The circle of life can be a tough concept to grasp. I thought I had it all figured out until one Saturday night last March. In the middle of shooting a photography session, I got the text I had been waiting for. It was lambing season and we were anxiously watching a ewe that we knew was very close to going into labor. I hurried to our school barn and arrived within two minutes of the first lamb being born…it had taken well over an hour of active pushing to deliver. Clearly the mother ewe was having a hard labor but took the time to clean off the newborn and bond with her for a few moments. We realized however that there were twins and the second lamb was beginning to show. We quickly assisted the weary ewe and were relieved when the second lamb had arrived!
But this time it was different.
No licking. No typical “mothering” noises. No nudging. There she laid with steam coming off her in the crisp air with no interest whatsoever from her mother. It was as if she didn’t even exist. In the dozens and dozens of births I have assisted with in my life I had never witnessed this harsh of a reaction.
As the shepherds on duty we sprung into action. Experience had taught us that the pitiful coughing we heard meant the lamb was alive but in distress and needed help. We grabbed old towels and t-shirts to use to rub the baby dry and get circulation going. We ensured the nasal passages were clear. We went to inspect the umbilical cord and dip it in iodine and noticed it looked a little abnormal.
Still struggling to breathe we went to plan B. We began a modified “lamb CPR”. What did we have to lose?
I understand life and death. I teach my students that it in the animal world it is survival of the fittest. Sometimes mothers sense there is something wrong with a baby and make the choice to reject one to focus attention on another baby to increase chances of either surviving. I’ve seen that play out more than once but for some unknown reason this particular evening we didn’t want to see this little ewe leave us just yet.
The next few days were touch and go for this little gal. We tube fed her every couple of hours and made her bed in a box resting on a heating pad. My teaching partner decided she needed extra TLC more than once and let her snuggle with her on the couch! Spoiled rotten!
Slowly we saw improvement. Slowly.
For every step forward it seemed we were two steps back. Every professional we sought advice from seemed to think she had very little chance of survival. Yet we kept plugging along. She seemed to have a spirit of a fighter unlike anything I had ever witnessed.
Our barn has a tradition of naming all new animals each year around a theme. We’ve used presidents, flowers, and Disney characters in the past but for 2016 we chose “Famous Musicians”. Sitting outside the barn two days after her birth we watched her attempt to take her first few steps into the warm sunlight. We named her Loretta Lynn thinking that sounded like a strong name for a lamb who had lots of obstacles and challenges! If the coal miner’s daughter could make it so could this little lamb who looked like she was covered in soot!
Over that first week we begged, we pleaded with all the other momma ewes to adopt Loretta as their own but it failed miserably. It was as if the whole herd of animals knew something she and her adult caretakers did not. We continued to bottle feed her around the clock. Students took on the responsibilities of milking out extra milk from the lactating ewes and setting up a calendar of who carried Loretta home each night to keep up the feedings.
I began wondering what her purpose was. She couldn’t be a show animal, nor large enough to breed, or sell to the market. Were we going to all this trouble with no clear plan in the end? She seemed to know we were working hard to care for her and her affection for us began to grow as she did not like to be more than a few feet away. We noticed her knack for bringing huge smiles to even the biggest Grinch. Maybe that was why she was still here?
I began to compile a list of lessons learned from Loretta Lynn:
- Sometimes things will get worse before they get better. Just hang on! When Loretta began to have seizures from low blood sugar we just knew her hours were numbered. I was shocked when my teaching partner text the next morning that she had made it through the night. She then endured two umbilical cord infections that required additional special treatment. Looking back what if we had just given up? What sweet joy my daughter (and the rest of us) would have missed?
- Children really do follow the example set by their parents. Make it a good one! It was as if we were watching the real “Rudolf” story line play out in our barn! We knew Loretta needed to learn to be a sheep – and act like a sheep – and those were things we as humans could not teach her. Once she had enough strength and the weather turned warmer we began to leave her with the rest of the newborns and their mothers in group housing. Loretta was relentless in her quest to play with the others. She yearned desperately to be accepted. The mother ewes were so cruel. They didn’t want her anywhere near them, and their actions were loud and clear. We set up a creep feeder in hopes that Loretta could successfully mingle with the other young lambs, but they too had learned from watching their moms and became bullies. It was heartbreaking to watch. I learned a hard lesson. We’re not very different in some ways from the livestock in the barn. That same event plays out over and over in our own society too. I made many mental notes to be mindful of the actions my daughter witnessed in my presence, for they surely would repeat themselves.
- Don’t judge a book by it’s cover! It was a struggle, but Loretta made it to the “Super Bowl” of livestock shows in North Carolina – the State Fair! My daughter had created a special bond with Loretta and knowing she would be too small for a high schooler to exhibit, it was an ideal pair. Her lack of colostrum and eating challenges had stunted her growth. It allowed her to be more susceptible to parasites that we had to actively manage…unless you knew her story you’d have thought, “why did you even bring such a lamb to this show?” But to many who knew her story she was a star – and happy and healthy even though she would never win a blue ribbon…but guess what? She didn’t place last!
Ready for the show at the NC State Fair in October! - God can use anything and anybody – even a misfit lamb – to bring others closer to him. What amazing opportunities this little lamb has had to connect and reach out to us in her short life. She loved on hundreds of children at our Harvest Festival. She won tons of cheers from the crowd as our FFA “Princess” during the Homecoming parade. Most recently, she assisted a local pastor with a sermon during the Christmas season! Through all the ups and downs she has had more of a positive impact and taught us more than any other livestock animal I have ever owned. I want to be just like her! Shouldn’t we strive to seek out people and make them smile? Make them feel loved?
God used this discarded, unwanted, pitiful runt of an animal to remind me how he responds to each of us. And how he can use any one of us.
This year, while observing the flock (it’s super peaceful and relaxing to me to just watch them eat) I’d find myself quoting the 23 Psalm many times over.
Psalm 23
The Good Shepherd
1 The Lord is my shepherd;
there is nothing I lack.
2 He lets me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.
3 He renews my life;
He leads me along the right paths
for His name’s sake.
4 Even when I go through the darkest valley,
I fear no danger,
for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff — they comfort me.5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
as long as I live.
Loretta has earned a permanent home in our FFA program. She is hands-down the friendliest and most gentle door greeter and mascot I could ever dream up. She captured our hearts and won us over with her determination and goofy personality…and taught us some valuable life lessons along the journey.
Watch out world, who knows what Loretta Lynn will do in 2017!
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Farmer's Wife & A Southern Life 