Oscar's Place

My mother’s birthday was in March, the first since she passed. The day was as shitty as you’d expect. I tried to do some sort of ritual, but it couldn’t mask the pain. I miss the sound of her voice when I would call on her birthday. I could always hear her smile through the phone. My own birthday was a week ago. My mom and I share the same birth date, offset by a month. I always liked that. This year, I had absolutely no interest in celebrating, going on a trip, having a bday dinner, etc. But my wife encouraged me to do something, even a little thing, just for me. I thought about it and eventually came up with an idea. I decided I wanted to visit a donkey sanctuary called Oscar’s Place, which I’ve been donating to for a while. It is a truly wonderful place, like a Disneyland for rescued donkeys, where they get to live for the rest of their long lives (donkeys can live up to the age of forty!), happily ever after. Oscar’s Place is a two-hour drive away from us, nestled in the remote…