Donkey Church

“Do you ever wake up and wonder how your life got you to this day? Oh well, no time to daydream. Off to church with the donkeys.” That was my Facebook post, and my friend responded, “Donkey church or donkeys take you to church?”

Neither. Actually the donkeys get invited every year (last year.) But the comment got me thinking about Donkey Church. What would that be like? Is there a donkey code?

Donkeys are usually seen as stubborn and somehow less than horses. A donkey might quote John Erskine back to you, “That which is called firmness in a king is called obstinacy in a donkey.”

So much for generalizations; donkeys are gentle, self-effacing, and very smart. They don’t respond to bullying and love to play. Our donkeys work lightly on voice commands and have competed successfully in several events.

Our donkeys also know how to behave in church , standing for 3 hours on a 10’x10′ rug inside a building. They greet group after group of enthusiastic children with flapping bags, weird hats, shields and some even wear shoes with flashing lights.

The Church of Donkey Code:

1. Keep your own best counsel.

2. Protect your home and family -beware of interlopers.

3. Approach change with caution.

4. Require humans to be trust-worthy.

5. Do your work with purpose and self respect.

6. When you see a friend sing out a loud greeting.

7. Don’t trust dogs, they can wag their tails and bite at the same time.

8. Respect Mother Nature -stay inside the barn during storms.

9. Don’t go in the water until an hour after eating and never go longer than 30 minutes between meals.

10. Anger and name calling is the last resort of a lesser species.

In case you are thinking of quitting your day job and joining Donkey Church -don’t. Fanatic, cult-like behavior is totally against the rules -just not prudent.

Sometimes I tend to get defensive when folks are dismissive of donkeys. I have a lot of respect for these boys. My horses benefit from my lessons in Donkey Church every day.

Anna Blake, Infinity Farm

(Top-In church -a second later the toddler exploded into squeals and poked her finger into Chester’s eye. He didn’t budge.)

(Bottom: Driving at a show. Ernest also took third place in the log skid, not bad since he was running against draft horses.)