Sophie

I rarely find a creature I cannot love. Often my family has been the victim of my "rescue" of some animal. Over the years we have seen more than one of these turn to the upheaval of our entire home. Special food, containment or all around care has been the focus of several family meetings. We have had many fish and aquatic creatures. And I really did love having the fish tank. Many guppies were born under my watchful eye. Many, many guppies. Wow I didn't know how prolific guppies were but they are. We had an albino frog for some time. He ate live food, but it did solve our guppy overcrowding. There have been lots of lizard type pets too. A Chinese water dragon named Jake the snake was very entertaining as he ran across the room and would perch atop the drapes to peer at passers by. That unnerved the cats somewhat. Rabbits, oh the rabbits. Very cute, but very messy and when the kids came home from school to find him "expired" there was a lot of counsel necessary that night. Hamsters by the bucket load. And the “wouldn't it be fun to let them mate” phase was short lived when the kids were scarred by the eating of the young phase the mama hamster went through. The cats were almost too many to name. Every stray in the world finds their way to our home sooner or later. We've had cats named, Frog, Fish, Spike, Bandit, Elvis, Amber, Meena, Tadpole, Oreo, Rat the runt, Kitty, Mad Max and Guppy, and others I cannot even remember.
Dogs, oh the dogs I have loved and brought home to my family. Some became family members and there were a few that just were not meant to be. The dogs gotten due to the mama's emotional state were less than appropriate additions in one way or another.
We are now in the "Molly" era. Oh what a dog she is. She is unaware of her status as other than human. She is 100% adorable and a creature that has wrapped us all around her paw.
But we have had a family agreed on moratorium on new pets. The answer is NO. Not maybe, not a discussion, just no. Although Molly broke through, she was a special case.
Now I can tell you about our Saturday afternoon. In my defense I must tell that we had just picked up one son from the airport after being gone a week in Mexico. And I was only a week past the wedding of the other son, who was set to arrive home from his week in Mexico with his bride later that night. My heart was wrecked with emotion overload. Carrying the luggage to the door we heard it. A horse cry from the corner of the yard reached our ears. We all stopped to look around. There she was in the heat of the afternoon cowering behind the fence. We all walked over quickly to see what on earth would possess this creature to be out in this heat. She was tiny, we estimated about 5 weeks, and dehydrated. After rushing over the boys bent down and simultaneously they stopped, turned and waited for me to veto their action. I barked out “well, pick it up”. And with the mama’s blessing they coaxed it to them. She came right up and started purring. She is the cutest little kitten in the whole world. Covered in fleas and too skinny it was surmised she was dumped. I won’t even get into that subject.
After discussing the conditions of her staying and all conditions being agreed to by the remaining family members she was named “Todd”. After finding out Todd was really a girl the name was quickly changed to Sophie. Sophia Rose when she’s climbing the furniture. Which is being addressed in one of the “conditions” of her staying, right guys?
One thing I have learned after all the rescuing I have done over the years is how to spot a truly special animal. A special animal has character and enhances the family showing a capacity to love in return. Sophie shows all these traits and has a personality of a dog rather than a cat. Every cat we have had over the years has come in and hidden for at least two days before venturing out to become part of the family. Sophie only wants to be where we are. She has taken quite a shine to the men of the house and they are head over heels in love with her. She shows so much personality in everything she does. And I love watching the faces of my guys as they play with her and fall deeper in love every day.
So, I guess Sophie stays, but that is the last one I mean it………..

Even the Prince has a Mom

How easy it is to see the princess get married to the prince of her dreams. Isn’t that what is expected from a princess? And off to the side you see her parents so thrilled, tears welling in their eyes, the pain of losing her eased only by the joy they see in her eyes. So proud of their precious one’s new life and future, they contemplate how time flew by. Finding it hard to let go of their princess they mourn the passing of time. But what of the prince’s parents? Do they not grieve just as deeply? Raising the prince wasn’t it the same sacrifice at the altar that day? How deep it ripped his mother’s heart. How lonely she felt that day he joined together with the princess. Quickly she retreats to the day he was born. Holding him in her arms she looked down and fell in love. It was an all consuming love that enveloped her whole heart. Looking forward she made room that some day she would share his love with another. His whole life she prayed that the woman would be worthy of such a gift. That the sacrifice would be made that much easier by the fact she would love with her whole heart with a love that would envelope them both. That she would be as much the princess as he was a prince.
The day came all too quickly. She rushed in from nowhere. Swooping in and captivating all in her wake. How excitedly they looked to the future. Left on the sidelines to watch him make plans to leave the pain started. The pain was as deep as the love on that first day. But it was a lovely pain. It was a pain of hope, joy and reflection of days gone by. Carried by the enchantment of the princess a mother can let go. She once was the princess and still holding her prince she knew the joy to come for them both. Sacrifice was given the day she took a prince away. She recognized the love of this princess and gave the sacrifice willingly. And now left to watch the beauty, she is torn.
She knows that one day this princess will make the same sacrifice, silently and quietly, because there are only tears for the sacrifice of a princess. Maybe because the sacrifice of a prince is the giving up of a place saved for just that special guy in a mama’s life.
Every prince taking a princess has a mama giving up her special place.
Give it with grace and beauty to celebrate the prince that leaves a hole in the heart of his mother.