Peace is Possible

Frangipani is a gentle black Suffolk ewe who arrived at sanctuary by way of a serious bout of mastitis, an illness that compromised her ability to breed. But not to live life. Once, she was a flock sheep, carried along by the momentum of others and the expectations placed on her body. In that world, a ewe’s worth is measured in what she can produce. So when her body faltered, her value did too.

But someone cared enough to make a different choice for Frangipani. And here, that equation no longer applies.

When she first stepped into sanctuary, Frangipani was nervous of humans and unsure of her new surroundings. The barn was unfamiliar, the rhythm of life different from before. And there was little to anchor herself to, only the jungle of her thoughts and the old reflexes that had kept her safe for so long.

Then she met something she could not ignore.

Kindness.

At first, it arrived quietly. Days unfolded on their own terms and human expectations were few. And to our delight, Frangipani stopped stiffening at our presence. It was as if her life had taken on a different hue.

She is learning that safety can be the norm and that a body can belong to itself.

Down at Gladville, she has begun to glimpse her future, her halcyon days ahead. No one is counting what she can give, only noticing who she gloriously is. She gets to choose where she stands, who she stands beside and how close she lets the world in.

And for those of us watching her, the lesson is both gentle and confronting. The more we truly recognise animals as sentient and sensitive beings, the harder it becomes to pretend our use of them is harmless. Not just their lives, but the quality of those lives, asks something of us.

Frangipani does not need to be loud to be heard. In the way she protects herself, and slowly allows peace to find her, she reminds us of something the world too often forgets. Peace is possible.