Ben Jackson, a sheep farmer from Guyra, New South Wales, found a touching way to honor his late aunt, who passed away after a two-year battle with cancer, when pandemic restrictions kept him from attending her funeral in Brisbane.
“Unfortunately, she didn’t make it,” Jackson shared. “At those times of grief, you feel really helpless. You don’t know what to do, what to say.”
Especially with the added grief of border closures, Jackson was unable to say goodbye in person, making the loss even harder.
However, Jackson came up with a beautiful way to remember his aunt. While feeding his sheep, he got the idea to create a heart-shaped formation using them. After a few attempts and some fine-tuning, he successfully created the heart, then filmed it with a drone.
He sent the video to his family in Brisbane, who played it at his aunt’s funeral, set to Simon and Garfunkel’s Bridge over Troubled Water.
“When I saw the final product, I’ll admit there were plenty of waterworks,” Jackson said. “It was very lovely to have it as part of a send-off. It was certainly something she would have loved and cherished.”
This wasn’t Jackson’s first time creating sheep art. During a past drought, he fed his sheep from the back of his flatbed truck every day and decided to start drawing shapes in the landscape. “The sheep haven’t forgotten yet,” he laughed.
Jackson has previously created other shapes, including a giant ABC logo. However, he emphasized that the heart-shaped tribute was purely for his Aunt Deb.
The online response to his tribute has been overwhelmingly positive, reminding people that during tough times, even small gestures can help lift spirits.
WATCH: Farmer Honors Late Aunt with Giant Love Heart Made of Sheep
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
Video not working?