Title: Lessons of Nature, from a Modern-Day Shepherd
Author: Don F. Pickett
Publisher: Pageturner, Press and Media
ISBN: 9798889634911
Pages: 115
Genre: Self-Help / Religion / Spirituality
Reviewed by: Lily Amanda

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Lessons of Nature, from a Modern-Day Shepherd is a set of meditative compilations that evoke an awakening through words of wisdom and holistic mindfulness as they offer insightful analysis of the relationship between nature and human beings. Here, the author offers readers a vehicle for personal expansion and soul-searching as he breaks down fifteen lessons humans can learn from nature which have been obscured by numerous distractions throughout the history of mortal man. Pickett, a rancher and a farmer, uses his extensive knowledge and experience as he draws the analogy of shepherds, such as those foreordained men that bore witness to the birth of Jesus. They live outside the common realm of modern science and laboratory experiments and depend on nature as their schoolmaster, imparting in him acumen that the modern biologist or professor may never attain.

The text begins with an epistolary to the youth of America, as Pickett guides them to realize the whole of their life decisions will be met with the appropriate reward or punishment, all depending on how well they adhere to God’s teachings as the Creator. Through its evocative prose, the book assures it is through nature’s splendor and its gifts that humans can seek out eternal life or enduring pain as physical creations have an indelible connection with the will of God. For Pickett, nature is filled with lessons of life, if followed, will lead us to a state of endless happiness and peace. By studying God’s creations we can see, we can better understand those spiritual creations we cannot see. From this study, we can thereby learn lessons rarely taught in the great universities of the world – lessons that can only be comprehended by those subtle, quiet whisperings to the inner core of our souls.

Author Pickett has no doubt written a convincing and compelling text. The chapters build upon each other as each opens up with an introspective couplet that appears in part free verse and elsewhere formal verse. They are not bereft of citations as he concludes each chapter with endnotes summing up his assertions neatly. Wise takeaways from Shepherd’s perspective about nature, its basic laws, and the Creator of the universe, are sprinkled all over these wistful reflections showcasing the author’s faculty in presenting cogent arguments.

Lessons of Nature, from a Modern-Day Shepherd by Don F. Pickett is a well-researched and relatable text which carries a lot of depth, and one whose nuances will be a rich gain for those seeking spiritual enlightenment.