From the Green Pastures of the Good Shepherd

Christmas has been my favorite solemnity since childhood. I found it interesting that our Lord was born in a stable and that he was laid in a manger. Having spent my summers on a farm I knew firsthand what a stable and manger looked and smelled like. God must really love poverty and shepherds since he first spread the news to them.

After my entrance into Carmel one of the first jobs I volunteered to take was the care of our steers; it reminded me of my childhood memories, which did not mean that I didn’t have to overcome some fears, such as walking next to these 1000-pound beasts which can be quite intimidating at times. It also gave me the opportunity to meditate on the Nativity Gospels in their true sense and to ask the Good Shepherd and St Joseph’s intercession continuously when things went wrong (one year a 1200-pound Hereford was rubbing his horns on a gate, once he was done and lifted his head up and he took it right off the hinges.)

In September of last year, we received our new herd. They entered the enclosure in April, three Jersey steers and Holstein heifer.  We named them Toupee (yes, he looks like he is wearing one), Bambi, UpDown (his one horn is up and the other is down) and Onyx, the heifer. They were a sweet bunch- well except Onyx who was a bit wild and headbutted her way into everything. I was warned about this and thought, “not on this side of the enclosure.”

I made sure they were in and out of the barn just long enough to eat their food, no mess to clean up.

Well one weekend I noticed that our heifers’ udders were leaking milk... this was alarming as I was told heifers only leak milk if they are "expecting."  “Back in the day” our nuns had a dairy cow and knew all about the business of milking. I’m told there was always a good supply of milk and ice cream on hand. And that a cow is a cow only once it has calved, otherwise it’s a heifer.

I sought expert advice and was told that maybe she is just eating some grass that’s making her hormonal, or we may have a calf in the field soon, who knows… This was all fine and well, except now I had very little time to make friends with Onyx, if my prediction was correct… I tend to err on the side of caution as you probably can tell. I immediately started to appease her in every way possible, gave her a handful more grain, left her alone when she ate the other steers’ food, etc...  and she took full advantage, and she bullied her way into every bucket of grain. You may ask, “did she look large?” She looked round, but hey, they are supposed to be round from all the good grass and hay they were getting right?

Sr. Teresa of Divine Mercy, O.C.D. 

To be continued….