>From:    [log in to unmask]
>
>I have been through the death of an association.  I would have grown old
>with them-if they had been who they represented themselves as.  <snip>
 
It's not often that I have time to post to the FML.  I am guilty of
sitting back and skimming, but rarely posting.  I try to keep up but with
a full-time job, a baby, 75 animals to care for, a non-profit org to keep
afloat, writing (books and mag articles) and doing educational programs,
I find it quite difficult at times.  It's hard enough to find a clean
pair of skivvies these days, let alone sit on the internet.  Sometimes
it's tempting to jump into the middle of a heated debate, especially when
it's a friend on one side.  But I resist the urge because I just don't
have spare time in my life to devote to chasing my tail.  However, when
I read something like Lisette's post regarding the GCFA, I can't hold me
tongue.  This is an issue I'm passionate about.
 
It is very apparent to me from the many, many long (and frequently
dramatic) posts that Lisette has posted to the FML over the years that
she is a very passionate person.  I have no doubt that she cherishes
every one of her ferrets and lives to give them the very best.  I have no
doubt that Lisette has very good intentions when she begins projects or
tries to help someone.  It's obvious she has a big heart.  Unfortunately,
as a passionate person myself, I know how easily passion sometimes blurs
reality.  Sometimes our emotions distort the truth.  Unfortunately, there
is no talking someone out of believing what they're feeling.  Why Lisette
continues to bring private issues out into the public is beyond me.  It
doesn't belong here.  Written words can do a lot of damage even without
the intention of causing damage.  There are people out there who believe
everything they read.  And written words lack many components necessary
for efficient communication - Facial expressions, tone of voice, etc...
 
There are always two sides to a story.  Lisette is always very vocal
about her side.  The people at GCFA are too busy to vocalize their side
when someone takes a public jab at them.  In fact, they only do so in
extreme cases such as this one.  You see, the people at GCFA have a
shelter to run.  Lisette must not understand how taxing and hectic
running a shelter can be.  The animals come first.  Everything else sort
of falls into a chaotic place behind the animals.  And some times things
fall into cracks.  A human brain can only hold so much information before
it explodes (unless you're Bob Church, then you implode).  As the head
of a non-profit org, I can list dozens of projects I have started or
talked about starting, but they never came to be.  Emergencies pop up.
Volunteers don't show.  Small projects pop up which need immediate
attention.  We need to be ready for unannounced inspections at all times.
There's a website to run, a newsletter to write, phone calls to return
(which I admit they aren't that good at this one), adopters to screen,
errands to run, meetings to hold.......the list goes on and on.  It takes
countless hours of daily VOLUNTEER work to eek by.  It goes unrewarded,
except for the ferret licks on the noses of their caretakers.  I have sat
back and wondered for YEARS how on earth the GCFA does all that they do.
Don't get me wrong.  I don't agree with everything that goes on there.
In my head, I question some of their practices and traditions.  But NEVER
EVER EVER (can I say that enough) have I doubted their ability to care
for the ferrets, and moreso their extreme DEVOTION to the ferrets and the
upkeep of the shelter.  People who have not had the pleasure of meeting
Norm and Mary may get the wrong impression of them from some of Lisette's
posts.  These are two of the most loving, giving and devoted people I
have ever met in my life.  Most people who have met them will agree.
Yeah, they're set in their ways, but no one is perfect.  But they give
110% of what they have.  They do the best they can.  Most shelters fall
victim to politics and rumors and disgruntled people.  The GCFA is no
different, except that they don't waste a lot of time defending
themselves in cyberspace.  And it's a shame that they would need to.
 
Regarding this money incident.....I have no doubt in my mind or
heart that Lisette is misinterpreting the words and actions of GCFA
representatives.  That happens to the best of us.  All of us have been so
hurt at one time or another that we unintentionally search for things to
fuel the internal fire.  Perhaps that's what's going on with Lisette.  We
are all human.  Once we have been wounded deeply, it's difficult for some
of us not to continue twisting the knife and expressing victimization.
I'm certain Lisette feels in her heart that everything she's posted is
factual.  Often it takes an outsider to point out the cognitive flaw in
another's thinking.  I doubt my words will change how Lisette feels
about the situation.  But I hope I can reassure the rest of the ferret
community that the GCFA organization is an extremely honest one.  I'm
very proud to be affiliated with them.  If Lisette is owed money for a
project that never got off the ground, she will undoubtedly get it back
if she hasn't already.  I know first hand that even the smallest tasks
get put off for insane stretches of time just because it's hard to keep
up.  And if the task is related to a friend or a volunteer (angels as I
call them), I have a tendency to put them off even longer, because in the
back of my head I think they'll understand and I can get away with it
longer with them.  It is not a vindictive act.  It's not a lie.  It's the
way I internally prioritize things, sometimes without even realizing I'm
doing it.  Maybe GCFA considered Lisette a friend, and therefore they
made her less of a priority than the ferrets in desperate need of care.
That's what I would have done.
 
Give GCFA the benefit of the doubt.  They may be unorganized and
understaffed, but they are well-intentioned and deeply devoted to
ferrets.  They are WONDERFUL in my mind and heart.
 
Kim Schilling
[Posted in FML issue 3965]