Edgar's Mission Blog

“If not you, then who? If not now, when?” — Hillel the Elder. It began with a small blackberry bush. Just a slender, spiked vine growing by the roadside at the western entrance to my town.

I sit here beside my broken heart and try to write the story of Hansel. A task made tougher because it feels as though a piece of it has left with him.

I said those words twice today. The first time came when I dropped my head to Gwendolyn’s side, her chest no longer moving and her heart still, as mine went into overdrive. No, no, no. We weren’t expecting to lose her today. Not today.

I stretch my memory back and though I cannot recall the exact date, I do remember the moment with surprising clarity.

Andrea Gibson once wrote: “Let your heart break so your spirit doesn’t”

Fishing is often framed as harmless recreation. For many, it is said to be a way to relax, to connect with nature and to simply be.

Yesterday, the final chapter of Rammie Baa Baa’s earthly mission came to a close. And what a mission it was.

As I look out my window this morning, the familiar rhythm of sanctuary life unfolds. The team moves with their usual quiet purpose, ensuring every animal is fed, has fresh water and is cared for. Even after restless nights and heavy skies, life continues. Responsibility continues. Kindness continues.

Well, perhaps not quite a manger, rather, the next room, there’s a perfect pink piglet who snores beneath a blanket of red festive cheer.

“Thoughts become things, so choose them wisely.”

From the moment we humans first bent animals to our will, we began a trade they never signed up for. We took their wild and precious lives and exchanged them for food, water and shelter.

It must have been twenty years ago, yet if I close my eyes, I’m back in that small training room with nineteen strangers.