"It is well to remember that the entire population of the universe, with one trifling exception, is composed of others." A.Holmes

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Spot Of Gratitude For Simple Things

 Are you seeing spots? I see spots, and lots of them here on Cedar Pond. My Jacob Sheep are spotted, and the lambs are little jumping spots of joy. My sheep are simple pleasures. Just watching them brings me joy. This is Thora and her new twin ewe ( girl) lambs.


It is a real blessing to have twin ewes by Thora. The sire of these ewes is my new ram , Tonkin. I am thinking I will need to give these girls 'T' names...
As I did my daily chores I took an extra amount of time to simply stand & watch my sheep, chickens, ducks & turkeys. I realized I may not always have the pleasure of such abundance in the coming years, for who knows what the future brings? Ill health, a change of fortune, the need to occupy myself with other things...any and all could change my way of life in a heart-beat. I cannot bear to think of a spring time without new lambs and sweet , fluffy chicks. To not be able to sit by our pond and watch our silly ducks court, quack, and dive head first into the pond for things to eat leaving them bottoms up and making us laugh is a sad thought. Yet I know God in His wisdom knows us and what is best for us. Should he deem it best for us to live otherwise as we move on in the seasons of life, He has given us these times right now to savor and remember. I pause often to soak in the sights, sounds, and joys of today and remember the funny little antics of my farm animals. I make a conscious effort to appreciate the bounty I have here in the simple things. God is so good, praise him !

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow." Melody Beale

9 comments:

Unknown said...

I feel this way so often it is hard sometimes...finding the joy and holding on to it is often difficult. Thankfully, God has given me children and a husband who can hold it for me and bring good times like these back to my memory when I forget or life would be very sad indeed in those dark moments. Thank you for your warm thoughts on this cold day...and for sharing your beautiful animals with us all! Much love!!!

Anonymous said...

These are the sweetest pictures, Kathy. I can just picture you in my mind enjoying the beauty of your beloved Cedar Pond. Blessings to you this day.

Thistle Cove Farm said...

Kathy, I've learned it's best to hold loosely to things I love, except, perhaps, my faith and I have a death grip on it.

Kris said...

What a lovely place you have, Kathy. Now that I've found your blog I'll visit more often. :-D

LindaSue said...

Living in a different season of my life - things are not as I hoped and believed they would be - yet I know the Lord is working in me and I pray through me. Thank you for sharing your beautiful time and place with us! My suggestion for a "T" name is one I wanted to use (if I still had goat herd to name!) Talitha - from scripture - I believe it simply means little girl -

Kim said...

Such a blessing to have twin girls from a favorite ewe! So sweet.

Paula said...

This was wonderful, Kathy... it reminded me that all that we have today can be gone tomorrow, for whatever reason... but I'm so glad our God is faithful.
I'm thankful for my animals, too... they bring me so much joy. :)

Connie said...

Oh, Kathy, those little ewes are so adorable. I often try to remind myself to live in the moment and take note of what is around me and be grateful for it too. It makes life so much richer.

Lynn said...

Spotted sheep? Since I am a country girl at heart but not able to live in the country, I have never known sheep to be spotted. What a delightful learning experience this post was for me. As for gratitude, your attitude is lovely, refreshing and the only way to truly live in the moment of each day we are given. We have a lovely park less than a mile where I spend many hours, sometimes praying on a bench under the oak trees dripping with moss, sometimes behind the lends of my camera, sometimes walking the trails giving the body a healthy workout. Usually a combo of all three. I, too, find gratitude for this park, it's beauty, the closeness to my home, such a blessing. You know I think of you and your blog so often, I smile, but gosh darn, I have so many passions in my life, I never get to stop by nearly as often as my heart thinks of you. Have a blessed, lovely week. Again, those sheep......ahh love learning new things like this every day.