In August, one of the sweetest cows on Erica’s ranch in Colorado lost her calf at birth. Erica says the cow cried and cried, and she cried with her.
A week later, another cow in the herd died of mastitis, leaving a calf orphaned. Erica and her husband, Josh, were devastated: the entire calving season had gone well, only to end with two losses in a row.
Then they decided to try something: bring the grieving cow together with the motherless calf. Erica asked a friend for help, and for the first few days they kept the cow in the chute and helped the calf nurse.
But soon they realized that neither of them needed their help. They grew closer every day, and within a few days the calf was nursing on its own. The cow’s sadness gradually disappeared.
When they were ready, they returned to the herd together. To Erica, it was one of the greatest miracles she had ever seen: a loss that ended in a new beginning.
