Mommy, I just had a long talk with Miss Joy. She said I should look back and see what God has done for me in the past few months. That is a long-time Mommy, I could never remember all of it. Could you help me find a way to help me, please? Mr. Jacob said we need to ask our Mommies and Daddy's if we have had problems."

Mommy said, "Yes, I promise you Molly.

We have happy times like today. Days you will have fond memories of all your loved ones the more you have the more you can remember."

"Mommy I am glad you and Daddy are here. I need you. I love you Mommy. "

That made Molly's Mom cry. "You better go back to the ranch, come back later and we can have our Christmas."

The plan was that everyone would have a Christmas brunch and a late afternoon dinner. Molly and her brother and sisters were only allowed to open two of their gifts. The rest were opened when Molly and family and friends came together. It was harder on Molly as she knew all the presents will be in the saddle bags.

A week before Christmas, Sarah took Molly shopping. It was decided instead of getting each cowhand a present they would buy a group present they could use in the bunkhouse, so they could use her gift every day. Molly didn't want to get something ordinary, she wanted something that at least looked more personal. Sarah gave Molly some cash so she could get Miss Sarah's, Miss Joy's, and Mr. David's and 'Buddy's' gifts, the rest they will shop together.

It will take a long time to pick out all the presents. The group present was the hardest so they did that one first. They found the perfect gift and asked the store to wrap it up and hold it until they finished shopping. Miss Sarah said she will be in the food court.

Miss Sarah said, "Molly hide your money, do not flash it around when you pay for something. Always know who is around you, a lot of 'Bad people' steal things now. If you sense someone is behind you, turn around and check. If you find an ultra-good present, but can't afford it, show me.

Think of the personality of the person. Mommy would be loving; Miss Joy would be caring."

Off Molly went into the crowds. Molly was not sure where to go, all the stores looked the same. It would take forever to look in all of them. She saw a desk with someone in a uniform next to it. He looked like a policeman so Mommy and Daddy said it would be OK to talk to them.

She walked over to the desk and asked the lady, "Could you help find presents for some friends. Miss Sarah is in the food court, but she gave me some money to buy a few presents that I picked out on my own. She trusts me to be safe, she warned me about the 'Bad people'."

The security guard said, "What is your name. "

Molly said, "My name is Molly."

The security guard said, "Molly I like to go shopping for presents, could I help you? Then you can keep it a secret from Miss Sarah and I will bring you to her afterwards."

Molly went behind the desk and whispered to the lady, "Miss Sarah said I need to be really careful about who I was with. Is he safe to be with? "

"Yes, Molly he is very safe, here is a whistle blow it if you are in trouble, it is not a toy, and it is to protect you from harm." The shopping mall gave out free "Rape whistles" for those who felt they needed it.

Molly said, "Mommy is first. I want to get her one of those things you hang on the tree and something to show how much I love her. Then Miss Joy who has a caring heart and her doggie 'Buddy'."

The security guard stopped in his tracks. The name of Miss Joy and 'Buddy' crystallized exactly who Molly was and the people she was buying presents for. He had been one of the first to sign the petition for Miss Joy and the 'Townies'; this was one special girl.

"For Mommy to hang on the tree I want a birdie, one of those pretty red ones. Mommy loves to watch them." After Molly paid for it, which she was proud of, she was trying to think how to show Mommy how much she loved her.

"Well what do you feel when she kisses you or hugs you?" said the guard.

Molly said, "A warm embrace."

"Molly do you know if Mommy and Daddy are Christians?"

Molly nodded then said, "I hope to be one also, but I need to ask Him lots more questions."

The guard took Molly to the Christian book store. Molly looked at the price of a cross and put it down She didn't know numbers exactly but she knew she had six more presents to get.

"Molly I think we can find most of your presents in this store. They specialize in things for loving and caring people."

"Molly who do you need to get presents for? "

"Mommy, Miss Joy, 'Buddy', Miss Sarah, Mr. Jacob, Miss Noel, and some others but Miss Sarah didn't give me a lot of money."

Molly quickly found a pretty bookmark for Miss Noel. Molly kept looking at the silver cross, but kept putting it down.

"Molly does your Mommy wear a cross? Is that how you want to show how much you love your Mommy?"

Molly said, "No she doesn't, but I need to buy lots more presents."

"Well Molly, a cross is a special thing, so are Mommies. If your Mommy does not have one and you want to make sure that she has one, then we need to make sure she gets one. How about Miss Joy?"

Molly looked at a small candle for Miss Joy.

"Molly, Miss Joy loves anything that lets her talk to God better, you use candles to bring your prayers to God. You better get her a pretty big one, she prays a lot."

Molly said, "Thank you mister for buying Mommy's cross."

"Molly look at the tree." On it was a stained-glass Cardinal.

Molly started to put her money on the table to pay for purchases except for the cross.

"Molly where are you going? "

Molly said, "Back to Miss Sarah. "

"You are buying a present for Mommy, but not Daddy? Miss Joy but not Mr. David? How about Miss Anne, Miss Zoe, Miss Dawn, Miss April, Miss Mei and something small for your brother and sisters? Molly we are not leaving the store until you finish you're shopping. "

The guard turned to the cashier, "We will need one of those Cardinals."

Molly was a bit bewildered, she didn't understand what was happening. She did as she was told, but she tried not to spend very much. Some of her presents were immediately upgraded. The book store was a treasure trove, just the thing for everyone.

"Molly put your money on the counter and tell the nice lady who each piece goes to so she can put a name tag on each package."

The cashier was told to get the owner when they cashed out.

The owner cashed everything out. "Molly since you didn't get anything for 'Buddy' yet, here is $10."

When the owner finished, she said, "That does not look right. Oh, I forgot the 50% discount for the Christmas time 'Act of kindness,' very important for Christian booksellers."

The pet store was next. Molly saw a red and green bone set for just $7.00

Sarah was getting worried, it was getting late and Molly should have been back ages ago. She was just going to get a few gifts. Sarah saw the security guard escorting Molly, which was a relief. Then she saw all the bags stacked higher than Molly.

"Is this Miss Sarah Molly?" Molly nodded her head, "Molly tells me you have another present to collect?

Merry Christmas, Miss Sarah."

"Merry Christmas sir, this cost way more than what I gave Molly, how much do I owe you?"

"You do not understand Miss Sarah. Merry Christmas Miss Sarah. Now where is this other gift so I can escort you to your car?"

Miss Sarah was even more confused than Molly.

Sarah looked at Molly and realized she was not sure what happened.

Sarah hid all the presents in Molly's closet.

Now on Christmas Day, Molly was jumping up and down with excitement to give out her presents.

For the first present, Sarah and Zoe brought in the group present and put it on the mechanic's lap. It was so big it took two people to carry it in. As the wrapping was opened there was a gasp in the room.

The mechanic had the back facing her so she couldn't see it. Sarah and Zoe took the picture so all could see. It was a very large, big enough to cover the entire mantle above the fireplace in the bunkhouse, oak framed watercolor of seven Mustangs running on the prairie with their manes flying free. You could almost feel the wind blow by.

It was Molly's turn; the video cameras were on to capture the moment.

A small ring box was handed to Molly, she was wondering what could be inside. It was a folded-up note. "You have begun your scavenger hunt for your present. Report to 'Spirit'."

'Friend', 'Companion', 'Apache', Noel's and April's horses were ready; their riders all had cameras on their caps. 'Spirit' was also ready. Molly read the note, "Find the blinking light on the far edge of the ranch."

Molly saw a present only to find another note on it. The presents were of varying sizes, they were put in the saddle bags. Finally, Molly was told to go to the computer for next message. Molly was getting frustrated. Next was the TV with an open Skype channel. Everyone said "What are you doing outside Molly? Your present is in here. "

Miss Dawn said, "I will take care of Spirit, hurry inside."

While Molly was outside her present was put in the very back of the tree.

Everyone pointed to the back of the tree. Molly saw a black object behind the tree. A huge smile crossed her face when she realized it was a guitar.

A cowpoke said, "Several of us play, it is an unwritten rule in the cowpoke union that you need to play guitar. We will find time to teach and practice."

All of Molly's college friends plus Noel, Jacob and Sarah descended onto Molly's parents' house.

They were planning to ride in, but Molly had too many hidden treasures.

Everyone walked in with armful after armful of presents, each scattering them under the tree.

Molly's mom served dessert, tea and egg nog before the unveiling of the gifts. Molly announced she had to hand out her gifts, they had to be given in a certain order.

About one third the way through Molly gave her brother and sisters their presents, each hugged Molly proclaiming, "I love you Molly!" Molly found some small toys in the store.

Molly said, "My main present was a guitar, but I had to ride 'Spirit' all over the ranch to find notes where the next place was I had to go. It was inside the whole time."

Molly was truly surprised at the gifts she got, of course, she always thanked or hugged them. Just like Molly saved Mommy's present for last, Mommy was holding Molly's present for last.

Before Christmas, Molly's brother and sisters had shopping trips, each parent took half the list.

Each adult cried when they got a present from one of the children. They knew a great deal of thought went into each present.

Each child was given a price per present and a total cost. You could spend more on one present if you spent less on another. It also mattered who the gift was for, naturally, you could spend more for Mommy's and Daddy's. You love them the most.

Each list had to add 'Buddy' and 'Spirit' after all, she was Molly's horse. What do you get a horse? Food was too common, this had to be special.

When an inexpensive whip was shown, the children looked on in horror. Mommy had to explain that starting with Miss Dawn's Mommy, everyone made a pact with their horse that they would never whip their horse ever; it was even a condition in all the contracts. If you were a person of your word you will keep that pact.

"What is the gender of 'Spirit'?

"She is a girl."

"I think we will need to add on to something she already has.

I could copy a few pages from my catalog and you can give them a coupon to put 'Spirit's' name on something, but it would have to be a group present."

The children walked over to the corner to discuss it. "This was Molly, she had to get a great present for 'Spirit', one she would proudly put on 'Spirit' and something 'Spirit' would be proud to wear.

"Mister, could we look through your book to see if we find something better now that it will be a group present?"

They were given three catalogs to look through. "Hey what about a very special brush or something like that? She gets brushed every day at least once."

They both dashed to those sections of the books.

Mom was very proud, they were making good decisions about something they cared about.

"Mister, we kind of figured out we want something like these things. Can you help us out? It is too hard for us to pick. Mr. Jacob says we need to ask adults when we have a real hard problem."

Mommy tapped the shoulder of the cashier and flashed her credit card with a nod.

The cashier got down on his hands and knees to look. Brushes were an option, blankets for under the saddle were an option even if they were a little more. Spurs would be like a whip.

"Well if she is working at a ranch, and riding every day I bet a blanket under the saddle does not last long. On the other hand, a silver brush looks pretty. Do you see anything else you like?"

Mommy said, "I thought maybe this would be hard; 'Spirit' is a pony, here is her picture. She is important because Molly is someone all the children of the town look up to."

A new importance came over the cashier. He ran up to get the owner, informed him of the situation, and the owner came down to help the children. The owner came downstairs and greeted the children.

"We kind of like a blanket because everyone will see it, and a brush is hidden."

The owner picked out an elegant, long lasting blanket like the pros use.

"Well children, how much money did your Mommy say you could spend on 'Spirit'?"

Each put $15 on the counter

"Well I'll be, that is exactly how much it cost."

Their smiles were so big they could hardly contain themselves.

Mommy knew it cost more than five times that, but she couldn't object with the children there.

"Merry Christmas children, Merry Christmas ma'am" he said with a wink.

The children said in unison, "Merry Christmas mister, thank you for your help."

Mommy said, "Thank you Sir, have a Merry Christmas."

When Mommy came home she went on the computer. "Honey can I show you something?"

When her husband got there, she pointed to the screen. In whispered voices, she said, "This is the blanket the children bought for 'Spirit', he only accepted the $45 I gave the children. He will be insulted if I paid a nickel more." The husband agreed and he was speechless, it cost $200 plus tax and shipping.

Molly's Daddy picked up the blanket and put it on Molly's lap. Molly's brother and sisters walked right over to Molly to see her reaction. Everyone stopped what they were doing to watch, phones came out to capture the moment. There was a collective gasp in the room.

Miss Sarah said, "Molly, I think your current blanket needs to be replaced. You do not want 'Spirit' walking around with a raggedy blanket on, do you?"

Everyone came over to examine the blanket, all were amazed at the detail and high quality.

Molly exclaimed, "'Spirit' will be honored to wear it and I will think of you every time I put it on her." With that she gave a group hug with her brother and sisters.

Many pictures were taken with Molly and her brother and sisters holding up the blanket. Their smiles lit up the room.

Finally, it was time for Molly to give Mommy her present. "Mommy, I know you don't have one and I think it is real important for you to have one."

Mommy opened the small box. Mommy just dropped her jaw. Mommy grabbed Molly in a hug, tears streaming down her face. "I love you Molly. It's perfect. I will wear it every day, promise. Hurry, put it on me so I can show everyone."