A sea of memories and an ocean of tears
accompany "Little Lilly" into donkey heaven
Lilly was a princess among our donkeys. For 16 years she made her rounds around the farm in Henndorf, self-confident and proud, sometimes thoughtful. Her friends Batis and Jaqui preceded her, only her great love, donkey Charly, continued to accompany her and inhabited the donkey stable together with Lilly.
In summer 2006, Lilly came to Henndorf from her home in Tassos, Greece. At that time, Lilly was in such poor health that the vet only allowed her a few months to live. Small and delicate, with a drooping head and an injured eye, Lilly stood in the stable. Broken, somewhat timid, but accompanied by an incredibly strong will to live. Michael Aufhauser and our animal keepers did everything they could to make Lilly feel better. The right eye had to be removed and so she was now "Lilly with one eye".
For years, she had been used in the olive harvest and her legs and hooves told exactly that story. She was supposed to die as an abandoned donkey, but her life candle was stronger. For many years, Lilly accompanied me on the guided tours of the Henndorf farm. Charly showed people that she preferred it when you stood to her left. There, where she could observe us with her healthy eye.
Everyone loved the delicate, headstrong Lilly - whether children or adults, people always asked about her. In the morning, she joyfully strolled out of her stable and began her inspection walk. If you were looking for her, she would stand against the wooden wall of the big hall and doze off. Lately, when she wanted her rest, she liked to hide by the pond behind the duck and goose houses.
Lilly's legs and hooves were hurting more and more lately. Proud as she was, she didn't admit the pain to herself and showed us "I'll tell you when it's not working at all!". At around 50 years old, Lilly decided to walk into donkey heaven. The last walk together took her and Charly, her faithful friend, to a small meadow. Surrounded by him and the people who loved and also adored Lilly, she gently and quietly fell asleep. The life candle was extinguished by a gentle breeze and a flow of tears from the humans accompanied the proud greek donkey to the first step of the Rainbow Bridge. Charly looked after her prudently.
We all accompany Lilly with "Tha mas leipsis, Little Lilly" - We will miss you, Little Lilly. And her soul whispers softly
I will look like I am dead, but it will not be true
Antoine de Saint - Exupéry
The light will continue to burn for you, dear Lilly. You will remain unforgotten in the hearts of the people, deeply rooted in the hearts of Charly and all the other housemates in the donkey stable.
I will continue to tell people about you - about your gentleness, your wisdom and your strength and cleverness.
Kane to kela, Take care, Lilly
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