Learning Patience

A little update from the sheep barn

I am not a patient person.

Last time I wrote, I spoke of the anticipation around our first lambing season. The date given to us by the breeder based on the rams marking our girls was last Thursday. I polled you all to see when you thought the babies would make their appearances. When guesses of Saturday and Sunday came in, I joked about you being mean and making me wait.

Butterfly was kind enough to prove you wrong. She delivered twin ewe lambs midmorning on sunny Friday, and we all had an impromptu animal biology lesson as we watched the miracle of birth. It was everything I could have hoped for in a first lambing.

One down, one to go. My attention shifted to Peach. Saturday came and went. Sunday came and went.

Then a week came and went.

I began texting my veteran sheep friend, sending photos and asking “At what point should I be concerned?” I got the response: “She’s getting ready. I expect within the week.”

The week?

So lamb watch continues. As of this writing, I can see her on the monitor munching hay, chewing her cud, just being pregnant.

Meanwhile, I am trying to focus on life outside the barn and not go mad checking the monitor every five minutes. Children must be fed and schooled, the house must be tended, seeds must be planted. The Lord is using this time to stretch me and teach me trust and patience and contentment despite my anxiety and desire for immediate gratification.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go snuggle Butterfly’s week-old babies in the barn and NOT stare at Peach out of the corner of my eye.

With love,

Briana