8/24/2022 0 Comments Faith Maloney – An AppreciationFaith Maloney, one of the founders of Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah died on August 4, 2022. Catherine and I were enriched by knowing her. This blog is my little contribution to celebrate the life of this marvelous woman. First Meeting In the last week of April, 2006, Catherine and I made our first visit to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah. We had only heard about it and it sounded like a wonderful place to volunteer. As a big bonus, our daughter, Liz, who by then had finished her Peace Corps service and was living in Oregon as an outdoor wilderness guide, joined us for the week. Best Friends was a much smaller operation then. Their very popular TV program Dogtown would not be aired for another two years. For example, volunteering was such a simple process in those days. In the morning, we would choose where we wanted to volunteer and Best Friends would say “Thank you”. The need for volunteers far outstripped the demand. This would change over the years as Best Friends attracted thousands of volunteers. In the early days, meeting the founders was an easy process. At lunch, there was a wonderful vegan buffet for $4.00. Many of the founders would simply be around the cafeteria and join volunteers as they pleased. That’s how we met Faith. She was sitting at a large table that held 12 people and getting to know the various volunteers. We introduced ourselves and listened. She was very real, candid and laughed a lot, and we liked her immediately. The next day she was sitting at a table for four and the three of us joined her. Within moments we were sharing our own background. We told her that when we were in our 20s and 30s we had been part of a theater / spiritual group. She well understood the initial excitement as well as the many challenges. She shared some of her stories which resonated with us. We all “clicked”. We had the impression that she clicked with anyone she met. When we got home and were reading the Best Friend’s magazine, we discovered that Faith wrote an animal advice column. She wrote the way she talked, simply and directly. I could actually hear her British accent as I read her helpful column every month. Faith became for us the “face” of Best Friends as we continued to visit and volunteer the last week of April every other year. Over the next 16 years, Catherine and I would email Faith for any excuse or reason to keep the contact going. Remarkably, she always wrote back and added something to the exchange. This amazed us because of the multitude of people she undoubtedly knew as well as her many duties at Best Friends. Each time before we arrived, we emailed her and shared our excitement to visit Best Friends and see her again. Last Meeting In the last week of April, 2022, we visited Best Friends for our 8th time. With Best Friends now being a wildly thriving organization, it was necessary to make an appointment in advance to fit into Faith’s, no doubt, full lunch schedule. She graciously made room for our extended group that included Liz, her boyfriend, Shaun, his daughter and two very close friends of ours who were visiting Best Friends for the first time. The 8 of us spread around a table for 6 so we could hear each other well. Faith was as lively and grounded as ever sharing her personal adventures and also introducing our friends to some of the “inside” stories of Best Friends. Faith also led the monthly blessing for all the animals who had passed at the Sanctuary. Pet owners, both local and far away. could also have their pets included in this ceremony simply by an email request. During the pandemic, Best Friends had created a gratitude garden, a beautiful and silent space for reflection, and that’s where the ceremony was held. As always, it was deeply moving. As a happy coincidence, this week was also the gathering of the Friends of the Founders. Catherine and I are part of that group. On our last day, in the late afternoon, a group of perhaps 50 people gathered on an outdoor patio for wine, cheese and chat. Faith was there and she and Catherine snuggled up in a corner. It felt to me like a large family gathering, so relaxed and easy. Later, I asked Catherine what happened between Faith and her and she said they just shared all sorts of stories. They had become very good friends over the years and the body language was like two sisters who had not seen each other for a while. Catherine also mentioned that Faith told her that she was not feeling too well but suspected it would pass soon. After lots of hugs, we left Best Friends promising we would be back in 2024 and see her then. Two weeks after we returned home, we received a long email from Faith letting us know that her daughter had insisted that she check her health with a doctor. Faith had been in constant pain and could not shake what was bothering her. She had some preliminary blood tests and was sent to a hospital. Then, with more tests, it became clear that she had stage 4 ovarian cancer. She tried one round of chemo. After her horrible experience with that treatment, she chose to stop any further treatment and to accept her impending death. Her email told us that she had talked with her family as well as her Best Friend’s family. We were stunned and sad. It took us a few days to fully accept and understand her decision. Over the next few weeks, Catherine and I wrote her our own love letters as we began to process the reality of her passing. We carried her with us and she would come up in our conversations. About three months after our visit, she passed. One of our very good friends, also a founder, told us that her home looked like a florist shop and she had received hundreds of emails and letters. She had answered them as long as she could. It is a great privilege to see a person who has truly found her place in life, both literally and spiritually. I have met a number of people throughout my life who have followed an inner calling, an inner discipline that little by little transforms them. Simply put, they become themselves and something shines through them that influences everyone they meet. Faith was surely that way for us and we feel very lucky and grateful to have known her. There is a wonderful “remembrance” written by Julie Castle, the current CEO of Best Friends which gives lots of stories and more info about Faith. Click on this link to enjoy it. https://bestfriends.org/stories/julie-castle-blog/remembering-faith-maloney-best-friends-co-founder
0 Comments
|
David FeldmanDog walker, Dog Mediator, Father, Husband, Categories |