One of the great joys that comes from living and working on this "pretend farm" is having so many opportunities to appreciate what only God can make...and some of what results from being created in His image.
Only God can make a sheep! Like us humans, they don't just happen - they are made by wise and loving Hands to accomplish His particular purpose. Looking at Aliyah, it is not hard for me to see the wonderful work of wise and loving Hands. She is a beautiful animal with a beautiful disposition (most of the time!) and soft and beautiful wool. The action of the sun on her naturally black wool produces an incredible heather brown (is that really a color?) that just can't be reproduced by dyes. Here is what Aliyah's fleece looks like on the hoof.
And this is what wise and loving hands (with a lower case "h") make from Aliyah's beautiful coat - home-grown and hand-spun yarn that is an absolute treasure. The picture doesn't do it justice!
By the way, the wise and loving hands belong to my daughter and not to me (so I don't mind calling them wise and loving at all)! It is a very real, very peaceful, very deep joy that comes from seeing once more that God's simple things - I say "simple" and not "easy" - are wonderful and beautiful. Humans just can't do what only He can do, can't improve upon what only He can do. But we can work with Him to offer likewise simple and wonderful and beautiful gifts, using well what He has first given. And in the doing of it, we reflect the image of our Father who created all things and said that it was very good. Very good indeed!
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