My mam and dad grew up in a time when many rural families had a working donkey or two. Nowadays, not many Irish families have donkeys of the four-legged kind anymore. My parents often told me stories of how stubborn they could be but also how hard they worked. They also told me the story of the donkey and the well. It goes like this… …once upon a time, a farmer’s donkey fell inside a well. The farmer wasn’t able to take the donkey out, so he decided to shovel some mud inside the well and cover it up, letting the old donkey get buried inside. The poor old donkey however shrugged off all the mud being shovelled upon him and took a step up. As the well got filled with mud, the donkey simply kept stepping up and trotted off when the well was completely filled. The moral of the story here is that “Every difficulty is just a stepping stone.” Life may shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of problems is to shake it off and take a step up. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up. Something about Mary...So, this week’s blog is about a very special donkey to me. She’s my namesake, Mary, and in memory of my parents and all of the hardworking donkeys they had down the years, I adopted her a while back at the Donkey Sanctuary in Cork. She’s a bit hairier than me but probably not as stubborn! Mary is the little brown donkey I adopted through www.thedonkeysanctuary.ie. She was born on 1 Sept 2017. When Mary was a tiny foal, her mother died leaving her alone. At just three weeks old, she came into the care of the donkey sanctuary veterinary team. As Mary was so little, she was bottle-fed around the clock by the team until she learned to feed from a bucket. The sanctuary staff are very fond of Mary and straight away she showed glimpses of a fun-loving personality. Since those early days, Mary has grown into a beautiful young donkey. I’m told that she loves to be the centre of attention and enjoys interacting with our grooms. She lives with her best friend Roma in a group of young donkeys at the Open Farm in Cork. Apparently, she is always the last to leave the yard in the morning, seeking out pats or ear scratches from the grooms. You can become part of the sanctuary donkeys’ lives forever for just €25.00 a year. By adopting a donkey for yourself or a loved one, you will be guaranteeing their future where they will never want for warmth, care or food. Why adopt a donkey? Your ongoing support will reach out to donkeys in Ireland and will help buy food and medicine, pay for vets and farriers. And, most importantly of all, it rescues helpless donkeys from hopeless situations. And this way, I like to think I’m giving back to those donkeys that worked hard for me family all those years ago! ❤️ Bucket List Items Ticked Off in the above Blog 116 Number 44 - Giving Back - Support 8 Favourite Charities
Other Blog Posts Blog 11 - Sydney, Australia Blog 12 - Hong Kong, China Blog 17 - Beijing, Xi'an & Shanghai, China Blog 19 - California, USA Blog 27 - Scotland Blog 28 - Barbados Blog 29 - Canada Blog 30 - Alaska Blog 31 - Everglades, Florida Do you own a donkey? Tell me about your experience in the comments section below. If you liked this post, please share. Sharing is caring 😊
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AuthorMy name is Mary and this is my bucket list blog ...having survived a near-death experience. I hope it encourages you to "live your best life". See how I'm completing my own bucket list items. And let me know how you're getting on with yours! Archives
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