" In Istanbul, Turkey, in 2005, one sheep jumped off a cliff and then
nearly 1,500 others followed! In the end, about one-third of them died.
Not knowing which way to go, sheep mindlessly follow other members of
the flock.
No better word picture than sheep can be found to illustrate our need
for a trustworthy leader. We are all, Isaiah wrote, like sheep (Isa.
53:6). We tend to go our own way, yet we desperately need the sure
direction of a shepherd.
Psalm 23 describes the trustworthiness of our Good Shepherd. He cares
for us (v.1); He provides for our physical needs (v.2); He shows us how
to live holy lives (v.3); He restores us, comforts us, heals us, and
bountifully blesses us (vv.3-5); and He will not abandon us (v.6).
What a comfort to know that God gently but firmly leads us! He does
so through the urging of the Holy Spirit, the reading of His Word, and
through prayer. God is the reliable leader we need. In acknowledgment of our dependence on the Lord, we can say with the psalmist, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.” -Dave Egner
Like sheep that sometimes wander from the flock In tangled paths of life to lose their way, I need my Shepherd’s hand and watchful eye To keep me always, lest I go astray. —Sanders
The Lamb who died to save us is the Shepherd who lives to guide us.
INSIGHT: Today’s familiar and beloved
psalm has brought comfort and hope to many. And well it should. This
psalm celebrates all that the Good Shepherd does for His sheep. The
greatest benefit comes in the last verse: We will “dwell in the house of
the Lord forever” (v.6). God does so much to
provide for and care for His sheep. However, there is an implicit idea
in this text that should not be overlooked: Sheep follow their shepherd.
The blessings and comfort of this psalm do not come to sheep that do
not follow the Shepherd. As Jesus reminds us, “My sheep hear My voice,
and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27)."
I just really felt led to share this devotion today folks! Hope everyone has had a very blessed Christmas and I wish you all the best in the coming New Year! God Bless!
Yesterday, Daniel and I had the pleasure of going to the baby doctor and getting to see our precious baby for the second time. What a blessing! Not only did we get to see how our wee one is growing but we also were blessed to find out the baby's gender.
From the very beginning I've said that I've felt like I was carrying a boy although most of the old wives tales has said the baby to be a girl. We've had names picked out since before I was pregnant. Daniel Edward Geddes IV (Danny) and Josephine Mae Geddes (Josie). It has been a dream of Daniel's back before we were ever married to have a little boy to carry on his name that's been past down for three generations. Josephine comes from my great grandmother on my mom's side, we called her Big Mommy. One of the most humble and godly women. Mae comes from my dad's side of the family, my Pa's sister Mae. Pa told me repeatedly while he was living that I reminded him of her.
Daniel and I both are so thrilled. It was so reassuring to see a healthy and growing baby.
With all that being said, WE'RE HAVING A.................................................................................
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Daniel Edward Geddes IV
We are so in love with this little fella. Seeing him made us that much more anxious for him to hurry up and get here.
If you missed us on The Local Traveler when it originally aired, you can catch the episode here. Thanks to Amy Hess and her crew for taking their time and doing a wonderful job capturing some of the work done here on the farm.
We thoroughly enjoyed this video when we received it earlier this year. Getting to see our sweet Nan in this video after she had passed last November. Watching her and remembering how she loved her life out here on the farm and how she took her job very seriously, this brought so much joy to our family.
Thank you MACED for your sweet tribute.
So I can't believe that I forgot to mention in my last post about what a blessing it was to get our new milking pipe lines and feeders at the beginning of the year. It took a little getting use to, but once we got the hang of it, it definitely sped up the milking and cleaning process.
Take a look at mom milking our first 8 milkers earlier this past season.
For those who don't know our family on a personal level or maybe hasn't followed along on our journey on facebook from the beginning, may be wondering, "Where did Good Shepherd Cheese go?".
Well, we didn't go anywhere but with a whirlwind of events this year, it's kind of taken us back and slowed us down to the point of just trying to make it. After having a terribly cold and miserable winter during lambing season and the start of milking, we often wondered what we were doing wrong and why everything seemed to be such a struggle.
We were blessed with a few extra hands at times during the beginning of the year by some interns from Morehead, but on a working farm there's never enough help for everything that needs done just in a days time, not to mention the extras and the mishaps that you often don't plan for.
As Spring came, so did a heavier and more intense work load of milking, cheese making, pasture rotation, bottle feeding, and even some mommas still lambing. The work was harder and the burden of trying to worry and care for the farm and keep a job on the side to help pay for the bills finally took it's toll on my father, our patriarch and lead shepherd.
May 2nd, my father suffered a heart attack. They found two main blockages that had to be taken care of with open heart surgery. We were incredibly blessed with family members who showed up and prayed along with us. He came through surgery fine but I tell you, I never wish to see a loved one in that shape again. It was really hard seeing him after surgery. I was extremely grateful he was okay and that we were able to see him but we couldn't speak to him. If you know my dad, he's usually always saying something funny and wise and then to see him hooked up on machines and different tubes coming out of him, not saying a word, it's devastating to a child, no matter how old you are. I've made the mistake of going through my life thinking that my family, especially my parents, were invincible and nothing tragic or bad could ever happen. If you've never seen tragedy, you start to think it's never going to come your way. Well this was a wake up call for me. I rely on my parents so much for everything, from love and support, to advice, to the 100 questions I ask them on a weekly basis because mom and dad know everything and I count on that. I tell my parents all the time, jokingly but completely sincere, that they're not spring chickens anymore and they have got to slow down and take a step back.
So you wonder why you don't see our faces at the farmer's markets or at any of the festivals? Right now, all we can do is try to survive. God has been there for us through out this entire year and we've seen Him in the faces of all the family and friends we've made that has helped us physically and financially. We may never be able to repay all those people but we thank you and we want you to know that you were a true blessing to us in a time that we felt helpless. God has continually given us hope in times of despair, just when you start to think the lights will be turned off, a check comes in the mail. God has always shown up.
Milking season has come to an end for the year but the shepherds are still working hard on a daily basis here on the farm to keep the pastures rotated, the animals fed and taken care of.
Since the beginning of this journey, God has guided them and led them to this place to raise sheep and care for them. Obeying Him wholeheartedly, that's what they were called to do and so that's what they done. The cheese part of it came into place to help them be able to make a living at it and be able to bring folks to the farm so they could tell their story and about what God has done for them. Even with all the struggles that my parents have faced, I know they will be rewarded one day, all because they were called and they were faithful.
Even with all the struggles this year, we've still had some really great times on the farm.
Just a few of our blessings:
We added a new member to our herding family, Nell. Nell is the daughter of my brother's border collie Kate and my parents border collie Jim. She's a very sweet and loving border collie who I think will be great at working the sheep when her time comes.
Our good friend Susan Miller (Bluegrass Chevre aka the goat cheese lady :) ) is now selling Good Shepherd Cheese for us at the Lexington Farmers Market.
Dad built new mangers for the barn that Daniel and I were able to help with some. Dad also was able to install a milk feeder for the lambs. All the donations we received for milk replacer to be able to feed lambs with. That was a true blessing.
We went from a half full cheese cave to busting at the seams with cheese, thanks to my brother for stepping up to take over the cheese making after dad's heart attack.
Mom and I had our lovely faces posted on the new Appalachia Proud campaign from the Ky Dept of Ag. Good Shepherd Cheese was selected as one of
the special pairings in a special issue of Culture Cheese Magazine.
Our Pyrenees was paired with Kentucky
Bourbon.
We have all got to witness my sweet little nephew Leeland grow to love and really enjoy the farm this year. Just a few of his favorite words: Poppy. Tractor. Ride. My parents got new neighbors down on the blueberry farm. A very sweet Amish family moved in and I think we've all taken a liking to each other. We're able to do things for one another just as God intended us to do. I think God has a purpose for sending them our way. The national cheese community (represented by Rebecca Williams of Many Fold Farm and Tim Gaddis formerly of Star Provisions) had set up a donation website for cheesemongers, cheese professionals
and devoted cheese lovers to be able to hear our story and be able to
donate any amount they wished to help us bridge the gap and keep the
lights on until dad was back on his feet again. My uncle devoted many days to coming out and helping where needed, from cleaning and packaging cheeses to bailing hay and doing whatever was asked of him. Thank you to our faithful customers for being loyal and believing in us. To all those I failed to mention, your kindness hasn't gone unnoticed and we appreciate every prayer, every mention of our name (that's free advertisement), every donation whether it be your time or your money. We are so grateful! I think back to when I was younger and listening to Alabama's "Angels Among Us". I truly believe God sends people (angels) in our path to help us along the way, to help guide us, and give us hope. Our family has seen many angels along the way, they may not know how they've touched our lives but we will never forget.
I can go on and on listing all the things that have been a blessing this year and the good things that's happened despite the bad but unfortunately this post has to eventually end and I can't stop telling of the blessings that's happened without sharing one of the greatest blessings my husband and I have been grateful to receive. We are expecting our first child on March 14, 2015 and we are just beyond excited.
God has been so good to us and we should never take that for granted. I know I cherish the people around me more now because of the trials my family has faced. Please continue to pray for my family, we are still trying to recover financially. If you enjoy our products or just love what we do, we would be so grateful if you continued to support us and purchase our cheese. We want to be in God's will every step of the way, which ever way He may lead us next.
If you've visited the farm any in the past few years you would normally find our three border collies eagerly lined up, anticipating the words 1, 2, 3, Go! and race each other down the green pastures. It was one of their favorite things to do outside together, next to herding sheep. If you was to visit the farm now, you would notice the dogs don't quite line up like they once did.
Last Thursday we all awoke to our little Nan gone. She had died in the early morning hours, lying in the floor at mom's bedside. It was heartbreaking news to hear. Nan came to the farm three years ago this month. Though she had only spent a short time with us here, she made a huge impact on our lives. She quickly became mom's dog after Shadow, our sheltie passed two years ago. We all loved her from the minute we saw her. She was definitely different and really quite funny.
To be a smaller border collie and be the "sweet" girl, you never would have imagined Nan to be the instigator. From pulling pizzas off the counter top, digging through the garbage can, and stealing throw pillows and stuffed animals. Nan had her own way about things. She loved going down to the creek where she would chase her own splashes. She loved playing frisbee and playing with the tennis ball. One time we lost her to the neighbor kids throwing a football back and forth, they quickly included her. Nan had a fascination with anything and everything small, lambs, puppies, kittens, babies and anything that resembled a ball. There are so many pictures to prove to my nephew Leeland when he gets older, how Nan loved and looked after him.
We will miss her dearly. We'll miss those crazy eyes she'd get when she was in full border collie mode. Miss hearing her snore when she passed out from a long day of work. Miss her running the floor in the milking parlor (she was the sheep warden during milking season).
Miss her running to hide every time the fly swat was pulled out. Miss her raising her leg with her tongue hanging out the side of her mouth every time we'd rub her belly. Miss her sitting on the gas pedal on the Kubota. I'll even miss getting annoyed with her for jumping into the fence every time I went to lay a new one out for the sheep. Nothing compares though to the way I know that mom misses her. Our Sweet, Crazy Nan.
As bad as I hurt for all of us, I know Jim and Eoghan miss her as well, she was their third amigo. The three musketeers. Nan was their friend, their playmate, a competitor, and their sister. Jim will miss her by his side running the fence line, barking everytime they thought the sheep were getting out of line. Eoghan will miss sharing the couch with her and her nipping at him as if telling him to quit biting the tires on the Kubota .
A bond between a dog and their person can never be broken. Mom &Nan
This is the picture we all received the day mom and dad got Nan. We were all excited to meet her. Dad & Nan 11/28/2010
We could all tell that Nan was feeling bad on Wednesday, so we didn't push her to go outside but for her to rest and to hopefully feel better. With that being so, Nan still wanted to make one last trip to the pasture with her master that night. Little did we know, that would be our sweet little Nan's last run. Thurday morning, Nan was laid next to her brother Shadow under the oak tree. Some may disagree, but I know in my heart that God's got a special place for them in heaven and I know I'll see them again one day, tails waggin' and all. Nan will always be remembered and we will cherish all the memories we have of her. As dad so sweetly wrote, "we just pray that if there are flocks of sheep in heaven, that you will
be at the Good Shepherd's side keeping a watchful eye on all his Lambs. Good bye dear friend "
Shadow and Nan.
Nan 11/27/2002-11/07/2013
"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted" Matthew 5:4
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