Lucy’s Little Lambs
Growing up on a grain farm in Kentucky, land has always held a grip on my heart much like Scarlett's Tara in "Gone With the Wind". When my daughter and her husband decided to start farming in Virginia in 2022 with Maranatha Farms, I was taken back to my childhood in a very positive way.
We are learning many new things since the onset of our adventure in raising livestock. This winter {Dec.'23 - Feb. '24} we have experienced the first lambing season at Maranatha Farms. Riding in the corn wagon back in Kentucky, dodging the hard ears of corn as the picker spit them back at me, didn't prepare me for the role I played in lambing!
The farm set up a very luxurious birthing center for the ewes. As ideal as it was, some lambs needed special attention whether they were rejected by their moms or distressed in some way.
I am Lucy, the resident grandmother on the farm. At 80 years old, there are many chores I would love to do, but I am somewhat "age" limited. Nurturing lambs is one that I can do and do so willingly with a grateful heart. I am so thankful to be able to lend a helping hand.
The first rejected lamb was brought to me two days before Christmas and thus began the opening of Maranatha Farms LICU - Lamb Intensive Care Unit. Bucky was followed within a couple of days by T'Challah and Sebastian. {We have a Marvel fan in Gracie my eleven year old granddaughter who gleefully has the fun of naming the lambs.}
Lucy's little lambs grew and flourished during the first few weeks. It was a physical challenge for me. I often thought of how God gives "one" baby to "young" women. However, I did learn to feed three lambs at the same time with two hands!
One day, as I was tending the ducks, I saw a tiny, newborn lamb who had wandered a good distance away from the birthing center. In taking her back, no ewe would claim her, so Ruth {my name for her} joined my cottage flock. These four have thrived and have been transitioned to a secure, well-insulated, warm shed right behind the cottage. What joy it brings me to watch them frolic in the fenced-in area around the shed!
Sadly, not every lamb that has been brought to me has been a success story. A couple of them were too little and too weak to survive. As I write, "Snowy" has been in the LICU for three weeks. She is one of triplets, is very tiny and hypothermic. I am literally working around the clock to save her. While still very small, she has some spunk about her, but will need to spend more time in the LICU. I am not sure how long she will be there, but I am looking forward to the day when she will be out kicking up her heels with Ruth and the Marvel boys!
While doting on these little lambs, I have reflected on how precious Jesus' lambs are to Him. His lambs hear the voice of the Shepherd and follow Him. As believers at Maranatha Farms, each of us endeavors to hear and obey the voice of our Good Shepherd as we dedicate our work to Him. His patient nurturing of us is a model for me as I care for my little lambs. He loves them and so do I!
Lucy Casabella
