John and Jenny Fulton

Morning on the Mesa: The Real Life Behind the Story

By Jenny Fulton

Today, July 19, 2025, is the publication date of Morning on the Mesa, the 3rd book in my Lil’ Kingdom Sisters book series, my 4th picture book, and 6th published book overall.

Although I began writing the story in 2022, the concepts nestled within took root in my heart many years before.

Seeing God in the Early Morning

I’ve always been a morning person. There’s something so beautiful and peaceful about waking up before the rest of the world. A quietness and solitude. An intimate sense that it’s just you and God. In high school, when I was a dedicated (crazy) long distance runner, I’d often go for an early morning run before school. My favorite routes took me into the countryside that surrounded my small Kansas town. After running a few miles, I’d take a short break to watch the sun rise before heading home to get ready for the day. I’d talk to God during these times, my soul basking in the wonders of His creation while my senses drank in every sight, sound, and smell. The soft crunching of the dirt road beneath my feet. A refreshing breeze against my face. The rustling of the corn and wheat fields as that same wind whistled through them. A dog barking here. A bird chirping there. The physical bearing witness to the existence and goodness of the spiritual God I loved.

My enjoyment of these early mornings wasn’t limited to when I was home. Nearly every time I went on a youth trip (church camp, church trip to Torreon Navajo Mission, summer trip with Teen Missions International, Senior class trip), I’d set my alarm to an insanely early hour (or trust my internal alarm to wake me), sneak outside before anyone else woke up, and find a place where I could sit and watch the sunrise (preferably a large rock or hill). In these moments, I could feel God’s presence stronger and more tangibly than ever. It was just the two of us, talking and taking joy in the world He created.

Seeing Deeper Beauty

I don’t know how old I was my dad told me about how my great grandpa, Deshnod Blanco, was a Navajo Medicine man. He explained that aside from leading religious ceremonies with prayers directed to the Navajo spirits, medicine men were required to know what every plant was and how it could be used. For most of us, when we look at the vegetation in the high desert region of the southwest, all we see are dry, pokey shrubs. But the medicine men, and other knowledgeable Natives, see so much more.

One year during my college summer break, I took a solo road trip to visit family on the Navajo reservation. I’ll never forget the day Uncle Harry drove me around to various land features in the area. He didn’t just point out names and places but regularly stopped to point out specific plants and what they were used for. He gathered leaves from one to use for tea, talked about how one another could be used for shampoo and yet another was good for fighting colds (or something like that). The desert came to life and my perspective sharpened. So much of what I perceived to be useless, harsh, not-that-pretty weeds, God had created to have purpose and beauty.

Matthew 6:28-31 talks about God clothing the lilies of the field and the grass of the field. Taking this to a broader scale, receiving a better glimpse of the desert vegetation helped me realize even more how much God sees and cares for each part of His creation, even those parts whose beauty and purpose is hidden and overlooked, that are forced to grow in rough conditions. If God cares this much about the plants, how much more does He love and give purpose to us, no matter what kind of circumstances we find ourselves in, no matter if we’re overlooked or misunderstood.

Lessons from Sheep and Shepherding

Another part of Navajo life Dad liked to talk about was shepherding. He’d tell us about when he herded sheep before school as a boy on the reservation, how it gave him lots of time to think, and how he thought about David from the Bible during those times. He told us about how Grandma Lillian had watched the sheep when she was young, about how many Navajo families, including my Aunt Renita’s, once had summer and winter camps. Sometimes the entire family would move with the season. Sometimes it was just the one tasked with caring for the flock.

In the Bible, God talks a lot about sheep and shepherding. Jesus used them to illustrate spiritual truths but never explained the physical practice because at that time, it was common knowledge. It isn’t common today. Most people have never spent much time around sheep or seen or done (or read about) any shepherding.

One day when I was visiting Uncle Ted and Aunt Renita, I tagged along with Aunt Renita and my cousin Paige when they took the sheep out onto the mesa in the morning. It was peaceful and eye-opening to see some of the Biblical truths come to light in a new and more meaningful way. There wasn’t much to do, but a lot of time to think. My aunt knew that mesa well – knew where to find the best food for the sheep, how to keep them moving in the right direction, when to stop, how long to wait, and how to constantly keep an eye out for danger.

The responsibilities of caring for sheep didn’t end when the flock was returned to the closer proximity of the house or even when they were securely corralled in the pen at night. My cousins loved to tell me stories that made me shudder about how they had to chop the head off a rattlesnake that came too close. One night, a pack of wild reservation dogs ganged up and attacked the sheep. My cousin Stephen said that when they heard their dogs barking, they immediately grabbed their guns, then rushed outside to find out what was going on. When they saw the ferocious dogs all around and inside the corral, they didn’t hide or give thought to preventing harm to themselves. Instead, my uncle and cousins rushed toward the enemy. They put themselves at risk to protect the defenseless.

My observations only scratch the surface of this topic, but even this small bit has been enough to amaze me and bring Christ’s teachings into an even more amazing light.

Putting it Together

All of these lessons have been percolating in my soul for years. After I spent the morning on the mesa with my aunt and cousin, I knew I wanted to somehow capture that experience in story form. However, at that time, I wasn’t sure what form it would take or if I’d even be able to craft, let alone publish, any kind of book.

When I was in the publishing process for A Princess’ Guide to the Alphabet, the second book in my Lil Kingdom Sisters series, I realized I finally had a way to bring all these ideas to life.

All I had to do was:

  • Create a story with two very different, energetic, creative, fantasy-loving sisters
  • Combine elements of Navajo culture with Christianity
  • Mix and merge fantasy features with real life and Biblical truths

I knew it was a risk and that it wouldn’t be easy to blend so many different components into a short, 32 page children’s book, but I also knew I wanted, needed, to try.

In June of 2022, right after I released A Princess’ Guide to the Alphabet, I sat down and wrote the first draft of Morning on the Mesa.

Now, a little more than three years later, I’m thrilled to share this story with you.

About the Book

Explore the beauty of God’s creation with Lillian and Zoe.

Lillian is a gentle seven-year-old Navajo princess who thinks deeply and imagines greatly.

Four-year-old Zoe is a rough-n-tumble warrior princess with an equally enthusiastic love for fantasy.

When their mom and Aunt Tia take them out for a morning of herding sheep on the family’s mesa, the girls learn important lessons about God, His love, and the world He created.

Dive into the Bible with three Bible studies for kids (included in the back of the book).

  • Knowing God through Creation
  • The Lamb of God
  • God the Shepherd

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