"Princess and Daughter of the King"

When my husband Richard was a little boy on the Navajo Reservation, his mother Amy, would take him out sheepherding. He'd sit around playing with sticks and stones that he called his toys. As he grew older he took the responsibility to watch over the sheep. His mother would send him out with pieces of dried meat and tortillas or fried bread and sometimes dried corn and plenty of water. Sheepherders take the flocks to water or where there's grazing and good grasses to eat. When he took me down to Cactus Valley he would show me some areas where he would watch his sheep and showed me various types of grass that appealed to them. He talked about his favorite dog Skippy who protected him and helped him. There were times when mountain lions and wolves would prey upon a lonesome sheep or lamb but Richard was armed with sling shots and rocks he'd hurl at them and yell and sometimes scream for them to leave. He said it was hard work taking the sheep out and not get back for sometime...

This is a painting that my son Steven did of his Navajo grandfather who also was a code talker during W.W.II. Steven has since painted his brother Daniel which he gave to him not too long ago. Grandpa lost his mate Dorothy of over 50 years of marriage last year. He lives alone in a desolate area north of Holbrook, Arizona. His family has always been there for him as he has been for his kids. I wished Steven had done one of his grandmother too. She was a very kind woman with a big heart for kids. Their children are all over the country but most live in Arizona. Several are in the ministry and several are teachers. Earlier in their lives Grandpa and his wife Dorothy lived near Whitecone Trading Post and built a church north of there. The kids went to Holbrook as they ministered to the Navajo people in that area for several years. Another picture that my son painted is one of his own hands holding a paintbrush and the other side of the panel are his grandpa's hands holding the Bible...