“Good Shepard” watercolor by Kathy Hunt
What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wonders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. (Matthew 18:12-13 NIV).
My grandmother, Nana, had a 150-acre farm set high on the top of Apple Hill in the Ozarks of Northwestern Arkansas. Most of the land was densely forested and part of it bordered a large man-made lake. There were limestone bluffs near the lake side of the land and a spring-fed creek that trickled its way to the lake.
When, I was 12 years old, my parents divorced and I went to live on her farm. I became the care taker of 30 goats and many free-range chickens. Caring for and milking the goats was my main job. By now, I had named every goat and they knew my voice as well as I knew many of theirs. In the mornings I would walk down the tractor road to the goat sheds and pens to feed, milk and set them free to roam the woods for the day. In the late afternoon I would gather, feed, milk them, and get them settled for the night. When milking time came, I would grab my milk buckets and walk down the grassy, rutted road calling for my goats with a high pitched’ “Heya goats! Heya goats!”, while clanking the metal buckets together. Whether they were in the forests, field, or shed, they would bleat excitedly back, anxious to get multi-grain feed, alfalfa, loving, and milking. Sometimes, I would cut leaf-covered branches from the nearby oak trees as a treat for them. The goats madly loved the oak leaves.
One summer morning after milking and feeding, I set the goats free to roam, forgetting to separate April and her new-born kid, Lisa, and put them in the kid pen for the day. If I did not do this with the newborns and mothers, then some mothers would take the newborns into the forest and hide them. This is exactly what April did and my grandmother was furious with me. I was furious with myself. For supper, Nana had made my favorite meal, fried chicken, gravy, mashed potatoes, and homemade biscuits. She threatened me with no food until I had found Lisa and brought her home.
How was I going to find a little baby goat hidden somewhere in 150 acres? Well, I knew my goats. I knew their favorite places to forage. After shutting up the rest of the herd, I started my way towards the bluffs and the lake, praying and talking to Jesus as I went. Finally, I got to the end of the road which literally dropped off over a 6-foot drop to a leaf covered gully that steeply lead down to the forest floor and the lake. I could look out over the tree tops from where I was and see for miles. Cupping my hands around my mouth, I started to loudly bleat like April. I would bleat and listen, bleat and listen (praying in between). “Please, Lord, lead me to little Lisa.” After the third try, I waited and heard a faint bleating coming from beyond the creek and deep in the lakeside woods. My heart leaped up and I thanked The Lord aloud. Climbing down into the gully, I started making my way toward the faint bleat, crossing the creek, going deeper and deeper into the thick woods. The dry oak leaves that covered the forest floor crunched under my feet and, with each step I took, the answering bleat got louder. Finally, in a clearing at the foot of a large oak tree nestled in its roots, I saw little Lisa. I cannot tell you how happy I was. It was a joy that made me cry and thank Jesus over, and over, and over again.
Kneeling down, I gently lifted little Lisa up and cradled her in my arms close to my heart, putting two of my fingers into her mouth to suckle. When I finally got her and her mother nestled in the kid pen, it was such a sweet reunion. I did not care about supper or anything else. I just wanted to sit there and watch them. “Thank you, Jesus.”
It has been over 50 years since this happened and I still cry happy tears and thank The Lord. Lisa will always remain in my heart. I think this is the closest I get to understanding Jesus’ love for me. He found me in my messed-up life and brought me back to the fold. He grabbed me up and nestled me to his heart and has never let me go.
Ann Kathleen Hunt it has only been since my 40’s that I started drawing/painting. I’ve loved stories and writing since I was in grade school. I come from a family of artists and musicians. I have been married to Adrian Hunt for 39 years. We have 5 wonderful adult children with hopes of grandchildren in the future. I have known Christ all of my conscious life but was born in the Spirit when I was pregnant with my last child, Anna. Sonrise Christian Center became a very important part of my life when I started going to The Mother’s Prayer Group. Deborah, Amber and Lorna (the leaders) have and still continue to influence my relationship with God. Both Pastors John and Dan are amazing preachers/teachers and I keep bringing anyone I know, who is interested, to the church.
Leave a Reply