Thursday, August 30, 2007

Have you heard the one about the sheep?

There was this sheep by the name of ba . He does not remember far enough back to know how he got there, but he was usually never alone. He was surrounded by a bunch of other sheep,
and because he was so young his mom kept an eye on him and gave him a drink of milk even though he was beginning to get a taste for sweet grass. His Dad was a roamer so he was really not a part of his life, but there was this weird kid who had a stick and seemed to like being alone and carried this stick with him all the time, even at night when he would sort of try to sleep.
Ba was a part of a group of sheep, he over heard the word flock one time so he guessed that was the name of his group. They were a pretty dusty and smelly bunch to be around but it did not seem to bother the boy much. Most of their days were spent on the move going from one field to another eating as they went. And of course in the world of sheep what goes in one end comes out at the other end at the same rate. This was expected and part of the life of sheep. Ba found life to be pretty easy because the boy watched them day and night. And helped to keep them together . He watched over them so they would be safe from all harm.
One day he noticed that one of the other sheep ate too much and his belly began to swell with gas and he fell over. Well the boy with his special stick came over and put a hole in his side and saved his life. The boy loved his sheep and wanted no harm to come to them. He had a master
who expected him to care for them with his life.
Now some times sheep tend to wander from the group and then the boy has to go looking for the lost ones. Sometimes they are just a little out of sight but sometimes if they get out at night they can go far away. The boy knows that there are things in the dark that want to hurt his sheep. Once Ba saw the boy kill a wild dog with his stick in order to save the life of his sheep.
The boy also had a throwing stone that he could use with great accuracy to keep his sheep safe.
Bugs and flies are a problem for sheep also and to help his sheep , he would use his stick to groom the matted wool, and he would rub oils on our faces to keep the bugs off. The flies and bugs could drive us mad and crazy and we might hurt ourselves. We are greatly loved.
We were a safe flock because we trusted in the boy who cared for us. And his master was well pleased because of the boy who knew best what was good for us, and HE knew how much his master desired for us to be safe from the many things in the world that would hurt us. The boy had chosen a simple life but his master knew how important his love and care for us meant. A loving master, a healthy flock , the stars above, and food on the open flame is all that our shepherd boy needed for a good life.

2 comments:

ellehasuly said...

There is so much said in this piece, Robert. The thoughts that come to mind after reading it are ones of simplicity, trust, and fellowship. We can trust our sheperd to look after us; and He even gives us the gift of fellowship. Thanks for the thoughtful post.

Have a cup o'joy,
Lynne

batgirl said...

you know i love this one! i really do. thanks baaaaaaah..b.