Today’s Word from Deacon Amy…
“For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work;
at the works of your hands I sing for joy.” Psalm 92:4
Pentecost Sunday was an exciting day for our family! We had been watching our pig, Julia, for a few weeks, knowing that she was getting close to farrowing (did you know that’s what pig birth is called?). We didn’t know, though, that she quite this close. When we got home from church, we went straight down to check on her – this was at about 12:30. Seeing that she was in the early stages of labor, we hurried to the house to change into our farm clothes, and headed back to the barn to get ready. By 1:30, the first little piglet had been born. Over the next four hours, Ava and I stayed with Julia as she birthed a new piglet about every twenty minutes. By 5:30, there were eight. Eight tiny, precious, little piggies. Three were all pink, two were almost completely black, and the rest were a mix of the two. They were all beyond adorable.
As you may know, we’ve hatched plenty of chicks and have had several goats born on our little farm, but these were the first piglets that we’ve welcomed. It was a pretty amazing experience.
Watching the instincts that our critters display always impresses me. Before going into labor, Julia broke open two straw bales in her stall and made a cozy bed. It’s hard to know how much animals understand, but somehow, she knew that she would soon need a safe, comfy nest. The brand-new piglets displayed obvious instincts, too. As soon as each one was born, they would start wiggling toward mama’s belly, seeking their first meals. They couldn’t quite walk yet and had very little muscle control, but they knew which way to go to find some breakfast.
By the next morning, the happy family had figured out a pretty good routine. Mama would lay on her side and let the babies nurse, then she’d get up to eat while they piled under the heat lamp in the corner. When she needed a rest, she’d lay flat on her belly and watch the piggies romp around the stall. Julia is a very attentive mama, and perks up whenever she hears an unhappy sound from any one of them.
On Thursday morning, Lia and I snuck into the stall and snatched three of the piggies while Julia was eating breakfast. We loaded them into the back of my car and made a visit to preschool. It was so fun! The kids sat in a circle while the piglets roamed around, sniffing and snorting. Needless to say, they were pretty popular guests. There were a lot of joyful smiles and giggles as the little pigs wandered among the kids.
I just love how much joy our little farm has brought to our friends and family. The preschoolers were just the latest recipients of this joy. We love to share pictures and stories of our critters for others to enjoy.
We could all use some joy in our lives. Hopefully the pictures in this post will insert some joy into your life today!
Deacon Amy
