The last time I posted, I was telling about my mom and how animals were drawn to her.
But this is the best story yet!

When I was in college, I came home for Christmas break. And I walked into a “once in a lifetime holiday.”

My mother had taken in a stray dog and had advertised in the newspaper to find its owners. She had also taken in a litter of 5 kittens that someone had said they were going to drown. She put an ad in the paper to find homes for them too. And she had taken in a cat which was in the garage because its owner (who had also said he was going to kill the kittens) said it was feral, savage.

My little sister had a pair of pet gerbils. So that means in my parent’s small two-bedroom house, we had a stray dog, 5 kittens, 2 gerbils and a “feral” cat. The phone kept ringing with people who wanted to see if the dog was theirs. Also people called asking for the kittens for Christmas gifts for their children. And I got the job of feeding the feral cat which I thought was really not that wild.

That should have been enough, right? No, the coup de grace came when my stepdad went out in the backyard and found a stray parakeet. Yes, that’s right. A stray parakeet. He brought it in and my mom sent me down into the basement for the bird cage she always kept for such visitors.

As I watched her place the very friendly and appreciative parakeet in the cage, I said, “Mom, only you would get a stray parakeet for Christmas. On the stray animal grapevine, your house must be marked as an ‘easy touch.'”

The owners came for the dog. All the kittens went to good homes. The “wild” cat was brought into the house where he lived another friendly and peaceful 19 years–however, he did finally “get” the parakeet by the time I came home for summer.

Strength comes out in many ways. And one way is the ability to show active compassion. Animals were drawn to my mother because they sensed that she only wanted the best for them. I’m happy to report that she was as kind to people in need as she was to animals in need.

Do you have any family stories of pets and how they have been loved?

I have more, but that’s enough for today.

Hope you’re having a safe and healthy new year.
Lyn