Last night, we pulled into our Kanab Airbnb just as Lydia, Lily and I finished listening to the incredible audio-book Redwall (the rest of the family was asleep).
About a week ago, Lydia said she would like to go to Pink Coral Sand Dunes for the weekend before her birthday. Lily got our Airbnb, and scheduled time for Lydia and me to volunteer at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. Due to Covid, tours need to be booked months in advance, and there was only one volunteer slot available for a child and adult, and Lily has allergies to cats, so I was the lucky one that got to go with Lydia.
The day started with a breakfast at a yummy bakery and a stop at the Best Friends Visistor’s Center in Kanab. We met a very nice man who worked there named Mike who had a Basset Beagle and told us all about the sanctuary. They had two cats at the visitor’s center in a room that you could go into in order to play with them. We mostly supervised the kids, but I guess Clarissa slipped in there unattended at some point and was a little too forward with a cat because she came out with a decently sized scratch on her face. She didn’t seem at all phased by it, it was actually pretty funny.
We then went to Coral Pink Sand Dunes. I was blown away by the scenery. I felt like I was transplanted to the Sahara desert temporarily.
All the kids and I took our shoes off, and it was so fun to walk all over the soft sand. Climbing up and down the hills was so fun, but also super exhausting.
Our sleds barely worked in the sand, even on the steepest hills. The rented sleds that had a harder bottom (and went really fast) at the entrance, but we didn’t realize we should have gotten a couple of those until we were deep into the sand dunes. A group of people let me try their firm sled a couple of times, and I got going fast. It was really fun! The kids seemed happy enough with our super-slow sleds. I’m grateful they were still able to have such a fun time!
I hiked with Ammon, Clarissa and Lily to the top of the tallest dune while the older girls played a little bit down from us. It was soooo windy up there. Ammon and Clarissa both got really sad.
In this video, you can hear the crazy blustering wind and Ammon crying. Lily promptly took Ammon down at that point.
I turned Clarissa around to protect her eyes and went down one of the biggest slopes just one time with her. It was so slow, we stopped 2/3 the way down.
We all congregated in a less windy area and everyone played in the sand for another 20 minutes or so.
At one point Clarissa got very sad and said she wanted to go in the car. It was good timing since we were just about wrapping up anyway.
After the sand dunes, Lily dropped off me and Lydia at the animal sanctuary. Best Friends Animal Sanctuary is incredible. During non-covid times they have 1,600 animals, mostly cats and dogs, but also pigs, horses, birds etc. They have fostered out a lot of animals temporarily due to their reduced staff during Covid so right now they have about 1,000 animals. It was incredibly peaceful there. While I was with Lydia, Lily spent time with the kids at their pet cemetery, which had the most beautiful wind-chime sounds. Lily said it was an incredible and spiritual experience. I felt the same about my time with Lydia. Here are pictures of Lily’s time with the kids in the cemetery. I got to drive by it as well and capture this video with wind-chimes in the background.
First of all, the sanctuary is spread across miles of property located right in the most beautiful southern-Utah scenery, and the scenery alone is inspiring. But I was also incredibly touched by how this facility cares for animals with disabilities. What this shelter specializes in are animals with medical conditions. Where Lydia and I volunteered, there was a blind cat, a cat with cerebral palsy type challenges, so it could only walk a foot or so at a time, a lot of cats that needed medication, a cat that had its legs broken, but now uses them the best she can etc. I realized that in the very American philosophy of efficiency, it would be easy to think that these cats should all just be put down because they are a drain on society. and no longer have their value. But I was so touched to learn that this is a no kill facility that cares for these animals very well until they die naturally. This care includes medications, stroller walks, clean facilities, good food etc etc. They told me they built a special path for stroller-walking the cats so they wouldn’t get scared by cars passing on the road. I pondered as I served with Lydia that perhaps nothing has inherent value. Perhaps value is only gained by someone bestowing value by love and care. And these cats had great value because of the way they are cared for. And we can create value/worth in people and animals, and ourselves, as we take better care of all. Someone/something’s value/worth is not determined by its utility, but rather by how it is valued by others. As we choose to care and value, the things we care about and value become valuable. I was just blown away by the choice this organization has made to love, care and value these animals against any “practical” argument that these animals no longer served a purpose. The example of this organizations love is not only extremely valuable, instructive and purposeful to me and the rest of the world, but it obviously changed the lives of these animals and in many cases gave them much more of life. It reminded me of a recent church lesson from the Community of Christ in which the speaker discussed a Buddhist church he attended and heard someone share her remorse over catching a mosquito on a fly strip, and trying to remove it, but accidentally killing it in the process. The speaker I listened to suggested that if we cannot feel remorse over killing a mosquito, perhaps there is something in our hearts preventing us from loving other people fully as well.
Now for the blow-by blow with Lydia. I had such a great time with her!
Our first task was to clean cat room #1.
This involved poop scooping, peed on litter scooping, scraping dried poop off the floor, sweeping, mopping, wiping surfaces, refilling water etc.
Lydia was a great sport! We were almost done with the room when Lydia got a massive nose bleed. She disappeared into the bathroom, and then came out and told me she needed help cleaning up, that it was a really really bad nose-bleed. I walked in and there was blood all over the floor, the toilet, and even the wall. Lydia aptly said, “it looks like somebody died in here.” We cleaned it up together and then went back to work.
The next task we were to accomplish was taking some cats on a stroller ride and on the way to doing that, the lady helping us showed us how she feeds cat food to the wild-turkeys (see below!):
Lydia fell in love with a blind cat named Ember. Lydia was so happy that she got to take Ember on a stroller ride. I took a cat named Daniel.
Lydia and I stopped briefly at the Gazebo to rest after we did some walking. While here, I asked Lydia, “what’s one thing I could do to be a better dad?” She said, “Adopt Ember”. I said, “besides adopt Ember.” She said, “Adopt Ember.” I was firm about not adopting Ember, but I love how Lydia loves her, and I also loved Lydia’s persuasive argument about how she was just fine, even without her eyesight.
After the walk, Lydia and I went back to the complex we served in to return the cats. Lydia spent some more time with Ember and I got some pictures. You will also see below a picture of the cat with Cerebral Palsy-type challenges, who we watched work so hard to walk even a couple of feet (he’s by the door entrance two photos down.)
I had a really really good time with Lydia and I kept telling her how great I thought it was for her to do service for her birthday since this trip was a birthday trip for her. She is the sweetest girl. She loves animals, and she is a delight to spend time with, especially one on one, when I get to really focus on how wonderful she is. She was so pleasant, mature, intelligent, and so loving to the animals and I thoroughly enjoyed my time with that sweet girl.
Then we ordered food from the Peekaboo Cafe and Lily and I agreed it is some of the best food we’ve ever had. Lydia had some cheesecake that is arguably the best cheesecake I’ve had in my life (I had a bite). We are falling in love with Kanab, and this restaurant is our new goto. It’s amazing. My face looks ridiculous below because I’m not sitting on a stool, I’m squatting trying to fit in and it is quite uncomfortable!
I then read books, and a blog from Community of Christ to everyone, said a night prayer and tucked in the two youngest kids.
I then had so much fun playing bannanagrams and Nuts about Mutts with Lydia and Mary. Lily was exhausted and went to bed early. I was good to go, because I passed out on the couch and had a one hour nap before dinner.
I then tucked in Lydia and Mary. They were so cute with their stuffed animals!
With everyone asleep, and me still having some energy, I spent a solid half-hour in quiet reflection and prayers. It’s hard to find moments like that and I felt very grateful for the time with God and myself.