Pam and the blind lambs
I can see clearly now…
Pam Ahern writes:In the Shakespearian tragedy, King Lear, the blind Duke of Gloucester, when asked how he saw the world, replied “I see the world feelingly”.
On 19th of August 2009 two tiny, five week premature white lambs arrived at Edgar’s Mission, blind at birth. Although possessed with what we would consider a major disability, Bubbles and Babe see themselves as nothing other than two normal little lambs who just want to get ahead in life.
Bubbles is so named for all the frothy bubbles she creates upon feeding and Babe, well, she is just one sweet little babe and the stronger of the two. With a birth weight of just a couple of kilos between them, it is a miracle they have even made it this far. The lively two spend their evenings in a pet carrier by the fire and their day time is spent in either a square enclosure or hanging out with the bunnies, if the weather is inclement.
Our night time house
Each day sees them stronger and gaining weight and us madly chasing them about the kitchen each morning to put their little jackets on. They would have to be two of the cuddliest lambs we have ever come across and already they have instructed us that they must be cuddled for at least ten minutes after feeding. To watch them both, eyes closed and heads outstretched, engulfed in blissful oblivion, is a true slice of heaven.
Will they ever be able to see? The simple answer is we don’t know. We feel it may be some neurological condition linked to their premature birth from which they may or may not recover. That their mother rejected them at birth is not indicative of a poor mother, rather mother nature’s knowledge that these little two darlings would never be able to cope in a “normal” sheep’s world, after all, how was she to know about Edgar’s Mission?
Animals have always been my teachers and the lessons learned most profound. It is in seeing an animal’s ability to cope with adversity and handicap that touches me the most. A life devoid of mortgage payments, fashion, clocks and agendas is a life of inspirational simplicity and meaning and a reminder that deep down we are all the same.
As I write I look out the window to catch a glimpse of two dear little blind baby lambs gambolling in a rare moment of sunshine….and seeing the world feelingly.
“If we could live happy and healthy lives without harming others… why wouldn’t we?”