Recently I took a two-mile wagon ride through Rolling Ridge Ranch in the Amish country in eastern Ohio. Beefalo, zebu cattle, yak, Brahma cattle, Nigai, antelope, emus, ostriches, llamas, alpacas, and many other animals gathered at the wagon whenever it stopped. They knew they would be fed from our buckets. Feeding animals with wide antlers and long horns can be a bit daunting, to say nothing of the animals’ strength as they worked to take the whole bucket of feed—and often did. The wagon driver was an excellent guide, who could match babies and parents, knew when the animals had been born or had arrived at the ranch, and warned us of their feeding idiosyncrasies. “Raise your bucket higher. Make him stick out his tongue.” I admire the guide’s oneness with the animals. Isn’t such oneness what is meant to be in God’s plan?

Take some time today to notice animals and birds, and give them your care.