I suppose it must seem like there’s a madman on Haven Hill today. Ten o’clock on the last morning in July, temperature already in the 90’s, and he’s burning brush. Yessir, that’s right, burning brush on a hot summer morning.

Like I said, a madman, fer shure.

Except… you see, the reason he’s burning brush is not because he’s a pyromaniac. Now, I’m not denying that he is a pyromaniac, but that’s not the reason for this fire. It’s a touch more rational and a bit more complicated.

The brush pile has a bunch of branches with dead leaves and for reasons possibly not even known to them, the pair of geldings that reside on Haven Hill have suddenly decided to eat the dead leaves.

An acre of lush green grass in this tiny pasture and today, Jazz and Earl decided to start eating the dead leaves off the branches on the brush pile. Probably not an issue but potentially it is. The leaves of some trees are toxic to horses when the leaves are wilted, including some of the trees that donated branches and leaves to this particular pile. Most of these leaves are not wilted; they’re dead, brown, dry, crispy. But who wants to take a chance, right? Some of them might just be wilted.

In fact, there are some branches near the pile that are still attached to the big elm that fell over three months ago. The big elm that fell over three months ago is still attached to the ground, sort of. There’s a section right at the base still connected to the roots. Even though it fell, it continued to nourish its branches. It was still green. Until the madman began cutting off the branches two weeks ago. But some of the branches still have green leaves. And some branches have wilted leaves.

And so, after chasing the horses aways from the brush pile three times already, the madman is burning brush. Cutting off more branches and throwing them onto the burning pile.

Not because he’s a pyromaniac, not because he’s bored, not because he can’t think of anything else to do. Nope, strange as it may seem on a hot summer day when the heat index is already well on its way to triple digits before noon, he’s burning the brush pile to keep the horses safe.

You might see another madman today, or a madwoman, doing something that seems to defy logic, something that doesn’t immediately make total sense, something that seems downright strange to you. And, of course, it could be that his or her canoe has tipped a bit too far to one side. Then again, it could be that they’re just trying to protect someone they love.

Trying to keep them away from some danger that you don’t see.

Sometimes you move the fence or build a new one. Sometimes you have to move the horses to a different pasture. Sometimes… you burn the brush pile. Even when it means risking a heat stroke. Because there are times when protecting someone else matters more than protecting yourself.

It ain’t always easy to tell the best way to do that. That’s why even madmen—and women—pray for wisdom. Every darn day.