A story of quiet care and unseen lives
I have known Lis for more than 35 years. Our meetings are rare but always special. Today, I am visiting her in Deventer.
Lis is someone who cares. For people, for animals, for everything that is vulnerable. In her home, a few rabbits roam freely. But the most remarkable resident is Nina.
Nina is a chicken. Once abandoned in a park, left to fend for herself. But Lis found her, took her home, and gave her a new life. Now Nina wanders around the living room, among the rabbits, as if she has always belonged there.
But today, Nina is sick. Probably meningitis. She moves slower than usual, her eyes look dull. Lis tends to her with patience and dedication. No medication, no vet—she trusts her intuition. Homeopathy, Bach flower remedies, gentle touches. “She has to do it herself,” Lis says, “I just help.”
We walk together to the park, the same park where Lis once found Nina. Two swans approach her immediately. They know her well. A little later, a coot appears—an old friend. Lis once cared for it when it had an injured leg. She offers it a handful of grain, a familiar gesture.
Further on, in a fenced-off area, deer stand and goats wander around. But Lis is looking for something else. All the way in the back, in a quiet corner, sits David. A rooster, abandoned like Nina. No one feeds him, no one notices him. Except Lis.
As soon as David sees her, he runs toward her. His red comb stands tall, his eyes light up. Lis kneels and scatters some grain. “He knows I come,” she says softly.
As dusk falls, we walk back. I look at Lis, at her world of quiet gestures and unconditional care. For Nina, for Rosemarijn, for David. For everything that seems forgotten but, thanks to her, is still seen.
We have dinner together and continue talking about animals and dreams. Lis would love to start her own practice to help animals with her unique, intuitive approach.
Would you like to know more about Lis, get in touch with her, or do you have an animal in need of help? Send me a message. I’ll be happy to connect you with her.
