The Day the Lord Hath Made: Meet and Greet the Lambs, May 22
We believe the Lord makes the sun shine and the rains come for good and bad alike. And whenever people ask me to do a prayer for just the right weather, I tell them I’m in sales and not management. (Sorry, it’s a very old pastor’s joke, just for very old pastors.)
But we could say, “This is the day the Lord hath made” when we gathered with 26 dear friends for our annual springtime Heatherhope “Meet and Greet the Lambs” day, Saturday, May 22. For days before it was super cloudy and drizzly. The next day it got far too hot for the sheep and dogs—all the way to about 90. But for this day it was beautifully sunny and mild, so the people, old and young, had a great time with dogs and lambs and balls and bats and blowing bubbles.
This was our first “Meet and Greet” since our retirement, so it was a chance to have a real mix of friends from around DeKalb and Sycamore (and Genoa), along with new members of our former congregation of St. Luke, Glen Ellyn, and from Connie’s work at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and one couple from Arlington Heights, whose acquaintance we made at the Kline Creek Farm sheepdog demonstration.
Many of the participants brought their lunches and we broke bread together. We also watched videos of twin lambs being born and of what Connie and I like to call a “lamb frolic.” That’s when the lambs, usually on a cool evening, start to gather together, jump around with crazy feet, and then race back and forth across the pasture. For live action our dogs Cap and Abbie helped us get close looks at the lambs by gathering them into a corner of the fence, and John was able to catch a couple so that the kids (and some child-like adults) could get a feel of their lovely fleeces.
Lamb's wool feels great, and it is rich in lanolin. Photo by Mike Gezing.
We concluded the day with a devotion in which we thought about the wonders of creation that delight us so and make it worth-while to take a drive out into the countryside. But we also thought of how the Good Shepherd gathers us while lesser spirits try keeping us divided and scattered. Indeed, it is a constant wonder how hearts are drawn together. Sincerity is something we can feel and taste and smell. And it is oh, so attractive.
We hope, pray and trust that we will be gathered together many times at Heatherhope. We are not an exclusive club in any way. We are only stewards of this farm and it belongs to the Good Shepherd whose will it is to gather all.
Spot and his mother, Abbie, show their endless affection to a young visitor. Photo by Mike Gezing.
Many thanks to Mike Gezing for again granting permission to use his photos. He took lovely pictures at the Meet and Greet event as well as our April demonstration at Kline Creek Farm. Thanks Mike!
