I am now in my 76th yearand as I look back over the years to my childhood I can picture myself as aseedling, not one of the posh flowers that finds its way into shows and vasesin rich mens houses, but more like a herb that is so often taken for a weed andcut down or trodden under foot, but there has been times when someone haswanted me, and that has given me great pleasure, I recall a Old Lady standingby her door watching the cream of the flowers go by and when the herb came alongshe wasn't afraid or too proud to slip one penny in his hand to get her a pennyworth of snuff you see if the Old Lady had asked a flower to go and get her apenny worth of snuff she would have been disgusted, Snuff fancy asking me toget her snuff!
On another occasion Irecall a wasp that was on a bit of bread and jam and as I bit off a bit I alsobit the wasp that was in my mouth the wasp stung me in the throat two or threetimes, my mates said I should go and see a Doctor at once but instead of runningtwo miles for a Doctor, I called on a herb only a few yards away, I took a fewleaves and chewed it, and gargled my throat with the juices, and in less thanten minutes the pain was gone and the swelling also.
The very next day one ofour mates was stung on the neck by a wasp so I called in the herb again by thattime the swelling was the size of a large hazelnut, I chewed the herb leaf thenput it on the sting, in ten minutes the swelling and the pain had gone.
My memory takes me back toone evening when I was sitting in our village reading-room when the Vicar camein and sat close by me, and began to tell me about a man he had visited thatday, he said the man living in our village hadn't been able to walk for threeyears, the man had been treated in hospital, now he has been sent home, hisfeet is one mass of running sores, nothing the Doctors give him seem to do anygood, not even ease the pain it seems a hopeless case. Before leaving the house he said, I kneltby the bed and prayed to God for help, for I had a feeling that there wassomeone who could help him if we could only find that someone.
The next day I called atthe mans house, I told him the Vicar had told me about him, I told him, I am ashepherd, not a Doctor, but I will dress those feet myself free of charge ifyou would like me to, and if you have the same faith as I have, you'll soon bewell, the man said I have that faith.
I dressed his feet, a massof running sores, I also left some dressing so that he could dress it himselfand I said I would call in tomorrow to see how he was going on.
When I called the nextday, the man almost jumped for joy, he said I've had the best nights rest for along long time, I said that's good, carry on with the treatment, I will bringyou some more tomorrow and I think that should put you right.
On the tenth day the manand his wife went for a walk which was about four miles, from then onwards hehad no more trouble with his feet.
A few years later I calledat a house where a woman had the same complaint with her hands, she was wearinglong rubber gloves, she had been given different kinds of treatment by theDoctor, she had tried four different chemists and spent pounds, now she was fedup, she couldn't do any washing, and to wash up the crocks she had to weargloves which wasn't good for that complaint, so I went home and mixed up my owndressing and took it and gave
it to her and ten dayslater she was doing her own washing, she has never had any trouble with herhands since.
In the year 1919 whilewatching over my sheep in the fold, there came to me a man who was sufferingfrom dropsy. He told me that hehad been to hospital and now sent home incurable, his local Doctor had told himonly yesterday that all the medicines in the world wouldn't do him any good, Iasked him to pull up his trouser legs and let me see and feel his legs, as hehad been told by the Doctors that it was gout he was suffering from. As I felt his legs, I asked him how farit was up the legs, he put his hands right up to the spot under the heart. I sucked my breath.
I said man, those doctorsmight as well told you the truth you have dropsy.
He said, my Father diedwith dropsy.
I said, it looks as if thedoctors have finished with you, and you are going the same way as your fatherdid unless you do something for yourself.
Will you do as I tell you,as if a doctor told you? he said yes.
I said right. Come along with me, so I took him alongthe golf lengths to where there was a Broom tree I cut off a small handful ofthe shoots and told him to simmer them for a few minutes, then take a wineglassful morning, noon, and night until I told him different.
This was on a Thursday hisboots was both cut in three places, so as to get them on his feet.
He did as he wastold. Three days later he came tome again, this time with his proper boots on with no cuts.
And to my surprise, andeverybody elses surprise that knew him he started work again on the tenth day,wearing britches and gaiters. Hekeep himself going for 16 years.
Ha!! he told his mates,the shepherd is my doctor, and all free.
Ask? and it shall begiven unto you
Some years ago I wasshearing some sheep at Peel Common on a Saturday afternoon, when at about5.00pm my daughter brought me a telegram saying if you want to see motheralive, come at once.
I had 60 miles to travel.
I decided to ride my bikeas there was no convenient trains running. I arrived home at 1.15am on Sunday morning.
My mother was now 84 yearsof age.
The doctor said motherhad, had a stroke, there was nothing he could do, it would have to take itscourse.
When I arrived two of mysisters was watching over her as she lay paralysed on the bed down stairs.
As soon as I arrived mysister told me all the doctor had said, and just what happened.
Immediately I lay acrossthe bed, took my mother by one wrist held it like grim death, put my right handfingers pressing hard into the nerve centre of the back, and held her as tightas my strength could do, fifteen minutes later my mother relaxed and sleptpeacefully until 5.15am. When shehad another stroke, I did the same thing again while one of ny sisters ran offdown the village for our eldest sister to come and see the last of her. But when they arrived mother wassleeping again.
My eldest sister asked mewhat I thought of mother, I said, since the doctor says it must take itscourse, and there is nothing more that he can do, I suggest that you get thenurse early this morning and give mother an enema, and I think she will be tentimes better before I have to go back.
Sister Ede carried out myinstructions and my mother recovered so that she was sitting up in bed thatsame day and asked me to play some hymns on the little kind of organ.
From that day mother gotabout and done most of her housework beside her flower garden until she was 94.
The Lord is my; shepherd,
Once an old shepherd didsay,
He will lead you along theonly sure way,
He will love you, and feedyou with his spiritual grace,
He will land you quitesafely in a Heaven of peace.
Old Shep.
How ever much you mayknow, don't think you know it all!
A Heaven of peace can befound right here on Earth, in your own home, or in your work, providing youcarry around the spiritual guide within you, and put your faith in the Almightypower who created you, and all things that really matter; "money cannotbuy peace".
As seen through the eyesof an old shepherd.
The parable of Our LordJesus Christ as written in the Tenth Chapter of the Epistle of St John.
Saying, I am the goodshepherd, my sheep know my voice, and they follow me.
And after he had spoken,the people understood not, the things which Jesus had spoken unto them.
It took several flocks ofsheep, and several years as a shepherd to teach me the meaning of thatparable.
It was in the year 1913that a strange flock of sheep was frightened out of the fold one dark night bya barking dog.
I was living close by, Iheard them break out, so my wife and I took a lantern and with the help of myown trained Collie dog we went after them, the dog soon rounded them up, butthis was the first lesson of the parable began.
"I was nottheir shepherd", they didn't know my voice, they were not used to beingled by the shepherd by walking in front and calling them, no, they were used tobeing drove.
So when they were stoppedby a strange dog, they did something that I'd never seen a flock do before,they began to go round and round in a tight circle, picture a spinning topgoing round and you have the picture I had to contend with, I couldn't stopthem going round and round so I gradually worked them across the field until Ireached a empty cattle yard where I edged them towards the open doors, andwithout them even knowing what they were doing as they went round and roundthey were all inside the yard shut in safely for the night.
That was lesson no.1. Although I wasn't aware of whatwas to follow.
It was 1917 that lessonno. 2 came to light.
It was on a Sunday morningthat a drover came to our farm to take away a flock of 200 ewes that had beensold.
The drover arrived at thefold while I was away in an adjoining field feeding the lambs, I had left myson quietly taking the bells off the sheep, I had almost finished feeding thelambs, when I heard someone start shouting, and a dog barking, as I lookedacross the field I saw a sheep jump the hurdles and run away, as soon as I hadfinished the lambs, and came through the hedge that parted the two fields, Isaw the sheep that had run away, about one hundred yards away, I stood andwatched her for a few seconds.
"She was tremblingwith fear", she didn't know where to go, or what to do, but when she heardmy voice she pricked up her ears, and I called again twice, and she camerunning up to me, and as I held out my hand she rested her head in the palm ofmy hand, and followed me back to the fold.
I then counted the sheepto make sure they were all there.
Then I walked in front andcalled them they followed me across a field, into a lane, and on through thevillage and along the main open road in which they had to travel, then I handedthem over to the drover.
I told him to walk infront and lead them, but her preferred to walk behind where he could see themand drive them.
So I turned for home andleft him. But I hadn't gone far,before I heard shouting and a dog barking.
So I turned again andhurriedly retraced my footsteps back to see what was happening.
What had really happenedwas that the sheep having no shepherd to lead them went into the first opengate they come to, the drover had sent his noisy barking dog to bring them out,but instead of coming out they were going round in circles, and he couldn'tstop them.
I walked along the road tothe gate and called them, immediately they stopped whirling and came runningback into the road to where the voice they knew so well was calling, thereagain I'm sorry to say I had to leave them in the hands of a drover, and I mustadmit I had a sentimental feeling that caused me to have to wipe away sometears from my eyes.
It is written, that even"Jesus wept": I can now understand, why? the shepherd as Jesus was ofman, knew that he would soon be leaving his sheep the people, in the hands ofdrovers, and that without a shepherd to lead us, we too would be as we aretoday, and have been ever since he left us, going round in circles.
The year 1940
Lesson No. 3. The night was dark, the timeeleven-thirty, the shepherd was cosily sleeping in his bed, when a loud rappingon the door of his cottage awoke him from his sleep. The shepherd jumped out of bed, and looked out of thewindow, and a voice said from below, is that you shepherd, I've just had amessage to say our sheep are out, and are now in Enterprise field, I thought Ihad better come and get you.
I said very good sir, I'llbe with you in a minute or two, that was my employer, the owner of the sheep,he had a car outside waiting.
I put my dog in the backseat, then got in myself, and off we went about two miles, when we reached thegate of Enterprise, I said, turn out the headlights so as not to throw anyshadows, then I said, I'll go alone, you stay here by the car, so that if Iwant the dog, I'll call, and you can let him out of the car.
I could hear the sheepbells ringing, so although it was dark I was led straight to them, when Ireached them, I would decern some dark figures, I stood still for a moment, andsaid to myself, "I think I can do it I'll try". Then I called out in a loud clear voiceand every sheep answered as one, and came running up to me, then I shouted out,come-on-then, come on! and they, four hundred of them followed me across thefield and out through the gate where
my master was stillwaiting, into, and down the main road for some distance, then through anothergate, and across another field and into the fold, where I shut them in safelyfor the night.
And all this was done byvoice alone without the aid of dog or man.
The master said, shepherd- you can handle a flock of sheep.
The shepherd answered andsaid, I never done it alone, Sir.
Sep 11th 1948
The shepherd had a dream,and in that dream he saw as it were a great multitude of people all huddledtogether, and instead of going straight forward, they were going round andround like a frightened flock of sheep, and as they pressed on and on going roundand round like a set of roundabouts at a fair, follow your leader and nobodyknows which is the leader, I watched them drawing nearer and nearer to aprecipice, and as they reached the edge of the precipice they couldn't stop andthey all fell down into an abyss to their destruction.
When the shepherd wasasked, why didn't you stop them? the answer was, because they didn't heed mycalling.
WHAT I HAVE SHOWN THEEDECLARE IT UNTO THEM.
* * * *
The old shepherd saw in adream what we would call a planet many times larger than the sun, but itdiffered from the sun because it was kind and soft to the eyes, more of agolden colour, but in the centre was the face of the most beautiful smiling andpowerful person I ever saw, the face was of a beech-nut brown, so beautiful tosee, especially as it was smiling down at me as if it was pleased with me,although I don't know what I may have done to deserve such a smile.
There is no face on Earthlike it, and no power on Earth like it.
It is written that God isa jealous God, but in my dream-vision I was shown that God has no reason to bejealous he is the master of all things.
In my dream I was assuredthat God preferred us to love and trust him not as it is written to fearhim. Because if you fear anyoneyou will avoid him.
But if you love and trustthem you will be as close to them as you possibly can, like, as the oldshepherd says. I like to feel asclose to God as my sheep liked to be as close to me to eat out of my hand.
I know what it feels liketo be trusted and followed by a flock of sheep in the darkness by voice alone.
And I know what it feelslike to trust in God the creator of life as I travel through this world ofdarkness, I know there are many, many gates that are wide open that leads toself destruction, but if you keep close to the true and trustworthy shepherdwho keeps on straight
ahead leading you, andcalling you, you can't go wrong, because he has gone on ahead, if there were byany chance of an obstacle in the way, he being in front, would remove it sothat you wouldn't stumble at it.
Put your trust then in theShepherd of all shepherds, the Good Shepherd, the Shepherd Son of God theCreator of us all.
And Blessed are those whoknow and heed his voice.
Punishment
In my dream I was assuredand saw that God is not the punisher that we are "taught" him to be.
From the very beginning ofman, God gave man his freedom according to the laws of nature, but if man brokethose laws, nature would punish him, man was not satisfied with natures laws,so man made laws to suit himself so that some could become rich with silver andgold and land and property.
Gods way of life was slowbut sure, mans way of life is fast and unreliable that's where mans freedomcomes in, thousands are allowed to punish their friends in accidents and killthemselves and their wives and children every year.
Each one of our bodiesshould be a building, a temple, a church or a home fit for, and open to Godwhose presence could make it a little Heaven on Earth.
Or have you anythinginside your home that you cherish more than the presence of God, such as a finecarpet nobody must step on, or a fine settee nobody must sit on, something youwant to show off, to Mrs Jones, or have you a fine motor car you thinks so muchof, or having a craving for wealth such as gold and property and publicity orany such vane thing within your heart. If so, its no use inviting God in to see it, unless you put God first,because God takes second place to no man, or anything.
The Wayward One
I was like a wanderingsheep,
I wouldn't be confined tofold,
I wouldn't heed myshepherds voice,
So I wandered from thefold.
I found a lot of fun tohave,
And lots to eat and drink,
But little did I know justthen,
It would lead me to thebrink.
I wandered on from placeto place,
Having what I thought wasfun,
I saw many places, and oldtime faces,
The memories of which hadalmost gone.
My welcome 'soon' woreout,
Then I began to think,that I,
was like a sheep, lost andtrembling
with fear. Would be far better
off in my shepherds care.
I lay myself down, but Icould not rest,
I was weary footsore andsad,
I had left the fold of myown freewill,
And the best friend I everhad.
What can I do? Where can I go?
Who cares for me rightnow?
The way is rough, the hillis steep,
And oh! My poor old tenderfeet.
And as I lay in restlessform,
So many miles away,
I can hear my gentleshepherds voice,
Saying, why ever did yougo astray?
Now I'll put away myselfish pride,
And with my own freewill -I will lay
myself down by the fold,outside,
Where the shepherd willsee and hear me,
And again take me inside.
I am not one little bitafraid,
Since now I've lost myselfish pride,
I know quite well, he'lltake me in,
And guard me against anyfurther sin.
For such a tendershepherds care,
Cannot be found justanywhere,
A contented and thankfulsheep I'll be,
And rest in peace,
O Lord with thee.
Shep.
Isaiah 40, 11
He shall feed his flocklike a shepherd
The Prophet Isaiah spokeof Jesus as a shepherd long before the appearance of Jesus.
And Jesus, according tothe epistle of St John, a disciple of Jesus; when Jesus was talking to thepeople he mentioned the words shepherd and sheep many times in places and manydifferent phrases.
He shall feed his flocklike a shepherd, says the Prophet Isaiah.
The Lord is my shepherd,says the psalmist another shepherd.
And according to St John,Jesus said, I am, the good shepherd, my sheep know my voice and they follow me.
Now an Old Shepherd thewriter of this, says.
I do not: "fear"the name of God, I love; to hear that name, I love to feel as close to God, asmy sheep liked to be as close to me.
I hate the word of fear,for I don't remember of every being afraid, but love and trustare the words that I like best and if within your heart and soul you can saythat of your shepherd Jesus, the Son of God, fear will disappear.
Fear
Woe! Be unto the pastors who scatter myscatter with fear.
* * * *
Fear God. Every time I see that word fear infront of God, I feel I would like to scratch it out and replace it with, love,and trust God, for I am quite sure that God don't want you to fear him, hewants one and all to trust him, and to love him, so that in return for ourlove, he will multiply and glorify his love for us in return, a blessing ofgrace, a crown of glory that fadeth not away, a better understanding betweenGod and man. St Peter spoke of a ChiefShepherd also. That would bring acrown of glory that fadeth not away.
Sorrow and mourning shallflee way if ye love one another, as I have loved you, let not your heart betroubled keep my commandments, that ye love one another, putting your faith,trust, and love in the Almighty God our Heavenly Father who alone has the powerto preserve or destroy according to his will.
It has been written thatGod is a jealous God.
My friends, as I saw in adream vision, that God has nothing to be jealous about, he it is who has thepower over all things, he can give, take, or withhold, God could turn thisworld of ours upside down, and it wouldn't cost a penny, and nothing, all theclever people in the world could do, to stop it. No my friends God's got nothing to be jealous about.
God created us, God giveus our freedom, we parted our wages, we have had no shepherd in any governmentin the whole world Pope or Bishop but what has been at tug-of-war with eachother, or at war with each other, or causing a cold mental war, now thousandsof people being killed or injured everyday through the world by gadgets made byman!
Beside what is killed onthe roads every year throughout the world, there are earthquakes, hurricanes,blizzards, floods, gales, air disasters, mine disasters, fatal accidents withmachinery, deaths, and millions of pounds worth of damage causes by fires,besides sea disasters, hardly a week goes by without a strike by some group orother interfering with thousands of others, now millions of pounds being spenton space gadgets, instead of making the earth a safer and better place, andbeing content with what God has given us on this earth. We have created something more than wecan manage right here on this earth of what we think is ours, but its only forones life that freedom which God has given may be withdrawn from anyone atanytime any day, and it may be the cause of their death, which is happening sooften in these days.
I recall giving a youngman a warning on a Thursday before a Good Friday to be very careful over theweekend, I remember saying "goodbye" as we parted, something seemedto tell me that I shouldn't see him again, I didn't, he killed himself on theSunday night by hitting a lamp post with a powerful motorcycle, and alsocrippling a girlfriend for life that was riding pillion.
That powerful motorbikewas his god, I'm sorry to say, it killed him. He didn't heed the shepherds warning.
Religion
Several years ago, I heardthe first Bishop of Portsmouth preach in Stubbington Church, his sermon wasabout religion.
He said religion was whatpeople made it, but there is a big difference between man made religion, andChristianity.
Now as religion is seenthrough the old shepherds eyes, against Christianity, is that, Jesus, himselfsaid, I am the good shepherd, my sheep know my voice, and they follow me.
And it is written inIsaiah he shall feed his flock like a shepherd.
Timothy, says the Lordknoweth them that are his. Davidsays the Lord is my shepherd.
St Matthew says.
"And he shallseparate them one from another, as the shepherds divideth his sheep from thegoats", meaning the worthy, from the unworthy or in other words, the goodfrom the bad.
St Matthew says.
"There shall bewailing and gnashing of teeth, and the tares shall be burnt in fire".
That to me, seems to me tosum up the attitude of our Lord Jesus Christ as a shepherd of men.
And Jesus is the headshepherd of men. (Only the bestsheep are kept by the head shepherds of animal sheep) while all theundesirables are handed on to someone else, to feed themselves like fightingcocks, and later to be slaughtered.
As the shepherd sometimeshas to divide the weaker sheep from the stronger, because the stronger oftenpushes away the weaker from their feed, the weaker then are all of one strengthor standard and are feed accordingly.
As a shepherd sends anumber of sheep each week to be slaughtered, so it happens that a number ofhuman sheep are destroyed each week in one way of another.
And there is weeping andsorrowing from their own. But nonefor the sheep that was slaughtered, for their convenience.
While looking at Jesus asthe head shepherd of the human race, when he takes over permanently there isgoing to be some drastic changes, for he has said that he will divide themlike a shepherd.
And when I tell you that ashepherd keeps no sheep that is discontented, or any undesirables, and they asthe fig tree which was mentioned in Jesus Christs parable just simply sent tothe slaughter.
No doubt many will bedestroying themselves every day during the waiting period, but to those whowant to follow in the shepherds straight and narrow way will need lots of willpower, and faith with full determination to never turn right or left, or back,the road is straight, the shepherds in front, he will remove any obstacles thatgets in your way. If the hill istoo steep, just sit down and ask for strength, or God will remove it for you.
Don't never get in ahurry, do as God does, take your time. Trust in God and live.
St John 8-50
I seek not my own glory;there is one that seeketh and judgeth.
As I shepherd when I wasyoung I used to pride myself of having as good and sometimes the best lambs forsale at the Easter Market and sometimes the best sheep in the Christmas fatstock show, but as the years passed by, I began to have a different feelingtowards my sheep, which led to me giving up being a shepherd of animalsheep. I had developed a love forsheep for as I was in the lambing fold I began calling my lambs very quietlywhen first I began feeding them separately from their mothers, also in thelambing fold I used to talk quietly to the mothers as I stepped gently inbetween them and often over them as they lay comfortably in the fold atnight. They got to know my voice,they trusted me, and would come to my call, or settle down at the sound of myvoice.
How then could I carry onbeing a shepherd, knowing quite well that the sheep trusted me, and come to mycall for the last time, for they would be going on their last journey to beslaughtered.
I would much rather be ashepherd of man under the shepherd of all shepherds, for I would know thatinstead of leading them to be slaughtered I would be leading them into a placeof everlasting peace and happiness.
The shepherd of shepherdsis of course Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God our Heavenly Father. To him I look and listen for everycall, for instructions and advice.
If as it is written thatJesus intends carrying out his work as a shepherd, then my knowledge as ashepherd will be a great help.
For all of us humans arethe sheep that Jesus has promised to shepherd and lead into a place of safetywhere peace and everlasting life is the just reward.
To those who will not heedhis voice and follow Him the-shepherd, will be left to the drovers who alwaysgoes behind, and the sheep having no leader, will enter the first open gatethey come to which leads to their own downfall and self destruction.
It is no good giving aunbeliever a sop, give him or her a hard nut to crack so that be the time theyhave got the kernel out they will then see it is not so easy as sucking a sop.
In other words, whenpreaching a Sermon, hit them hard, they will respond all the better.
You may have to injurethem before you can nurse them. But I've known it too often work.
St John 10ch 10 vrs. The thief cometh not but for to stealand to kill but for to destroy.
I am come that they mayhave life and that they may have it more abundantly.
This kind of the gospelhas now been preached for generations without much success. For why?
Because the Churches anddifferent so called religious bodies are at tug-of-war, and as long as theycontinues to pull one on the rope at different ends, instead of all pulling onthe same end, all in the same direction; Christianity cannot go ahead as itshould do.
Therefore I myself have sofar stood aside from pulling on either side at the moment for spiritualreasons, as I believe in the Almighty power of Creation, whom we call God.
The power that has createdthis wonderful Universe, with so many wonderful things and creatures, male andfemale of every kind.
Birds and beast and animalof distinctive colour that never cross breeds if left wild to nature, they comeand go, they mix together, but they also have their little differences abouttheir nesting places, they have their little scraps but they fight their ownindividual battles. They all havetheir freedom as far as nature is concerned, they are not tied down, by thelaws of man, but they are all killers, they kill to live, even the smallestinsects to ants, spiders, hawks, owls, bats, in fact almost everythingincluding the sea-birds kills fishes, and fishes eat fishes, like foxes eatrabbits and chicken, rats, mice and birds.
So we could go on and on,until we come to man, they only living thing on earth who is tied down by thelaws of man.
It is written in thescriptures that thou shalt not kill. Yet everything that God has created has to kill to live, even man. I myself, if I'd been caught catching andkilling every rabbit, hare or partridge and pheasant that I did kill and takehome for my wife and children to eat. I should have been sacked from my work, turned out of the house andfined or sent to prison by people who regularly went to Church every Sunday andpretended they were Christians.
The wife of one suchperson who I caught smoking a cigarette in a Church while she, the high andmighty wife of the Manor was putting flowers in the valse by the altar, and Iheard her talking to three other women, she was running down the choir boys forafter putting their surplices on they filled in their waiting time playingoutside, and they came into the Church with dirty hands.
I looked over her shoulderand told her that God would rather see those boys in church with dirty hands,than someone with a dirty soul. Idon't think she every forgave me.
Because several yearslater I called at the Manor farm house to ask the Master if he would give me ajob of hoeing at piece work so that I could regain my health and strength at myown pace, having in wages only what I earned.
The master was not at homeso she called her son, which was not the Masters son but his stepson.
When I had told her what Ihad come for, she was very snobbish, both she and her son, if they thought theywere going to embarrass me they were mistaken although they used insultingwords, when they had both finished their say, I looked them both in the faceand said; what you have said to me, you have said to Him that sent me;"Your day will come".
And as I left, a inwardvoice said to me. Wipe your feetin the grass, wipe all the dust off. I did as I was instructed, then the voice said, now you leave the restto me.
A few days later, insteadof driving her motor car, she was riding a push-bike. A few days later she couldn't even do that, she was goingblind.
A few months later herHusband saw me working on the road trimming grass, he stopped his car and gotout, and came to have a chat, the chat was concerning sheep, as he knew me as Ihad been both his fathers and his shepherd, it was him who has called me frommy bed one dark night to go and gather in a flock of 400 sheep that had got outand gone astray.
It was he who when the jobwas done who congratulated me for being able to do it by voice alone withoutthe help of man or dog.
Then I asked, by the waySir, how is Mrs H these days?
The specialist seems tohave done all they can, and we are afraid she is going totally blind.
I said Sir; as I gazedinto the heavens and then at him, I said there is one chance of your wiferegaining her eyesight, but you must do as I tell you.
There is an Elder treethat stands just outside of your front gates, you pick a handful of thoseElder-leaves, wash the dust off then bring them to the boil in a saucepan withhalf gallon of water simmer for five minutes, then soak the eyes thoroughly init (just lukewarm) two times a day until she is better.
About a fortnight laterwhen I saw her again she was driving her car, and alone.
I have often wonderedabout that since.
I might add that I alwayswashes my eyes out when needed with Elder water.
* * * *
Shoot to kill in riot citywhere rioting had broken out in Los Angeles. One thousand shops and houses destroyed by fire, and lootingis going on. 28 deaths reported 24are negroes,and police believe many more lie dead buried in the rubble.
* * * *
Reported in the samenewspaper the Daily Express of August 16th 1965. Mr Harold Wilson breaks his holiday to discuss the breakaway of Singapore from Malaysia.
* * * *
Also the West Indiansthreaten to fight the Ku Klux Klan, in Britain. Also reported, Labour left wing MP's threaten revolt overthe immigration bill.
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Canada will not sendtroops to fight in Vietnam.
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Saboteurs fire 300 homesin Srinagar Kashmir Pakistani and guerillas are said to be attacking theIndians.
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There is an old saying,that's; united we stand, divided we fall.
* * * *
As I see it through thecolumns of this days newspaper, even we in Britain who pride ourselves as beingone of the civilised countries, countries in the world are still at tug-of-warwith each other, you can see it happening every day, in the Houses ofParliament whether sitting or not, the MP's at one another even they aredivided in their own party, and party against party.
As long as you play thisdam silly game of tug-of-war, there will always be other and bigger wars in thelands.
* * * *
It is not only thepoliticians that needs to mend their ways, it is also the Churches and thevarious religious bodies all over the world which could and should bring aboutbetter relations and better understanding between men at work, and stop pullingagainst one another, you would find it much easier if you were all pulling onthe same end of the rope, and all pulling the same way.
* * * *
Now in Britain we have theWest Indians threatening to disturb the peace of our land by fighting the KuKlux Klan who as it seems to be putting fiery crosses on their doors, it is upto all the political parties combined to put an end to this trouble.
We have to put our ownhouse in order, we can be friendly and helpful, but if we have to draw a lineit must be plain enough to see, and strong enough to be respected.
* * * *
To those of you who havesentimental reasons for being sympathetic, listen to this what St Matthew hasto say.
And Jesus will separatethe people one from another, as the shepherd divideth his sheep from thegoats. Again I quote St Matthew assaying. There shall be weeping andwailing and gnashing of teeth, and the tares shall be destroyed.
* * * *
Now if we look at thesesayings for a minutes it looks as if Jesus will eventually separate the peopleas they were separated in the beginning, before people began to invade otherpeoples country, it may seem complicated to you, but to me an old shepherd whohas had the job to separate thousands of sheep at different times, I don't seeany reason why it couldn't be done.
I have seen two flocks ofsheep that has got together about 800 all told, separate themselves out in lessthan ten minutes.
As written in the book ofSt John 10 chap. Jesus said,"I am the Good Shepherd".
My experience as a goodshepherd or the head shepherd I would not have a mixed flock of sheep, and onlythe best was good enough, not always the best looking was the best mothers.
A flock of mixed sheep wasusually for the slaughter house, unfit for breeding.
Now let us look at JesusChrist as a Shepherd in charge of a flock of women to day, I can picture him,what we call culling them out. Only the good mothers retained in his flock, the lambs would be taughtto trust him, not at they are taught in the Churches today, to fear him.
Fear is your worst enemy:
Trust is an anchor, whichleads to faith.
Kindness is the seed oftrust.
Cruelty is the seed offear.
He would say, fear not,for I am with you.
That reminds me of a flockof sheep I had in a lambing fold, one night as I was standing in the foldsheltering from the cold wind when all the sheep was frightened by one sheepthat had gone giddy and fell down kicking with all four legs.
The whole flock suddenlyrushed for one end of the fold, but before I knew what had really happened Icalled out with a loud voice three times, that voice they knew so well, thatvoice they trusted calmed them down in seconds.
That's how I like to trustmy creator.
It is written, there shallbe one flock and one shepherd.
* * * *
As a Shepherd, if I wasasked to explain the meaning of that prophecy, I should say that the sooner weget a "world international government", under the guidance of theAlmighty Power of Creation then the sooner we would have that one flock, andworld wide parliament as the one shepherd to govern.
The world then could lookforward to peace, security by unity. Under such a parliament or Shepherd there would be no boundaries toquarrel over, in time fighting forces could be disposed of, and only police forceswould be needed, and in time instead of wasting money on war materials themoney saved could do wonders in helping the under developed parts of thecommunity or shall we say flock.
"Speech isimportant"
As it is written in thebook of Genesis, the whole earth was of one language and of one speech.
For generations now thepeople have been confronted because we do not understand one anothers speech.
The time has now come forus to have a universal or international speech so that the whole world will beone flock and that the whole flock will know and understand the shepherdsvoice.
If we put God the Almightypower of our creation first and foremost in our minds and actions, I am sure itwould please him to help us to bring about peace of Earth and goodwill to allmen.
* * * *
As I watch the personalityof the different political leaders, and listen to their tone of speech on thetelevision; as an old shepherd myself I sit here and listen, also read thenewspapers, and weigh up the cos and cons, classing one as a nosey drover, andthe other as a shepherd trying to quieten, and reassure a frightened flock backinto a state of trust, Joe Grimmond was shouting his head off put me in mind ofa drover and also Herr Hitler, while Harold Wilson was taking in a quietreassuring voice.
The Liberal party amongother things was criticising the Labour party for putting restrictions onimmigrants, while on the very next day a Doctor was warning us of the dangerthat immigrants if not properly controlled could bring a plague of leprosy intothis country within a few years beside other diseases.
* * * *
I uphold that no immigrantbe allowed into this country without a clean bill of health.
As our own emigrants hasto go through a medical examination and be inoculated against certain diseases,is it too much for us to demand the same security?
The Ministry ofAgriculture and Fisheries are much more stricter on what animals are allowedinto this country than the Ministry of Health has been with immigrants.
When one comes to lookinto it, the Ministry of Agriculture is much more concerned about pure breedingthan the Ministry of Health.
I was listening to thepanel of the BBC Any Questions, one question was one which often crops up.
Should Doctors be allowedto give drugs or injections to put incurable sufferers to sleep which meanseverlasting sleep.
Dr Lady Summerskill, LordBob Busby and Tom Dresburg seemed to think that the judgement should be left inthe hands of the Doctor who are the trained, and the people who actually knowsthe sufferers complaint or disease.
Mr Malcolm Muggeridge -differed. He quoted theCommandment, thou shalt not kill.
A little while earlier theten commandments had been quoted on another question, but the panel didn't seemto have much faith or belief in all of them as workable, and Moses was jokedabout.
That brings me to thepoint that has lived with me as a shepherd all through my shepherding career,that the Almighty power of Creation whom we call God created all creatures tokill to live; and also to live to be killed either by other animals, creatures,or human beings for 'their' living.
That seems to me, as trueas it is, to put the commandment - thou shalt not kill, in an unbelievablequotation, in a well thought out discussion.
To those of us who havelived through two great murderous wars and are left with the memories of themillions of lives that was lost by sheer murderous bombings and burning ofmillions of homes, it is not a wide open lesson of the terrible mess that manhas got himself into since He man has taken upon himself to rule without theguidance of God the Almighty power.
God has given man hisfreedom to live within the laws of nature which is Gods law, or go his own wayby man own laws, which allows man to destroy himself, which he is doingeveryday of the year.
It almost make me feelsick to hear someone praying to God to give them victory over someone else,don't let us forget that God has the power to do as he please, it pleased Godto give man his freedom, therefore the true believer and followers of Godshould make themselves heard all over the world, and let it be known that ifKings, presidents, and parliaments got themselves mixed up in a fighting mood,they alone would have to do the fighting without man made weapons like theanimals do, and the peoples should be firmer on the members of parliament andmake them more careful on their speeches.
I would suggest that everyhouse of parliament and houses of representatives throughout the whole worldshould have a boxing ring set up in every one, and then if one party threwdirty sneers and nasty rude insulting remarks they could fight it out there andthen like the animals do between themselves without bringing everybody else intoit.
A good scrap or twooccasionally would liven up parliament and it would be a cheap way of fightingfuture battles don't you think?
Now let us look for amoment at some of the things that happen that man has no power whatsoever tocontrol, such as earthquakes, volcano eruptions, hurricanes, blizzards and etcwhich can destroy millions of homes, and lives sometimes in a few seconds,hours or days, while it takes Armies years to do the same amount of damage,unless they used dozens of atom bombs which cost a lot of time labour andmoney.
It wants some thinkingabout don't it?
Thou shalt not kill.
I often wonder howauthentic those words really are.
Now let us look at theword "Faith".
What does the word faithmean?
It means trust! But what are you going to trust, orwho?
Trust beings contentmentand peace.
For example; my sheeptrusted me all the while I could keep them, but there comes a time when one hasto part with them, that was the sole reason that I give up shepherding, for whowith a conscience like mine could lead them to be slaughtered.
Another example of who totrust. I myself have been trustedwith weekly and fortnightly credit for food, boots and clothing and etc.
I have dealt with manytrustworthy shopkeepers, but I have come across a few who have tried to make mepay (£30 and more twice), and would have succeeded if I hadn't kept myreceipted bills for a long while.
On three differentoccasions, and I'm sorry to say, all three where chapel-preachers.
One in particular I give asevere talking to, I told him that he was like a wolf dressed in sheepsclothing, and the devil behind a cloak.
Contentment, trust, peaceand love, "Money cannot buy".
Wisdom and patience isanother thing that is given, but not altogether free, it often demands (selfdenial). Such as, not trying tokeep up with the Joneses.
And to be happy in yourhome and at work.
As I recall a millionairewho heard one of his workmen singing as he worked, he looked at his friend whowas also a millionaire and said. He's got something that our "money cannot buy".
Who then can we trust, Iwouldn't even trust myself a hundred per cent.
The only one that I trustsmost is my Creator who designed me, but even then I am well aware that one hasto abide by the laws of nature. And that is impossible if one has to abide by the laws of man.
Killing to live is the lawof nature, a hawk or a fox or any other animal can kill a pheasant for example,but if I was caught killing a pheasant to feed my wife and not too well fedchildren, I would be prosecuted.
I knew a man, who,affected by stammering, it was a job to get work owing to his disability totalk, the only way out seemed to Acker as we knew him was to live according tonature, so Acker took to poaching wild rabbits, hares, and a pheasant or two attimes.
Acker was sent to prison21 times.
But Acker wouldn't steel afowl or anyones property, he lived alone in a little old shack, and he was asharmless as a kitten.
B.B.C. Meeting PointOct 31 1965
The difficulty ofsegregation between immigrants of coloured people in this country, and thewhites, the difficulty of the housing problem combined with integration andmixed relations, the mixed feelings that exists.
The real and true answeris that Britain is a mixed nation of white peoples, derived from the Romans,the Dutch, the French, Anglo-Saxons, the Normans and many others, Irish, Scotsand the Welsh. So what have we toboast about?
We should ask ourselveswho started it all. It wascertainly not the Blacks. It wasthe Whites who first went to the Black mans country, and settled in amongst theBlacks, they wasn't satisfied by being allowed to settle there, the Whitepeoples wanted to run the country and to dominate the Black peoples lives, andmade them work like slaves, until the White peoples got the Blacks in the statethey find themselves in at this present time.
Tit for Tat!
The Black peoples was apart of our Empire, they worked and fought for our cause, now that they are apart of the Commonwealth, what does it matter if we go out there and mix withthem, or they come here and mix with us.
The Australians, NewZealanders, Canadians and many others can come here without any fuss, so whymake a fuss about the colour of the skin.
After all the unpleasantthings that has been, and are at present being said about the Black peoples inthis country, I wonder what the moaners here would say is suddenly all theBlacks were to be recalled back home, and take over all the White peoplepossess and say to all the White people, since there is no room for us in yourcountry, and since our peoples have recalled us home, you too must clear out ofour country at once, and we will take over all of your possessions. We've left all we possessed in Englandexcept a few personal belongings, so you gather up your personal belongingswhat you can carry, and clear out, at once, and go back to your mixed nativeland, and leave us in peace.
Obedience
As I watch and listen tothe B.B.C. Television Programmes about the way children should be taught, andthe way children are allowed to answer back to their parents it only goes toshow to the millions of viewers what sort of parents the children have got.
The first two things thata child should be taught, is trust through kindness, and obedience throughfirmness.
At this time of my ownlife I would place obedience to God first, obedience to the Almighty power ofcreation, the one who designed me and give me life and all that which goes withit, and makes life - worth living, also patience is a virtue, and a necessity,which helps one to trust in the one most important of all things, "whichis life", and first and foremost, "the giver of that life".
Nature can and do playsome very funny tricks, that man as clever as he is, can do nothing about,except, if one wishes to live a peaceful life, to live with it and accept it asit comes and goes like the, Spring, Autumn, Summer and Winter.
Perhaps as a shepherd Ihave lived with nature much more than a good many people will ever do. As one has to live out of doors, to seethe sun rise in the morning was the best weather forecaster, to see and listento the first larks in the morning, to watch how high they soared, and how muchthey sang.
To watch out for therooks, to see which direction they took would it be the hills or the valleys.
To give a glance at thedifferent kind of flowers, such as the little pimpernel that will only openwide when the sun shines, and closes even before a thunder shower breaks,giving the natural observer time to take precautions or get to cover.
I remember two ladiesdrawing my attention to a lovely sunset one evening as I was working in theirgarden screened in by high hedges, I went out in the open where I could see thesky away in the west, as I scanned the sky and took in the message, the ladiessaid they had never seen such a lovely sunset. I said that I'd never seen a better one, they said, whatdoes it mean shepherd? "Itmeans. That in 24 hours time therewill be a terrific gale blowing". But said the ladies we thought that a red sky at night wasthe shepherds delight, yes said the shepherd, so it is! You will see, we will have a fine nightand most likely a fine day tomorrow but tomorrow mornings sunrise will give theanswer to that, as you know the old saying, a red morning, is the shepherdswarning.
* * * *
Sometimes I wonder if itis a gift, or is it because I love nature.
As I well remember when Iwas only 15 years of age our head carter was going to start harvesting thefirst field of wheat with the binder, it looked like being a perfect day, as itwas between 6 and 7 o'clock, the sun was shining beautifully, the under carterhad to come with me, to shift a load of hurdles.
As we stood in the stablediscussing one thing and another, I said to the under carter, you had betterbring a couple of sacks with you Charlie, you'll need them, for its going torain pouring before very long. Thehead carter heard what I said, and he said, don't talk so blooming silly; so wewent our different ways.
The carter with two morelads went off to prepare to start binding the first field of wheat but by thetime they were ready it began to rain, and by the time Charlie and myself hadfinished shifting the hurdles, we were soaking wet through.
Don't talk so bloomingsilly the carter had said, but I still often wonder, how I knew, who! or whatwas it that told me?
And by the way, the galethat I forecast to the two ladies, concerning the red sunset, the followingevening 24 hours later many trees were blown down and much damage was done.
While keeping with natureand its natural ways of giving warning to those who has eyes to see and thewisdom that nature provides.
I recall one day in July1907 it was a very nice warm and sunny day, the hour about 4 o'clock p.m. whena gang of men was about to have their tea break.
I recall my Father was oneof them, he had just sit down, when I shouted. Have you noticed that all the scarlet pimpernels areclosing?
Many miles away was onesmall black cloud, five minutes later there wasn't one single person left inthe field they had all left for shelter and safety. Twenty minutes later, lightening and thunder struck acrosswith torrential rain and hail. Themen had been hoeing swedes in a field some distance away from any shelter.
So now perhaps you can seewhy country men likes to live so close to nature.
We country men, much likefishermen have to rely on what nature has to tell us, they the fishermen, likethe men I mentioned will make for the safety of the nearest harbour whenthey're out on the calm sea, receives a message that out there only nature canprovide. I myself accept suchmessages, as a God send.
"Nature at itsbest"
A bit of Heaven on Earth
To me it has come from thedawn songs of the birds, which can only be heard at dawn. The one outstanding in my memory after77 years, it happened in the valley known as Lottage Road in the village ofHolbourne, in Wiltshire, the date, June 19th 1961, the time 20 minutes to 4amBritish Summer Time.
The cockerels started itoff by awakening all the surrounding birds in the valley.
The ducks began quacking,then the blackbird and thrushes started up, and within five minutes every songbird in the valley was sending forth their own different notes of real musicthat sounded through the stillness of the morning that would have put any popsinging of today into the background of despair and disrepute.
As I have lived in thecountry all my life sometimes surrounded by several copses of woodland, I havelistened to millions of birds singing and thought how beautiful and howwonderful they were.
I remember too, finding alittle bit of heaven in a water meadow during the month of May 1911, when Itook my flock of ewes and lambs each day to the water meadow to feed, theweather was perfect, the sun was really hot. As the ewes were feeding, the lambs were playing, runningskipping and jumping the little brooklets, while I watching them, listening tothe songs of the birds singing away in the willow trees that hung over thefootpath that run down the side of the river that made the whole place seem soheavenly.
At the top end of theriver close by was a lake, on the lake was a pair of swans, some wild ducks,some moorhens, and also there were some dab-chicks that dive and dart in andout of the water and reappear some distance away, and as I think how wonderful,and clever they are and who designed them to be so clever not only to swim anddive, but to fly as well. We ashumans beings seem to think that we are clever, but we have to buy everythingwe have, while the others get theirs all free of charge.
Now as I wander gentlyalong down by the riverside and watch the silvery waters rippling by as if theywere singing as they were travelling on their long and pleasant and fruitfuljourney, I catch sight of a kingfisher watching for a fish which he so aptlycaught and flew away with.
There are plenty of troutin the stream to watch, but not for me to catch, I was content to be in such alovely place at such a lovely time, there were lots of bluebells and cuckooflowers mingled among the willows, and the giant large golden king-buttercupsscattered about all over the meadow.
Beside the bird songs,there were several cock pheasants strutting about calling their usual, cock-up,cock-up. And to complete the wholepleasant feeling the cuckoo flew to and fro at times singing its song, cuckoo,cuckoo.
At the end of each day, Ilead the way back to the fold, where I shut the sheep in for the night, withtheir bellies all full they would lay themselves down to rest in peace for thenight.
Then, as I made my way forhome along a path through the woods, the birds are still singing, the sun isstill shining quite warm and as I keep swinging along I find myself singing asong, then as I come out of the woods out into the open, I can see my sweetloving wife standing by the door of our cottage in the valley waving a whitehandkerchief in her hand, and as I wave back with my cap in hand, and joy in myheart, she disappears indoors, and by the time I reach home, the tea isalready, a smile and a kiss and this is what I can a little bit of Heaven onEarth.
In days of old when sheepwas sheared by gangs of men who travelled from farm to farm, the farmers hadlots of stinging nettles cut and carted to the barn, the mows in the barn waslittered up with a thick bed of nettles where the sheep would be housed andready for catching for the shearers. The wooden floor of the barn in the centre is kept clean, by one personwith a hand brush and a small shovel, another person would have a tin holdingwood ash and it was his job to sprinkle a little ash on any cuts that mayoccur, the shearer would call out, "minding", then the person wouldsprinkle the ash on the cut which would dry up quickly. For the other person with the shovelthe shearer would call out dung thus keeping the floor and the wool clean,there may be two men who nothing else but tie the wool fleeces and stack themready for baling of about 80 to 100 fleeces per bale, then the bales werecarted to Winchester wool sale or other county wool sales.
Most of us shepherds wouldmuch rather have our sheep sheared in the old fashioned way by hand shears,although the machines is much easier and quicker. The machine clippers takes the wool off clean to the skin,leaving nothing to protect the sheep from what so often happens a cold wetnight, which is the cause of severe chills and the loss of a lot of wool nextyear.
On the other side of thequestion with every blow of the hand shearer, he leaves a ridge of wool theequivalent to what a lamb is born with, enough to stave off at least some ofthe chilly climate weather.
I have seen a flock ofsheep that had been sheared by clippers so chilled after the first cold wetnight, that their skins shone like chilled jelly, and the following April andMay they were loosing their wool as if they had the scab.
Unwashed wool in thosedays was 4'4½ per lb, washed wool 8' per lb.
Sheep washing
I remember the first timethat I took part in washing a flock of 400 sheep. We had to travel about 4 miles to the sheep wash poolsituated in a water meadow, the pens and coops had already been pitched up, andleading down to the waters-edge where there was three hatches, and in eachhatch was set a "box like spout" where the water pressure pouredthrough on to the sheeps back and etc. In front of each spout was a tub and a man stood in each tub, the tubsbeing fastened down so that they wouldn't move about, then as each sheep wasthrown into the water, another man guided each sheep to the men in the tubswith a long handled stick with a two way crook for pulling or pushing, eachsheep was held under the water spouts while the men in the tubs opened the woolrubbing them with their hand from the head, neck, shoulders, back, and rump,then the sheep swam a few yards and eventually walked out of the stream on tothe meadow where they could drain off and feed, when all was finished we had towalk them home again the four miles, they after a wait for about ten days thesheep was sheared. The shearerswhere paid about one pound per one hundred, in those days, there were usually abarrel of beer hosted up in the barn, and the shearers had a small horn fullevery now and then.
Sheep Dipping
Sheep dipping isaltogether different from sheep washing.
I remember a man fromPewsey in Wiltshire who used to travel from farm with a horse drawn contraptionlike unto a large box with a platform just large enough for one sheep to standat a time to drain off after being dipped, it was a slow and hard messy joblifting sheep in and dipping them one at a time.
A few farmers had a sheepdip built in the ground so that you would drop the sheep in, instead of havingto lift them up. These dips wouldtake four sheep at a time to be swimming in the bath at a time, while theshepherd would supervise, dip, and guide the sheep with a long handled crook tothe steps where the sheep could walk up into a draining pen.
The best sheep dip I everhad any truck with, was at Axford Farm, this place belonged to a pig farmer andsheep dealer.
The pens and runways wereall fitted with gates, and over the sheep dip was a platform, and there in aconvenient place for the sheep to see, was a wire cage with one sheep in it asa decoy to draw the sheep in onto the platform, the platform held about 6 or 7at a time, all one had to do was to pull a lever, and in they slid down intothe water and then swam along to the steps without being man handled at all.
A Thunder Storm
It was about 9 o'clock onenight in the harvest time that we had a terrific downpour of rain with heavythunder and lightening, enough so it frightened my sheep out of the fold, asluck would have it I was not too far away when I heard the sheep bells givingthe warning that all was not well, on reaching the fold I found it empty, thesheep had got into another field by jumping a ditch which had about 2 feet 6inches of water in it, and six of the sheep had fallen in, so that I had to standin water up to my thighs to lift them out, I can assure you that wasn'teasy. The sheeps weight when drywas between 10 and 11 stone, now that their wool was full of water and thatpressing on my legs and chest and arms lifting them up five or six feet all onmy own was a very unthankful job, I was very lucky not to lose any.
And a word of thanks to myCollie dog for taking care of the flock while I was attending to the othersthat was in the water and could have been drowned if not found in time. The rain water in the adjoining fieldwas three inches deep and still running into the ditches.
Weather Forecasts
Ever since I was a ladI've been very good forecasting the weather for twelve to twenty hours inadvance. That was made by takingnotice of the actions of the birds, and some of the flowers, that was onlypossible during the summer months. Such as larks a soaring high in the sky, or the little flowers closing,the rooks in the winter was a very good guide, by taking notice if they took tothe hills or the meadows in the valley. I also think that I derived a certain amount of instinct by studyingnature.
Red morning shepherdswarning
Those words are true andcan be relied upon for the day. Asin the years before broadcasting the weather we had to rely upon the many signsof nature.
Take for instance a redmorning.
If you are soon enough tosee the sunrise, you will know if it will rain by nine o'clock. Or by eleven, of if it will be fine allday, just by watching where the red disappears, or in other words, how far thered travels across the sky, if the red goes right over to where the set willset, you will have a fine day, or if the red disappears before it has travelfar it will rain by nine, or eleven, if you should see long é shapes of thin cloud withthe red on it you can expect strong winds.
Red sky at night
Is much the same as themorning unless the sunset throws its red right across the sky it will not be ashepherds delight.
Often a red night willpredict wind and rain, but now that we have the weathermen, who do the studyingand forecasting for us, some on weather ships, other flying high in the air weneed not have to rise early in the morning to see the sun rise, all you have todo, is just switch the radio on and you can hear the lot, but sometimes in yourown local district you can be more right than they, all the one for that Idon't pretend to forecast long forecasts, for say in January someone says, whatkind of summer are we going to have, that to me is impossible in these days unlessone has a gift of some kind of instincts, or as it has been with myself at agiven time something seems to whisper in my head we will have a hard winter aearly spring and a warm dry summer, and a good harvest, the farmers will boastand crow.
But last year I told youthat they wouldn't crow, I was right.
I know that some peoplewould pooh-pooh at the idea of having some kind of a medium or whatever onelike to call it, but during my lifetime I have been informed and warned, andgiven the inspiration to quick action, I am sure that such warnings and wordsof advice has got me out of many difficult problems both with myself and alsoserious things that crops up with sheep on different kinds of land, and in thelambing fold.
Anyone who wants to pooh,let them pooh, all I know, is that I have a peace of mind that you cannot buy,or gain in a university.
Almost everythingworthwhile has been found out by what the finder thought was an accident.
How often in ones lifedoes a minor accident occur that opens ones eyes and sets the brain working toget it put right or to improve it, then there comes a time when we have what wecall, a brain wave, just how did we get that brain wave. It may have been brought about a remedyor a cure, or an invention.
As a shepherd I alwaysthink of the inventor and creator of this mysterious Universe and all livingcreatures and all that goes with it, all free, such as a persons own mostimportant requirements, patience, faith, wisdom, and a peace that money cannotbuy, and a inward, or spiritual feeling that there is someone other than man totrust in.
Faith Healing
I myself so to speak havebeen able to help a few people to completely recover from just a few of seriouscomplaints such as dropsy, running eczema, stroke, and also skin trouble, lightburns, ringworms and etc. (but I cannot cure myself of chronic muscularrheumatism), although I have surprised several doctors by completely recoveringfrom that dreaded disease known as pernicious anaemia. I don't profess to be a faith healer,but I do believe in herbs that one can get free of charge, "naturesremedy" which I got from the hedgerow, and helped myself after the doctorsand hospital had told me that there was no known cure, "they said I wouldhave to have injections all my life".
When I was taken into StMarys Hospital Portsmouth, I am quite sure that it needed more than just faith,although I had my fair share of that, it was found that I had hardly enough redblood cell to keep alive, without a doubt the many injections I had poked intome kept me alive to be now able to tell the tale without those injections Ishould have long since been dead.
When the hospital doctortold me that we don't know how you got this disease and there is no known curefor it, you will have to have injections at least once a month all your life,at that time after 3 weeks I was having one a week.
I asked to be sent home, Inearly snuffed it on my way home in the ambulance, the assistant opened thewindow, after I had been home a week or so, I went along the hedgerow, and dugup a mandrake root, and gathered some wood sage, and boiled it separately, andkept it separately, and took it separately, I also took some iodine in milk onalternative days. Two years laterI went to Gosport Hospital for a blood check and the two doctors looked at meand asked me, "who told you that you ever had pernicious anaemia?", Isaid you check up with Dr L, and the St Marys Hospital.
* * * *
I THINK! I know whatcaused it pernicious anaemia, by sucking too much (menthol crystals) during thewar to avoid colds.
"Faith Healing byVicars"
In the News of the World13.3.1966. Said the Rev J DPearce-Higgins Vice Provost of Southwark Cathedral, spiritual healing is inpart of the ministry. It is in thebounden duty of every vicar to try. "I have tried it he said but not with any great success".
Now let me recall a truestory of our own Vicar who visited a man with running eczema, the man hadn'tbeen able to get his boots on to walk for three years. The man had been in hospital, and alsotreated by doctors nothing seemed to do him any good. The vicar had visited the man and prayed by the bedsidesaying in his prayer that surely there was someone would help him. If we could only find the right man,"the someone". That sameevening, the vicar came into the Reading room, and sat by a shepherd and toldhim the story, saying, I have visited him today, and it is a very sad sight tosee him laying in bed with his feet wrapped in bandages, and resting on top ofthe bed rails.
The next day the shepherdwithout telling anyone, visited the man and dressed his feet himself, and leftsome dressing for the man to dress them again and again. Ten days later the man and his wifewalked four miles, completely cured.
But the vicar who was avery nice man was eat up with rheumatism and had to hobble about on two stickslike I am doing now.
Faith didn't cure him, butwithout a doubt faith like myself helped him to carry the burden in a cheerfulway.
Why do we have tosuffer? Because we have brought iton by our carelessness, and selfishness, we have done those things that weshould not have done, and the health that God first set us out with in thebeginning has deteriorated through mans own fault, God give us our freedom, wehave used it to our disadvantage.
A question I ask myself,why did our Lord Jesus Christ mention shepherds so many times as for instance.
I will lead my sheep likea shepherd.
I will feed my sheep likea shepherd.
I will divide my sheeplike a shepherd.
And it is written that hesaid woe be unto the Priest and the Pastors that "scatter" my sheep.
Let us look back for amoment to the case of the man with the bad feet, both the man, and the shepherdhad faith, the shepherd also had the knowledge and experience of treating hissheep in so many ways for so many different ailments. The Vicar played his part by praying to God for help, whichhe found that same evening in the Reading-room, that prayer was answered byGod. The man was healed, there wasno fee to pay, only as the shepherd, when asked, about the fee, the shepherdsaid, don't thank me. "ThankGod in your prayers".
* * * *
I used to go to churchquite often before I became crippled by arthritis and muscular rheumatism, myhome and my body is now my Church.
This Vicar has been herein the village for three years. Ihave seen him only once call at this house.
The other Vicar beforethis one was here five years, he called once, and he called again aftermy stepson had already died.
The young mans widow toldhim that his presence wasn't required now, and that all his sympathy now was nogood, she told him if you couldn't find time to come and see him when he was soill and alive, there is nothing you can do for him now but to read the buriallessons, "and be paid for it!"
Our other old crippledvicar would stop and talk to the poorest of the poor in the street, and I wouldsay quite a nice kind voice he had, he told me, he got his rheumatism in thetrenches in 1914-18 war.
This is March 17th 1966since writing on the other side of this page. This very day I was stood bearing my weight on two zimmerorthopaedic sticks talking to some soldiers just outside the Church by the wallwhen the Vicar and the Curate came out and were talking to the soldiers withintwo feet from me, I was the only village person there, I was giving thesoldiers the information they were seeking neither the vicar or his curatespoke to me, although I spoke to them, not so much that I minded, but it justwent to show how much they were interested in a person who was crippled witharthritis perhaps they didn't see me, "or didn't they have to seeme". I wonder!
Perhaps I wasn't dressedsmart enough I should have had a tall-top-hat, and a pair of gloves in my handsinstead of two hospital-lent sticks.
I can seem to hear OurLord saying unto them, as ye treated my shepherd. Even so I treat you as you have treated me, because he wassent there to test you.
Whatever ye do unto one ofmy servants, ye do it unto me.
* * * *
I can also seem to hearthat parson and his curate preaching those same words to others.
About 2 years later. They have no Church, it was destroyedby fire.
Nov 1st 1967
The Pope has justrecovered from a light fever under the care of doctors, now he is awaiting anoperation under his doctors.
So as I see it, he thePope puts more faith in doctors than he do in God, what faith?
Faith in God is a power ofstrength.
Trust is a must, or feartakes its place.
Faith is a anchor.
Fear is an enemy.
Cruelty is the seed offear.
Kindness is the seed oftrust.
Nature is the works of theCreator God.
Television Sunday Nov1st 1970
Malcolm Muggeridge asksthe question why God allows suffering
It is a difficult questionto answer but my own opinion is that God the Almighty power of all creationcreated everything perfect, he then give us the freedom to do one of twothings, to live the life that he had set out for us in peace and goodwill underhis care and guidance, or do as most people have done, go there own way. Gods laws are but few, break any law ofnature and you will have to bear the consequences, man alone has made laws tosuit himself in the name of freedom. There is no freedom. Exceptone Trust in the Almighty who created all things without our aid.
A Token Dream Vision22/3/72
In my dream, my first wifewas with me, in the spirit, as she had been dead twenty years.
I saw in my dream two menas it were; I saw them walk out from a silvery cloud and stand out in the open,at that same moment "two very bright stars" appeared over theirheads, and as they stood side by side looking down at me, I said to my wife,can you see those two men in the sky, in between those two bright stars, canyou see them? can you see them? Yes; said my wife, whom I knew was in the spirit form, that is God andJesus. Aren't they lovely? aren'tthey lovely?
30/4/72 A Dream of afriends death
It was midnight when Iawoke from a dream, I lay awake pondering over what I had just been told, thata friend of mine was dead, and he had been dead two hours.
The next day anotherfriend brought the news, that the Rev A P Allen had died, he had gone down tothe West Country to visit his Son, and to see his Wife's grave, later he wentupstairs to pray and later he was found dead in a chair. Our last words together was until wemeet again I have a feeling that my dream informant may have been right, when Iwas told that he had been dead two hours.
He was a devotedChristian, and I know that he wished to go that way, and to be buried with hisWife.
We were close friends, heoften said he would rather be with me, then anyone else.
Gone but not forgotten
While sitting alone by thefirelight,
And I look at a vacantchair,
I can picture a dear sweetwoman
Whose life I can no longershare,
It is sad when they haveto leave us
We don't like to lose agood friend,
We may weep and feel sorryto lose them,
But I trust all will bePeace in the end.
So why should be grieve atthe parting
When we know we shall meetagain -
In the care of a lovingand trustworthy
Shepherd, and friends whoare already there, "In Peace".
No more sorrow, no morepain.
"Lovingmemories. Just the same".
OldShep.
A Prayer ShepherdsPrayer
Dear Lord and teacher ofmankind
Savour, Shepherd allcombined
Grant me a place OH Lord Ipray
Within your fold from dayto day
That I may hear and knowyour voice
My trust in you of my ownfree choice
For thou art the one whocan truly say
Follow me, I'm the Way.
Shep.
Heaven on Earth
A little bit of Heaven onEarth is often to be found,
If you go out looking awayfrom City and the Town,
I have found it on theWiltshire downs where sheep were peacefully grazing,
I have found it in thewater meadows where the lambs were joyfully playing,
I have found it in theWoodlands where the Sun was shining in,
With the wild flowers allaround me in the lovely days of Spring,
And now I am growing oldand grey I am very much pleased to say
I still find a bit ofHeaven on Earth in my home today.
The Wayward One
I was like unto awandering sheep
I wouldn't be confined tothe fold
I wouldn't heed myshepherds voice
So I wandered from thefold.
I found a lot of fun tohave
And lots to eat and drink
But little did I know justthen
It would lead me to thebrink.
I wandered on from placeto place
Having what I thought wasfun
I saw many places and oldtime faces
The memories of which hadalmost gone.
My welcome soon wore out
Then I began to think;that I was like a sheep that was lost and trembling with fear,
Would be far better off inmy Shepherds care
I lay myself down, but Icould not rest.
I was weary, footsore andsad
I had left the fold of myown free will
And the best friend I everhad.
What can I do? Where can I go?
Who cares for me rightnow?
The way is rough and hillis steep
And Ho! my poor and tenderfeet.
And as I lay in restlessform
So many miles away
I can seem to hear myshepherds voice
Saying; why ever did yougo away.
Now I'll put away myselfish pride
And with my own free will,I will lay myself down in the fold, outside,
Where the shepherd willhear and see me, and again take me inside.
"Now", I'm notone little bit afraid
Since now I've lost myselfish pride
I know quite well He willtake me in
And guard me against anyfuture sin.
For such a tendershepherds care
Cannot be found justanywhere
A contented and thankfulsheep I'll be
And rest in peace O' Lordwith thee.
* * * *
"The ShepherdsPrayer"
My Lord and teacher ofmankind
Shepherd, Savour, allcombined
Give me a place O' Lord Ipray
In thy fold from day today
That I may hear and knowyour voice
And trust in you of my ownfree choice
For thou art the one whocan truly say
Follow me; I am - the way.