The Gift

I always looked forward to the time the rains would just subside. We lived directly adjacent to a wheat field in the open plains of Oklahoma. It was a regular event to sit on the front porch and watch the coyote; wolves and wild dogs cross the wheat field with their noses close the ground. As the mist and fog would settle they would cross the field and find there back into the trees and heavy thickets.
I had spent over two months in bed from a serious illness caused by a tick bite. I knew what it was like to be at deaths door and was still quite week. There was quite some time that I was not able to leave my bed. As I regained my strength, I would look out the window to gaze across the wheat field. One day after the rains had just subsided; I made my way out around the corner of the house. I saw a wild dog with his head down making his way to our chicken coop. There is something unexplainable about being on deaths door. There is this sense of peace and numbness to fear. I sat down and called out in a quiet voice. He turned and looked at me and I called again. Without hast he turned around slowly and came to me. I let him smell me as I would any dog. At first, we just sat in each other’s presence and then we silently exchanged helplessness. I could tell he sensed my spirit and I his. His steel blue eyes were like nothing I had ever encountered. I very carefully placed my hand on his thick wolf like coat. He drew closer. As I fingered through his coat, I could feel large ticks. He was so very sick from being depleted from what was sucking the life out of him. Just about that time, David came around the corner and laid his eyes on what was taking place. He stood still and told me that I was crazy. I reassured him that it was all right and that this animal needed our help. David got a tin can and we began pulling handfuls of these large ticks from this helpless creature. David had previously been inside cooking a chicken down for some chicken soup. He went inside, brought out the skin and some chicken, and placed it across the fence to lure our wild friend back to where he belonged. I will never forget the oneness of the encounter that I had been blessed with. His steel blue eyes and coarse coat is something I will always cherish. A gift from above that will never be forgotten. This encounter was another simple reminder that the animals followed us out of the Garden to teach us, unconditional love.
C.A. Bresin

Sky Blue Pink

The entire block of kids were always together playing games, building forts or learning the newest dance step.
It is indelibly marked in my memory, the times we would all stand in line for a drink. We would yell out to see who would get what color of glass. You remember those metal or plastic colorful glasses that came in an array of different colors. The shouts began as we all tried to outdo each other to obtain the most popular color. The repetition repeated itself until the most unwanted color was left.
Time after time, my best friend Sally would shout out the color sky blue pink. We would become exasperated with her unknown choice. Sally would enthusiasticly explain to us that there was such a color. On one particular evening she exclaimed, "See, there it is in the sunset!" Sure enough, we all gazed at the beautiful display of vibrant pinks and blues.
Sally went home to be with our Heavenly Father. She and those happy child hood memories are remembered in each of those sky blue pink sunsets.

Sky Blue Pink
Sky blue pink is just a color
Found upon a sunset
Crystal blue and pink clouds laden
Shimmering with delight
For as you look upon this color
See what you may see
A gift of Gods wisdom
His promise of eternity…

C.A. Bresin

Jack-a-man

For those of you who know us, we have the gift of taking in unwanted animals. They have meaning and purpose that are disguised in some of the greatest lessons, we have learned. We often embrace these challenges, as if we are taking on some noble and righteous endeavor. The fact is time and time again, I walk away with the lesson learned.
Jack was a gentle giant, a slow moving shepherd. For the spectator, he just did not appear to be of correct conformation in any way. He was an Algernon or a Forest Gump of sorts. Jack not only taught me to sit with the sheep, but too sit beneath the sheep. He showed me how to close my eyes and listen to the gentle rumble of their feet, as they brushed by my side in the blackness of the night. He taught me how to feel their presence, to embrace their very existence. A true shepherd knows how to feel the depth of ones soul.
Noah Webster states that a shepherd is: A man, who herds, tends and guards his sheep. A man, who protects, guides or watches over a group of people. To shepherd the flock. To watch over carefully. To escort, guide or direct. To council spiritually. Jack added one of the greatest virtues, to love at all times.
Jack’s life was short. His body was not made to last a normal lifetime. His brain was damaged from birth. He was a dwarf, his eyes were crossed, and his legs could not stand for long. Even though some may view Jack as limited, his purpose far surpassed his outward ability.
C.A. Bresin

Flying Sheep

Flying Sheep
Marvelous the sight these flying sheep
I see each night when they leap
Into the barn to bed for the night
Leaping over my head, oh what a sight

Who would ever think of flying sheep?
It's a sight to behold
Oh, Jacob Sheep

Their spotted and horned
Up to at least six
Their quilted and patched
Only God could fix

Marvelous the sight these flying sheep
There mine to enjoy
But, His to keep...

C.A. Bresin

The Shepherd

When walking in our fields with our sheep, I am often reminded, that He has risen and awaits our arrival.
The shepherd’s job is to feed, water, shelter, nurture, and protect his sheep. In many cases, the shepherd’s goal is not merely to keep the sheep safe and content; it is to prepare them for their life's purpose. How much richer will our experience be, if we cease those moments that we feel called by God to shepherd another. If we see beyond the temporary need for protection and nourishment and seize each occasion as an opportunity to prepare a child or adult not only for life, but for eternity. The Good Shepherd offers opportunities for us to come along side of those needing help and to lift them above the situation. It is unsettling to be caught in worldview when our mission is to keep our existence on our eternal home. If each moment of every day would be viewed in terms of how we are preparing for eternity, instead of what fleeting pleasure this world will offer us. Our spirit echos, how should we use our time differently?
Jesus is not only our Good Shepherd; He was also our sacrificial Lamb. He was never empowered by money or riches. He was never self seeking. He knew how to live in such a way that when death came, He was in complete surrender.
C.A. Bresin

Danny Boy and Donnalee

We sat in the field and watched from a distance. The little ewe first began pushing while lying down. She would nervously dig, lie down and resume standing.This was a first time ewe. Within thirty- minutes, she delivered a ram lamb in the field.

After her delivery, she became so frightened that she left her newborn lamb and went with the rest of the flock. We quickly made our way to the lamb, scooped it up, toweled it off and took everyone to the barn. We caught the ewe and took her back to the jug area where she was isolated with her lamb from all the surrounding confusion. Her mothering instincts immediately kicked in. When we placed the lamb in front of her, she settled in and began to lick and clean it. She was busily cleaning off her new bundle of joy, as we watched a new set of contractions begin. The new lamb distracted her from much of her discomfort. She stood as we watched the head appear. I thought she might lie down at this point, but she kept focused on cleaning her first lamb. She had a several very strong contractions and we could hear her talking in a low rumble. She passed the shoulders and then with three more slight contractions, the baby slipped gently onto the ground. We immediately scurried in to remove the sack from the little lambs head and clear its mouth from fluid. The little lamb almost seemed lifeless until it re-gathered itself for its first breath of life. Then, with a quick shake of her head, she responded to life in a world outside her once confined existence. The thrill once again filled us, as we celebrated in the joy, of a miracle to vast to express.
C.A. Bresin

The Miricle of Birth

Many people say, that winter is a time to slow down from the rush of spring and summer, and for most of those from the cold climate of Pennsylvania, this is true. However, when raising sheep the lambs come in the most frigid temperatures of February and March. Being raised in the hot desert climate of Arizona, I am quite comfortable experiencing the beauty of the large snowflakes falling, as I watch intently from the window in the warmth of our home.
God certainly knows exactly what he puts in the desires of our hearts. There is nothing that can make me enter the cold outdoors as the arrival of baby lambs. Lambing season always brings an air of excitement. Whenever the baby lambs arrive, I will be awakened to my husband David saying, “Honey, you’re a Mom again.” Daisey and I immediately get dressed; grab a bottle of iodine for the umbilical cord and a bucket of warm water with molasses for the mom. We approach the ewe and her lamb with care and iodine the umbilical cord and put a cozy woolover on the lamb, so it will not become hypothermic. Hypothermia is the leading cause of death in baby lambs. It is hard being born into a cold environment, after being isolated in the warm and safe surroundings that God has intrinsically provided. We then take the lamb in hand and coax the mom back to the jugs were she can have some time to bond with her lamb. We usually leave them in the jug for a few days. A jug is a temporary area where the ewe and her lamb can be isolated to bond and gain adequate nutrition. It is a nice time to get some much needed extra attention and nutrition before they are placed back with the flock. We place a bucket of warm water and a hardy spoon full of molasses in with the ewe for some added energy after she has labored and given birth. It is usually no time at all before she drinks a good bit of her bucket down. We always give an added treat of some nice alfalfa hay and grain for nourishment. We then leave her alone with her lamb and check back in an hour to see that she has dropped her placenta and began to nurse her lamb. If she has not eaten her placenta, we will dispose of it. We then take the lamb and check to see if its belly is full and weigh it for our records. If mom and lamb are doing well, it is just routine checking on food and water and keeping their pen clean before returning them to the flock in a few days.
It seems, I will never tire of the miracle of birth.
C.A. Bresin

Black and White

We recently have seen in the news the two sets of twins born into a British family where one twin is black and the other is white. This incredible act of God is seen as some sort of miraculous mystery. I have to admit it may not seem normal to those that don’t live on the farm, but for some of us who have ventured into genetics, it can be easily duplicated. We have on several accounts taken a black ram and white ewe and produced one black offspring and one white offspring. This all goes back to the original writings of creation found in Genesis. When God created the animals, He put all the genetic information needed to accommodate the vast arrays of different breeds, we see to this very day.
When Noah was commanded by God to place two of every species onto the Ark nothing was lost. All the genetic information was intact, as it had been from the beginning of creation. What we see in retrospect is environmental adaptation and selective breeding altered by man. Incredible, because the hand of God has taken something and designed it with such simplicity and complexity all at the same time.
C.A. Bresin