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Edgar’s Mission Passport
Amethyst
Amethyst
Sheep
8th July 2022
I was born with hindless hooves
Jenga
Tiny but mighty!
Certified true likeness
Amethyst’s story
A precious gem and a lesson in empathy
Updated July 15, 2022
Barely hours old, the teeny tiny Amethyst burst into our world, turned around twice on her little hoofless hind limbs, and nestled into the palm of our hands and our hearts.
With a birthweight of barely 2 kg, no one told her this was not conducive to life. Nor did they tell her that her disabilities would pull south even further those odds.
For with a zest for her bottle and for life, both in equal measure, Amethyst daily lives the sagacious words of Pearl S Buck, “All things are possible until they are proved impossible – and even the impossible may only be so, as of now”.
And so, with a little set of bright orange hind “hooves” we have cleverly adapted for her, she is beginning to quench her need to explore. Ably assisted to do so by her splinted front legs.
As her wee tongue cheekily hangs from the left corner of her mouth, we do not think this babe could be any more precious if she tried. But this she achieves as that limp little tongue curls into life as it latches around the teat of her bottle. Though not quite there just yet, it is to our index finger she calls as our digit gently guides her tongue right where it needs to be.
And here is where something really interesting happens.
In the silent moments of feeding dear little Amethyst, save the synchronised beating of our hearts, we take a momentary respite from our busy world. Showering this tiny babe with what she needs most, we realise too that it is exactly what we need as well. To nurture and to love, to care and be kind, for this is who our species truly is and why we so readily take to it.
Taking then, a quick scan of our body we too find our tongue stuck firm to the roof of our mouth, ebbing and flowing, ever so discreetly, in a gentle sucking motion. A motion that has flowed from dear Amethyst’s body to our own as that feel-good hormone oxytocin swirls through our veins. With mirror neurons firing off this way and that, we need no further proof that our role on this plane is to be the helpers and the healers to those less fortunate than ourselves, regardless of species.
Such an empathetic response too enables us to see ourselves in others as we seek to ensure their well-being. This shall surely stand as one of the greatest hallmarks of our humanity.
And when we yoke this response to caring for the most vulnerable and least heard amongst us, we readily recognise what precious gems they truly are.
