While visiting Mitzpah Ramon Crater in Israel, we had the privilege
of seeing airborne goats.
As we were hiking along the edge of the escarpment, we saw mother and baby
engaging in airborne maneuvers. In the picture, you can see mother
goat in midair with baby trailing behind. I would like to have heard
what was going on inside the small goat's mind when momma made her leap.
Mother goat is a good deal larger than baby, and what for her was an easy
leap would be a major challenge for junior.
In spite of the gaping chasm in front of him, the young goat gave it his
best shot. Although he's less experienced in airborne maneuvers, he
took a leap of faith and was rewarded by a safe landing on the wall. I
was impressed that the plucky little fellow made a stable landing without
having his momentum carry him over the edge. Goats are surefooted even
when they are young.
Momma goat waited patiently for her
offspring to safely land on top of the wall before she headed straight
down the far side. I am beginning to wonder whether she has rock magnets
in her hoofs. How else could she walk straight down a wall?
Not to be outdone, baby goat turns on the rock magnets in his hoofs and
proceeds down the wall in his mother's footsteps.
I'm continually amazed when I see how animals nurture their young.
Whether they are a goat or a fox, it's the mothers and fathers that teach
the young how to survive. They show them how to hunt for food and shepherd
them around keeping them out of trouble.
This nurturing instinct is one of the things that connects us with other
species. We share the same drive to protect and nurture our young.
Somewhere hidden in our genes, God placed a program that turns on when offspring
come into our life.
Planet earth isn't a lifeless cinder hurtling through space; it's a
world of miracles. Wherever I go, I'm totally immersed in the
miraculous, and life is good.
