Sad news

Dear friends of Ministry of Animals,

I’m David, Rev. Lizzie’s husband. I am devastatingly sad to tell you that she passed of a cruelly aggressive cancer on June 15. She was diagnosed on April 8 – it was that fast. We’re blessed that she did not suffer – she just shut down.

Creating these nightly posts was one of the most profound joys of her life. She’d be inspired by something during the day – mostly animal-related but not always – and meditate on it, using ink and paper, that evening. She’d accompany it with a spontaneous and yet exquisitely-crafted poem – another of her great gifts. If you’ve been following her over the years, you can clearly see how her skills grew and became even more expressive. She loved this work, and sharing it with you.

I’ll be keeping the blog open for awhile, so her archives can still be explored and enjoyed. I’m planning to compile some of the art and poetry into a book (but as you can imagine, there’s a LOT to catalog). I just want to thank all of you for finding Lizzie and sharing her messages. She truly was a beloved individual, and the world is lessened by her passing.

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Tangled

A small knot of dog

Managed to capture all the bedding

Tangling limbs and dreams

Like a sailor tying sheets to capture the wind.

Oh holy Spirt,

Fly with us as set sail,

In dreams and in awakens.

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Ribit

How can someone sooo small

Make so much noise!

Never let your size determine what you have to say,

If it’s important

Let the world know!

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Camouflage

In a pile of brown leaves

A rustling

The leaves begin to move

The a head emerges

And a bright red flash

Says, “ I am here”

…….

We all need to be seen sometime,

Just not all the time!

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Eulogy

When I first met them

They both had glossy black curls

Bouncing.

Before we all went grey.

They walked with purpose everywhere.

The Caniche stopped years ago,

Amelia never stopped.

Perhaps they are walking together, again.

……..

She was my seminar partner, presenting partner, and dear friend….we should find such dedication in our lives.

fare well, Amelia Tarzi…part of the founding energy for Pattes Tendue, president of Refuge du Theirnay

De nombreuses responsabilités. Amélia Tarzi avait intégré le conseil d’administration de la Confédération nationale défense de l’animal (CNDA) en 2019 au sein duquel elle exerçait les fonctions de secrétaire générale. Elle avait participé à la rédaction du code de la protection animale de la Commission européenne et avait été élue membre du Comité de suivi des expérimentations animales en Suisse. Engagée contre les maltraitances faites aux animaux, elle l’était également contre les maltraitances envers les humains. Elle était administratrice fondatrice en 2018 de l’Association contre la maltraitance animale et humaine (AMHA).

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Breeze

The breeze turns the birch leaves from silver to green

And the whole tree shimmers

A gust grabs a tuft of fur

From the molting border collie and casts it onto a bush.

What’s this I hear of butterflies flapping their wings?

…………

We can not know, but we can love anyway

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Daggers of Love

The tiniest of little black kittens

Would fall asleep while kneading the palm of my hand.

Soft paws, paddling back and forth,

Purrs so petite you had to strain to hear.

Once a pocket panther

Able to be tucked into any apron,

Now a household puddle of puma,

Spilling over every lap He leaps on,

Yet still,

Kneading the palm of my hand as He falls asleep.

…………

We all grow, but we never grow out of our need for Love.

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Role Play

She sits in the chair

Watching Minnie Mouse and Buzz Lightyear

Dance about outside….

“Oh please, “ She cajoles, “oh please…”

“Can I go out to play too?”

“I could be Mickey, or Bo Peep…

But please,

I wanna play with You!“

The toddlers in the neighbors yard

In their magical pjs dance with abandon

And I like my dog,

Long to join them.

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Purple Ball

The purple ball was punctured

Broken, deflated …

Not so!

It is better than ever! Declared the border collie.

………….

Just because something isn’t the way you expect it,

Doesn’t mean it isn’t fun.

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Bedecked

She comes to me with flowers in her hair…

And seed pods,

And hitch-hikers

And Spanish needles intertwined

With bits of mud….

She is a gardener!

Certainly of my heart.

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