Although we knew this day was coming for a few weeks, nothing ever prepares us for saying good-bye. Today we lost a most loving and amazing spirit embodied in a donkey. Our dear Noah reached the end of his comfort level while dealing with a fast moving cancer. At the young age of 15 years, we said good-bye way too soon. But we treasure the 8 years we had with him.
Noah was an amazing being. Besides being incredibly handsome and exceptionally cute, he had a heart bigger than our whole farm. He was the most gentle and loving soul. In a world often filled with anger, bitterness, and turmoil, Noah exuded peace, love, and acceptance. Both animals and humans could feel that in his presence and derived great comfort in being around him.
When visitors came on tours, Noah would readily stick his nose out to greet them. He was fond of “the little people” in particular. We have many photos of children standing in front of his stall petting his soft nose. For many of them, it was their first experience touching a donkey or any farm animal. He was a great ambassador. And he loved his job.
To us he was simply Noah – gentle, unassuming, easy going and steady. To the younger donkeys however, he was known as “Uncle Noah.” Noah was a great uncle especially to our semi-orphaned donkey foal Murfee. We say semi-orphaned because Murfee was born here to Mabel when she was retired here in her mid-thirties and stunned us, when shortly after she arrived, we discovered she was pregnant. She delivered a healthy foal and then declared she was done with that. She refused to nurse him and chased him away. We had to put him in a stall next to her and bring him in to her for supervised nursings multiple times a day.
It was a rough start for poor Murfee. But when Murfee was just a few months old, Noah arrived. It occurred to us that just maybe Noah could be the wonderful uncle that Murfee needed. And indeed he was. Noah helped Murfee find his way and place in life. Noah taught him tolerance and patience which Murfee sorely needed to learn.
Noah was loved by all of his donkey herd. What was not to love? He had a heart of pure gold. Watching him the past few weeks, and understanding that he didn’t have much time left with us, was difficult. Worrying about what would happen to Murfee and how he’d manage without the steady guidance of Uncle Noah, was on all of our minds. It felt like our hearts were breaking.
But Noah reminded us that he was still alive and didn’t want us grieving for him while he was still here. “Just love me,” was his message. “That’s all I want or need.”
Loving him was easy and he had that in abundance from all of us. And in his special Noah way, he taught us all about staying present even when great loss was soon to come. When the time came, it was very clear. Although he didn’t want to leave and we didn’t want him to leave either, his body could no longer go on.
“What better way to go,” he told Dawn, “then savoring what I have and wishing there would be more. It is a good life.”
While we deal with our own grief of losing him, his gifts continue all around us. Our attention immediately went to Murfee. But as we watched him handle the loss of his dear Uncle Noah, we realized how calmly he was taking things. And it occurred to us that Noah had prepared him and he understood. Their relationship was complete. Their hearts understood their connection would remain. And Murfee walks on with Noah still beside him right in his heart.
But Noah didn’t stop there. As we laid his body to rest right here at the farm, we held a memorial for his caretakers who wished to be there. We shared our stories about him out loud. One by one we laughed at the memories and felt the love and honor we have for such a gentle soul. And as we stood there together, a dragonfly suddenly appeared and flew in a circle above Noah’s body in the grave. It then flew up to the circle of people standing above and flew one lap around us all before it gently landed on the ground behind us. We all could feel the meaning. In silence we stood there and the dragonfly just simply vanished. Noah had left a message for all of us too. “I’m ok, and I’m still here with you.”
Well done Noah. What a life. So well done. Our hearts are full. You will always and forever be a part of this farm and will live on in all of our hearts. Rest easy sweet man.
We are sad to announce the passing of yet another great soul and prominent member of our family. Today our dear African Grey Parrot, Merlin, slipped away peacefully. Merlin had been with us for 30 years. So many of our important milestones on this journey were spent with Merlin by our side. Bonnie and Dawn opened their home to him in 1994 after he had been removed from a very neglectful situation. He was thought to be about 12 years old at the time. That made Merlin about 42 years old, but he could have been older.
Today we said good-bye to Bunny, a Standardbred mare who was just turning 29 years old. Bunny and her companion Mister had only been with us for three months but during that time we got to know and appreciate this beautiful and sometimes complex mare. We took Bunny and Mister into our sanctuary after their owner sadly passed away and their farm was being sold. Both were in their late 20’s with serious leg and foot issues, which was why they were retired from racing and breeding many years ago, and were living in retirement together for almost 20 years.
From Tommy: “Life is a giant playground of so many things to explore and to find. I know as soon as I see the daylight start to peek through the barn windows each morning that there will be things to find in my day that will bring me great joy. I expect that every day and I always find something that brings me joy. And each night, as the barn grows dark, I listen to the sounds of my friends breathing. The horses, the other goats, and even the birds – all of us share in the quiet of the dark. We find comfort in being together. And we enjoy the moment of peace and wonder about what the next day will bring. I am grateful to be alive.”
From Shawnee: “I am so deeply appreciative of the gift of having friends. It is beautiful to share a moment in time with another. It can be just an everyday thing like being out and grazing on my favorite hillside. It can be just a moment when a large bird comes down and lands near us and my friend and I both get startled for a second and then realize we both spooked for no reason. That sounds like it’s nothing, but to share that moment together is sacred. It makes that moment something unique to the two of us – a shared moment that only the two of us can understand. Watch for your everyday shared moments. Because these are the opportunities we have to be grateful in a moment of companionship. It is truly a big deal to be grateful for.”
From Hero: “What has gotten me through all of my hard times is knowing how much I love to be alive. I’ve had major challenges and could have died, but my will to live is based on my love of living. I believe you can get through anything as long as you can find gratitude in your heart even when it seems like you’ve been handed a bad deal. Sometimes things get hard. Sometimes we feel alone. But these are the times we need to stop and look deep for just one thing that we are grateful for in our lives. It can be a simple as feeling like you are grateful for your next breath. And then take that breath and make it a good one. I am grateful to have this life to live. And I am grateful to be loved. All the other things were just bumps along the way.”
From Cashew: “I am grateful to live my life freely. My life wasn’t always like that. I was once confined and unable to get out of a situation that I couldn’t survive in. I am grateful now to have a life that I love. I have everything I need. And I can watch the sun rise each day feeling a sense of wellness and that all is right in my life. I never thought I would find this. I hope you can find joy at just seeing the sun rise. And that you can find comfort at sunset that you have been given the gift of another day. It feels really good!”
From Friday: “I just love being a rabbit! I love being agile and to have all of the senses that I do. Everything in life is so full of wondrous smells. I love all the smells in hay. I love my veggies. Green smells so ….well, green. Can you as a human smell colors? I don’t think you can. You don’t know what you are missing. I can smell sunshine and rain. I can smell all the different smells that humans bring in each day. It’s like getting to know so much about the world around me just by smelling. I can get so much information about the world. I can even smell when someone is afraid or if they are bursting with joy. Yes, if I had to pick one thing today that I am most grateful for it is the ability to smell all the things life has to offer.”
From Jacob: “So I’m not sure how to answer this question. I’m not as smart as many of the other cats here. I just know how to live my life. I’m happy. I have a friend who I like to share things with. I like feeling sunshine. I like hearing birds. I like to go out in my catery and find things in the grass. I love purring and making people smile. If I can make someone else feel joy or at least a little happiness then that makes me happy too. It all seems pretty simple to me. I think sometimes people make life more complicated. Just be you. And believe in yourself. Trust your heart. And it would be great if you could all learn to purr. That would be helpful. But for the time being you should be content with a cat to do that for you.”
From José: “I am grateful to be old. And truly blessed to grow older each day. I’ve seen a lot in life. I’ve known a lot of horses over the years and lost a lot of friends. I never forget them. Being a horse does not offer certainty in relationships. I have made strong bonds with humans and with other horses, only to be moved one day and never see them again. I don’t think people think about that. We horses connect strongly and love deeply. We are not just “your ride” for whatever time you are interested in us for. We honor you. We trust you. And we mourn the losses that we incur. I live my life knowing I have connected with many great souls. I don’t know where they are now. They don’t know where I am either. But we still stay bonded. I have friends here now that I know I will have forever. That brings me great comfort. When we lose someone here, it is because they have moved into spirit. We miss them. But we know they left here loved. And for that, I am forever grateful for the opportunity to grow old.”
From Betsy: “I love being a chicken! Let’s see, here are some of my favorite things. I love taking a good dust bath in a big ray of sunshine. Granted, I have to beat my other chicken friends to the really good ones, but if they are big enough patches of sun, then more than one of us can enjoy them at the same time. I am not combative. But I do like to claim my own space. I also love a good meal worm or two. I know, you humans tend to get grossed out by that. But it’s what we chickens eat!My best advice is to savor, savor, savor all the things you love. Life is short no matter how long you live. Enjoy every single second of it. And when life gets tough and knocks you down, just get up, dust yourself off, find a ray of sunshine, and take a good dust bath. You will be filled with gratitude when you do!”
From Clark: “Being a goat is a privilege and honor and I do not take that lightly. Life can be a lot of fun. It can also get really heavy too. But being a goat seems to bring other’s joy and I like that. I like it when kids see me and laugh. I love doing goat things and playing and climbing and making goat sounds. I think my question for you all is what do you like about being human? What’s the thing you like most about who you are? I’d love to hear your answers. I don’t think you think about these things much. You seem to be amused by our answers to these questions. But what are your answers? Please share.”
From Piper: “I’ll tell you what I find funny in my life. I’ve never been able to see. Yet I am in no way disabled. I am enabled. If you spend a few minutes with me, you will notice that there is nothing I cannot do. I do everything that the cats with vision do. It’s my super power. I zoom up cat trees. I can balance on small edges. I climb doors. I can even climb up and pull the light string and turn off the light. And in some cases, I can do it faster than most cats who can see. ‘How can he do that!’ the humans proclaim with wonder. I do it because I trust that I can. I can do it because I believe that I can. If your mind knows it can be done, your body will follow, no matter what others perceive your limitations to be. I am grateful for a mind that knows no limitations.”
From Carley: “I am very grateful to be a little donkey. I love being a donkey! My most favorite time of the day is when the sun rises. We watch it come up over the hill and I also know that our human friends will be here soon to feed us. I love watching them arrive for work. Many times, I can tell their moods just by watching them walk. Some of them come here stressed and worried but then they come up with us donkeys and they start to calm down. I also love my voice. I can call out when it is all quiet on the farm and get the donkeys in the other areas of the farm to call back. It is a sound of unity. A sound that all is well. And it brings comfort. I like all of that. It makes being a donkey a really great opportunity to give from my heart. Oh, and don’t let my kindness fool you. I can be feisty too! When you are the smallest little donkey, you sometimes need to be fierce in the eyes of the boy donkeys in particular. Small but mighty….that is me! But also always grateful for the kindness shown to me.”
From Alice: “I used to be bullied and picked on because I am different. Life was hard. I couldn’t catch a break at all. I didn’t even care about living anymore. But then, I was found and someone stepped in to help me. I came here to the farm and I found a life that I never knew I could have. I have everything I need in this world. All the food I need. Soft places to sleep. I am warm and dry and comfortable. My legs may be deformed and I may move differently than the other cats. But the thing I am most grateful for in my life is that I am accepted for who I am. I have friends. Human friends. Cat friends. Friends. Here is what I want you to know. If you are feeling pushed out and unwanted. If you feel that you cannot find your way. Please don’t give up. You may not be in the best place now, but that can change. It all can become brighter. Life will not always be a struggle. Just believe that things can get better. I know that is hard. But it is what will change your life. I believe in you.”
From Eloise: “I am most grateful and joyful for the sun. It doesn’t matter to me what season it is. Sunny days hold a joyfulness that permeates my entire body. Even on days when it is too hot, I get to wallow in the mud to keep cooler and still enjoy the sun. The sun is a constant companion that we can trust. If things seem dark and dreary, you can always know that the sun is still there and will shine on you once again. I like knowing that. It is nice.”
From Nell: “I am so grateful for friendship. This year we had a scare when we almost lost my dear horse friend Ginny. She got really sick very suddenly. It was really scary. The last I saw was her going on to a trailer and then she was gone for more than a week. Our humans here kept telling us updates and that she had a big surgery. We all sent Ginny our love so that she could get better and would know that we were still here for her. I was so excited the day she came back home! And now, several months later, we are back to enjoying life as usual. I will never take that friendship for granted again. I am so grateful for the love and care of a good friend. I think we should all take time to be grateful every single day. It is healing for our own hearts.”