Mary Had a Little Lamb

Mary had a little lamb,

whose fleece was white as snow.

And everywhere that Mary went,
the lamb was sure to go.

It followed her to school one day
which was against the rules.

It made the children laugh and play,
to see a lamb at school.

And so the teacher turned it out,
but still it lingered near,

And waited patiently about,
till Mary did appear.

"Why does the lamb love Mary so?"
the eager children cry.

"Why, Mary loves the lamb, you know."
the teacher did reply.

I loved this nursery rhyme as a child and I have loved it as an adult because of the 23rd Psalm and because "Mary" was the Mother of Jesus and "loved the lamb!"

After my first month of being hospitalized and having lost 30 pounds, my clothes no longer fit.  Kohl's was having a sale so Cheryl and I went shopping. As we were paying at the cash register I looked at a display case that was featuring lambs. Easter was coming up so there were a lot of lambs to choose from. They had an especially appealing one that was sort of whimsical with a smile on his face and slightly drooping ears.  I felt perfectly ridiculous buying a lamb to sleep with at age 77!  But I think I felt the need for comforting that a stuffed animal can give a child. I had two stuffed dolls as a child. Sleepy Head and Cuddles! They slept with me every night and I loved them. 

So I bought the lamb and decided he would be my traveling companion to the hospital and that I would sleep with him at night. He doesn't exactly have a name. I call him the Lamb of God and he comforts me just as Sleepy Head and Cuddles did.