Keeping Sheep

Keeping Sheep
Lynne Perry Christofferson

I have a little flock of sheep, and they are mine to tend and keep,
And I must guard them every day for little sheep when left alone will lose their way.
So many voices say to me “A sheepfold is no place to be. Your time in there is dull and slow, and lambs leave very little room for you to grow.”
Oh if I ever start to stray, deceived by thoughts of greener pastures, Remind me Lord that keeping sheep will lead to happier ever afters.

Oh surely there will come a day when all the lambs have left my side and I am free to roam about and go exploring other meadows green and wide. Yet something whispers in my heart that when my sheep have left this pen I’ll long to stroke their little heads, to draw them close to me and have them young again.

So while they are still in my care, I pray that I will clearly see these little lambs within my fold are tender gifts a loving Father has given me.

Sounds of Sunday

I played this song a couple of weeks ago to accompany Debbie Peterson in Sacrament meeting. I hadn't heard it for a long time, it's really a sweet song. Today in church I found out that our neighbor Sharon Thulin passed away last night. Kerry often mowed their field behind our backyard. She was a nice lady, who always called me "Kid" and was very complimentary about anything we did, even riding our bikes as a family past her house. She will be missed.

30 years ago tonight...

It seemed like a good idea at the time. Kerry wrote me a song, and played it for me on his guitar, and then he proposed to me. This took place at my apartment, which was then Reams, now "The Colony" in Provo. And so it seemed logical that we should call our parents and let them know the good news...even though it was somewhere in the 11 pm to midnight range. We called the Parks first, since they were in a later time zone, then we called the Rankins. And they had never met Kerry before. Goodness, what were we thinking?

All's well that ends well, and 30 years later, I can still remember the song which started "Dear Ronna, here's a valentine I wrote it just for you..."

Things are different now...Marisa and Doug just got engaged but we've already met and spent time with Doug here and in St. George, already have seen lots of photos as we've been facebook friends for months. With cell phones and the internet, people's parents need never be a stranger to their daughter's new fiancee ever again!

I'm excited for another wedding, another chance to go to the Temple with a child of mine, and another glimpse of heaven. Congratulations to Marisa and Doug, thanks for not calling us at midnight (although we would usually be awake as tonight with 3 of Emily's friends here for a midnight french fry-fest Monday Holiday sleepover.)