Maude's Blog, November

Hi, my name is Maude.  I moved to the monastery in the spring with my two sisters, Queen Latifah and Zsa Zsa.  At first, we were very scared and confused and I kept asking God, "What's going on?  Where's my mother and aunties?"  He told me it would be ok and just trust Him.  It was hard at first, but the shepherd here was kind; she talked to us, put us in with some sheep who are our distant cousins and gave us grass and water.  Sometimes we get some sweet meals of grain - I like that a lot.

The shepherd says I have an older cousin who used to live here named Maude.  She now lives in a neighboring town with some horses.  She's an only sheep.  The shepherd says I'm growing into the name Maude.  I saw a picture of her - I don't think I look anything like her.

Last month I, with two cousins Cosette and Baarette, went to a fair in a place called Rhinebeck.  It was a very long ride.  The shepherd talked to us from in the front of the car.  She stopped to get us some water on the way, but, we were too nervous to drink it right then.  She put hay in with us and that was good.

We finally got there and there was a private pen - just for us.  I was scared being there overnight but my cousins were there and we had plenty of hay and water.  I asked God take care of us: there were so many people we didn't know.  I was afraid I would have to move again and never see my sisters.  The shepherd came back in the morning.  I was so glad to see somebody familiar.  She gave us more nice green hay and clean water.  She even sat in the pen with us.  Then there were more people than I knew was possible.  All sizes and colors and smells.  But the shepherd sat right there with us said it would be ok.  I wondered and worried what God might decide, but, you know, it really was ok.  After a couple of days, the shepherd put us all back in the car with some fresh hay and we rode all the way back to the monastery.  It wasn't so scary this time.  I was so glad to see my sisters and cousins again.  Cosette was able to go back to her mother; she had been so lonesome.  Auntie Teddie had been worried that she would never see Cosette again.  They cried and cried while they were apart.  The shepherd had promised us all that we'd be together again, but we didn't trust her.  I think we'll do better now.

I'm beginning to be glad God sent us here.  It's exciting and I'm getting less afraid.