What burns within us…

Day 31 and we couldn’t be prouder of our special woolly friend, Anastasia. The first moment we saw this sweet young ewe our hearts raced because her back legs could not. Barely any sensation did they have, with no hope of carrying her where she wanted to go, even were she not in such a severely emaciated and flystruck state. And sadly, as we learned she had been this way for some days until kindness found her.

However, burning bright within the being we saw before us was the will to live. And not to just live, but to live a life truly worth living. And that is exactly what we have been working to achieve ever since.

That, and becoming more and more enchanted by this special someone every day. Every day we learn who Anastasia really is, and that is so much more than that façade of despair we met 31 days ago. Like, she has this special little high-pitched “baa” she offers when she wants our attention (which we dutifully provide).

And she has quickly worked out we are her devoted servants (it really is good to know your place in the world). And she has a special place in her heart for her little friend Rin Tin Tin (only he prefers to think this is on her back).

Navigating our way through the many challenges of caring for our high-needs animal friends has taught us much, not only about them, their resilience, their strength, their inner beauty, and how their bodies work, but about ourselves and what we are capable of when we put our hearts and minds to it. But above all else, we have learned that what burns brightest within us all, regardless of shape, size or species, is a fundamental desire to have control over our lives, and this is especially true of one awesome sheep named Anastasia.