In the mornings, Maria always makes time to talk to the donkeys, in her own way and in their own way. She leans down near one of them, and then the others come gliding over and get close to her. I am sometimes in these conversations, but usually standing off with my camera. When I make time, I am welcome in this circle, I feel the emotions that pass back and forth between us and the animals we live with. The donkeys need attention and connection, but like many cats, they also need independence and their own spaces.

The donkeys will stand with us for five or ten minutes, and then drift away to make their rounds, forage for food, check out the world. Sometimes, I feel I can touch the space that exists between Maria and her donkeys, she cannot imagine life without them. Animals connect to us in the most mysterious but powerful of ways, they were wise and spiritual beings, they know us well. Learning how to talk to them and listen to them has been one of the most powerful driving forces of my life. A mystical experience that changes me almost every day.