Fierce Love

I’ve spent the greatest part of the last week and a half with a calf.   I discovered him when I was doing my early morning chores in the middle of the lot.  It was especially cold with a frigid south wind.  Helen – his momma – was disinterested in her offspring which surprised me since this was her second calf.

Despite the fact that I was not dressed to work outside I spent the next eight hours warming him up, moving him to our newly acquired calving pen and feeding him colostrum.  A portion of that time was spent trying to get his mother into the barn with the pen.

Thanks to the help of friends, I was finally able to reunite the two, although she was not nearly as excited to find her little bull calf as I imagined.

Fast forward through the week of freezing temperatures, the calf refusing to nurse from Helen and me wrestling with him to take a bottle.  Helen was only concerned about her breakfast and supper and only mildly upset while I worked with Frasier.  (Every year we name the new calves after characters in a familiar television show and this year we decided on Frasier.)

Since he was doing better, this morning, Frasier and Helen were re-introduced to the herd after a week and a half of living in their 12′ x 12′ pen.  When I opened the gate and pushed him out the door, I felt the urge to hold on and protect him a little longer.

But off Frasier went into the lot with his little blue fleece coat and Helen close beside him.  She did a little dance to celebrate her freedom, but was then right beside him as I continued to push him to the bigger barn.

By the time I was preparing to leave them, I observed Helen being fiercely protective but gentle with Frasier.  I was shocked!

This Valentine’s Day I’m admiring that fierce love!  I am amazed at the love that I feel in my family and from God each day, but today I’m celebrating it!  My prayer is that you have a love that big for yourself and those that are special to you.

…and life is good.