Jen

I have sat here for a while, just staring at the screen.  Words are escaping me.  My heart aches.  Every person knows one day each of us will pass away.  We are all on this path.  There is no escaping it.  However we think that will happen one day far off in the future when we're old.  It's not supposed to happen to younger people.  It's not supposed to happen when someone has young children. 

Yesterday my friend Jenny passed away.  She had significant medical issues and while it is not shocking that she was ill, it is shocking that she's gone.  She just posted on FB the other day from her hospital bed.  It doesn't seem possible.  Jen is one of the very first people I came to know when I started volunteering in animal rescue.  She ran the "nursery", taking in pregnant mommas to have their babies in a safe location and then when the babies were old enough they would go off to other fosters and the momma would also find another foster, and then a new home.  I admired what she did.  

My first "rescue road trip" was with Jenny.  We drove down to West Virginia to pick up a group of feral dachshunds and bring them back for rehabilitation.  I didn't really know her, so we became friends on the trip.  We shared a lot in common.  We both had sons born prematurely.  We both had a heart for special needs children and animals.  We talked about her desire to bring in foster children.  She wanted to make an impact on the world.  Her son Wyatt was her world.  He's a peach of a boy who knows me as the chicken lady after he came here to collect eggs from our hens.   She loved him with her whole heart, him and her husband Aaron.  Jen was always reaching for better, to make an impact on others, to help.  Her heart was huge.

When our girl Willow (Diva) came to the rescue from her horrific situation she went to Jen's nursery since she was pregnant.  Willow had NO socialization, had hydrocephalus and was deeply vision impaired.  She was untouchable.   While with Jen she started to learn that people weren't scary.  She lost the puppies and was ready for foster.  She came to us.  Jen talked me through welcoming a frightened dog into my home.  One day I had Willow at the barn and Jen was there giving a tour.  She got tears in her eyes when she saw how amazing Willow was doing.  Truly tears she was so happy to see Willow doing so well.  When Willow passed away, Jenny was one of the people who truly knew how special that dog was and reached out to me to share my grief.

Another trip Jen and I went on was to take a pig to Ohio State vet hospital and bring a cow back.  When we got to the hospital she jumped in the trailer like a boss pushing that huge pig around.  I won't lie, that pig intimidates me.  I mean, his name is Monster.  He's huge and for someone not accustomed to being around farm pigs, he is intimidating. Jen was not having any of it.  We talked, laughed and dreamed about the future.  Trips with Jen are an adventure.  

We're stunned.  I am grieving for Jen.  I'm grieving even more for Wyatt losing his Mom and Aaron losing his wife and facing being a single Dad.  The road they're turning down is long and hard.  I just want to wrap them in huge hugs.

Thank you Jen for all you did for others.  I just cannot believe this.  Thank you for being my friend.  Thank you for your compassionate heart.  The world is less loving today.