The Year of the Sheep

My most recent "Country Living" magazine mentioned on page 38 that this new year of 2015 is "The Year of the Sheep." That is a pleasant thought, for me, because I do like sheep.

I haven't ascertained their source for calling this the "Year of the Sheep." I learned that this appears to be the Chinese "Year of the Tiger." When I tried to do a little sleuthing online, I did not find a "Year of the Sheep." But I am accepting of the "Country Living" proclamation because, as I said, I do like the animal.

When I grew up on my parents' Iowa farm, we often grew a few sheep, mainly as a cash crop for the wool. A neighbor guy came to shear our sheep and it was interesting to watch the process, as he "peeled" away long strips of wool and left the ewe looking naked when he was finished. So my Dad gained some dollars from his care and feeding of the sheep.

He was far from fond of the animals; often reminding me of how dumb the sheep were. I recall him on one occasion, as he drove a flock through the gate near our barn, telling me to watch and see how dumb they really were. The sheep followed one another through the gate into the pasture; Dad tossed an empty bucket into the gateway, but it rolled off to the side. Still, the sheep perceived that the bucket remained in their way and, thereafter, each one leaped high above the now-imaginary bucket that didn't lay in their way! It showed how the sheep insisted on following the previous one as she jumped high to avoid the bucket that was no longer there. I don't know if you can imagine how comical it was to see this exercise as it was demonstrated to me, but I do recall the giggles my dad and I shared over it, and I evermore remembered the "stupidity" of the sheep.

Sheep have long found a place in our home. There are the little figurine sheep sitting on the various shelves around our kitchen and living room. I have found them in a variety of gift shops throughout the years. One has white yarn wrapped around it, reminiscent of the woolly sheep. One is a tiny ceramic lamb laying down, looking adorable, with his nose to the ground. Another is a plastic lamb with a tiny blue ribbon round his neck. I have temporarily positioned him on the little shelf rimming our kitchen's white panel at the lower part of the wall. This lambie is turned toward a snapshot of our little granddaughter Ashlin, held by her daddy. The little lamb is looking lovingly at Ashlin as if it were all an actual vignette of living beings with love being exchanged. I love it.

Then there is a ewe in our living room, sometimes living in a closet but coming out in the winter to keep us company and adding to the warmth of the home. She was made by my mother-in-law who spent many hours quilting and hand-sewing. The ewe was made from the lining of her second husband's farm jacket. It was a jacket with the woolly lining and he consented to her making the sheep as a companion to them for their years together. It now makes a wonderful remembrance of the two of them. The ewe had an extra twist to its story, as Grandma Josephine had given her to me at one time after I told her I loved it. Then she repented and wanted it back and, of course, I consented to giving it back to her.

Then, later, it came back to me, and has evermore lived in our home as a favorite, especially with its own story.

Lambs live in my childhood memory when, in the spring, they jumped and played in the pasture, enjoying the warmer weeks in the sunshine. If you never lived on a farm and never enjoyed seeing the lambs frolic on the green grass of the pasture, I'm sorry. I can recall the frigid winter evenings when my mother was asked to bring a lamb or two into her kitchen for a warm home, on an old blanket in a box or basket near the kitchen wood stove, when the lamb's mother was unable, perhaps because of the lamb being born a twin, to feed her baby and needed my own mom and maybe one or two of us sisters to assist in its feeding for a time, until it was strong enough to be returned to its own mother to be nursed on to strength. Mom kept glass milk bottles on hand with black nipples for the feeding process, and, yes, she would rise in the cold winter nights to keep the stove stoked and feed her little lambs. It can bring tears to my eyes to recall such a sweet picture, as Mom contributed to the farm income by caring for the lambs. Farm wives were often asked in those long-ago days to make such a sacrifice, and it was common that they consented.

Sheep are found in the words of Scripture in various settings, always with lessons to be gleaned. They were present, with the other animals, at the Nativity when our Savior Jesus was born in that cold manger long ago. Because we recently celebrated Christmas, and probably had the little model Nativity sets in our homes, we can picture that very setting, as the sheep and lambs "sang" to the Little Baby Jesus and helped keep Him warm and comfy. Of course, Jesus, in John 10:11, naming Himself the Good Shepherd, told that He gives His life for the sheep (us), which is an extremely comforting lesson. When I read through John 10, I am reminded of the great love the Savior has for His people, and I am almost repentant of the way I learned that the sheep were stupid, on the farm! Although, in a way, we human beings are often stupid in our regard for spiritual things, come to think of it!

Anyway, again I wish readers a happy 2015, and an especially happy "year of the sheep."

-- Jan Mullikin is a Siloam Springs resident and former employee of the Herald-Leader. She can be reached at [email protected]. The opinions expressed are those of the author.

Sports on 01/21/2015