A discovery experience!

I have been wanting to know the differences between a goat and sheep for a while. It happened today, when I found a flock with different features, some with horns and others without. I checked an internet site to know the differences. 

Goats have a thicker and fuller coat that needs to be sheared and is the source of wool. Most goats have horns and goats have tails that turn upward. Goats do not have a philtrum in the upper lip. Goats are independent, intelligent and tolerant. Goats eat anything they can, leaves, twigs, etc. An adult male goat is called a buck and a female as Nanny.Young goats are called as Kids. Goats are commonly reared in our setting for milk and meat.

Sheep do not have horns; their tails are cropped and have philtrum in the upper lips. They do not usually have horns.  Sheep like to stay in a flock and gaze on grass. An adult male sheep is called a ram and an adult female as ewe. The young sheep is called a lamb.

My search about this pair of goats in the pictures led me to suspect that they are Anglo-Nubian breed of domestic goats.

I observed how they approached each other to have a 'conversation time'. I saw them together for several minutes standing next to each other and being comfortable to be still! Their silent presence to each other was their way of  communicating.  

That took me on another journey inward to reflect on silent presence. Anna and I were introduced to the practice of silent presence between us by sitting in a quiet place and looking at each other. This is not an easy exercise as looking face to face  can distract us and make us take the eyes off each other. The retreat leader who introduced this communication process between married couple, in his introduction, told us to keep recollecting the joyful, pleasant and grateful experiences of having been together and use the time after three minutes of silence to speak to each other  of the memory of silence of  three minutes. We did practice this as away of communication which often brought feelings of intimacy and fondness for each other.  It slipped away from our practice in the recent years, and I felt the absence of it when I noticed the two goats in silent presence to each other.  

I feel that marriage enrichment escapes the attention of most of us amidst the work and home related responsibilities we are engaged in. A home stagnates unless the relationships between the husband and wife is renewed to bring freshness and aliveness in marital relationship. I suspect that it gets excluded from our consciousness. As Anna and I meet with each other early in the morning and take time to be together, we realise how important such times are to keep us drawn towards each other. 

The distractions in marital relationships are many. We need to do an audit of them on a weekly basis and respond to make intimacy and trust in marriage as the ground on which we stand in marital relationship.  

It was while watching the goats and their behaviour these thoughts surfaced in my mind.

M.C.Mathew (text and photo)