What it means to shine bright…

“Cassandro, what is your story?” we softly ask. His attention drawn back to us by those words offers little clues, but his fear of our kind does.

As soft “baaing” from our 2024 orphan clan claims both of our attention, we look toward the source. Bouncing little cherubs of “lambiness”, jackets as colourful as the wearer’s personalities keeping them warm. Their fearlessness melts our hearts, as they ache more for Cassandro.

What circumstance has caused this young wether to become lost in a world that discounts his worth because of his form we do not know. And chances are we never will. But thankful we are that kindness entered his fold, because the alternative was grim. And although its unfamiliarity to him is clear, each day, we are working to ensure it is not so.

Believing his heart holds the capacity for forgiveness of past trespasses by our kind against him, for his is a species that we have repeatedly seen holds this quality in abundance, we eagerly await the day he leans on this. The day when Cassandro looks our way with confidence and calm. Stepping towards us with a heart as open as our hands, knowing that never again shall he need to fear our actions or question our motives.

This is when Cassandro shall shine his brightest, and in doing so he guides us to realise that we shine brightest when we open ourselves to the possibilities of others. Seeing them beyond a façade of “otherness”, as friends and not foes. Seeing them as fellow travellers on this wondrous planet. Seeing them for who they truly are, not what society would have us believe.

Yes, it takes courage to do this. But it also takes compassion. And combining them both causes us to shine bright.