Ole Ma's Rambling...

Tonight my heart is shattered into a million tiny pieces. How do you even say goodbye? 

Today i had to make the choice to love Thistle more than I love myself, knowing that my heart would never, not ever be the same. 

Thistle was not just a pig but a teacher of quiet wisdom, wrapped in bristled, curled hide. She was the matriarch, the heart of the herd, with eyes that saw through the seasons of my soul. For nearly a decade, she walked beside me, her presence grounding me in the land we shared.

She was best in show not once but  twice—a reflection of her strength, her grace. But those ribbons pale in comparison to the lessons she imparted in the stillness of nights in the barn, early morning feedings, and the every day walks that dominate farm life. It was in the way she turned her gaze toward the horizon, our future, as if seeing something beyond what any of us could fathom. She was the one that started it all. 

Today, I said goodbye, though it feels impossible to grasp and i don't know how to have tomorrows without her. She taught me to listen to the land, to the herd, to the things that can't be seen, to the unspoken connections that bind us to the creatures we care for. In her, I found a mirror, reflecting back the parts of myself I didn't know I needed to see.

Now, the pasture is quieter, the herd less whole. But Thistle's spirit lingers in the air, a soft whisper in the wind, a memory in the soil beneath my feet. She was more than a companion—she was a part of me. An 800 pound baby love , sweet doodle part of me. And though she's gone, she remains in the lessons learned, in the love shared, in the space she filled so very completely.

Rest well, Thistle. You were, and will always be, so much more than just a pig. You're my heart and tonight my heart is shattered, laying across the ground around my feet.

_____

If you had the chance to meet Thistle, please tell us about it and share your memory with us. It would really mean so much to hear from you.