This time of year, a surprising number of people are not so jolly.
They are facing the death and funeral arrangements of a loved one,or
discovering their husband and father of their three children has just
tried to commit suicide for the second time in 3 months.  Or we have a
dysfunctional family, and there will not be that family holiday joy for
us.  The difference between the TV family and ours is felt acutely this
time of year.
 
One of the things that will help lift you out of yourself and the issues
drowning you in despair is sharing your troubles with others that you
trust.  A problem shared IS a problem cut in half.  Hiding things inside
can and will eat away at you.
 
Once I have done that, I can listen better, and I can think of what
others are going through..and think of ways I can make things a little
better.  I can stop feeling so all alone.
 
I can get up off my pitty pot and realise people need me.  There is much
I can do to be of service.  Giving to others IS one of the best gifts I
can give.
 
If Kat has the time, she will be putting up some ferret Christmas
presents on E-bay soon to help a large ferret shelter that has lost staff
and monies.  The shelter Mom has been brilliant in attempts to raise
money.  But others have seen the financial boon of her enterprise and
joined in.  The money to care for so many ferrets is not coming in now.
There are other issues...it is not my place to share them.
 
But there is a shelter Mom who has been there for years for so many
ferrets.  She is about to take in even more.  She needs our help this
Christmas.
 
There are Ferret Christmas tree ornaments, a sparkling ferret angel
nativity scene, and a beautiful white ferret angel with luxurious snow
white wings made of feathers looking up to us...my ferret guardian angel.
The ferret angel is my favorite.  If you have lost a ferret...just
looking at this every time I walk into the den has been a great comfort
to me this past year.  The ferret looks real.  The look on the face is
a heart melter.
 
Kat will tell you more just as soon as she can.  She is one of the
many miracles of the FML.  And although burdened with many other
responsibilities right now..She is going to help to get these gifts
out there.
 
Remember that you are far from being alone if you feel sad or alone or
depressed right now.  Share your problems with someone you trust.  Listen
to others.  Let those people know you care.  Then think of what you can
do to make things better.  You cannot change people, places, or things.
But you can change your own thoughts Ask your God for wisdom and
courage..
 
These gifts beomg donated to help raise money for the shelter are from
the heart.  They make wonderful presents to people we would like to
acknowledge and thank...or to someone as special as....YOU.
 
And all of the proceeds go to help a very, very tired shelter mommy who
has no more cookies in her cookie jar..She is on her last leg.  And her
shelter may have to close soon.  Please show her with one of these gifts
that you support her years of toil and effort and love.
 
Thank you all for reading this.  For those in serious debt...find another
way to feel the spirit of the season.  Make things out of materials you
have left over, and donate a creative gift to your local shelter.  Go to
a retirement home on Christmas, and sit with someone who is all alone.
 
For me...I will be volunteering at a shelter close to me that is dirty,
smells just awful,is over crowded, and a kill shelter.  They just took in
60 cats from a collector, and are in way over their heads.  Most likely
all 60 cats will be put down soon, never having had a life with even
their basic needs met, let alone knowing any love.  They lived in a
mountain of trash and feces and dead animals.
 
If you can help this shelter...it will mean more than just the extra
needed cash.  This shelter Mom needs some serious cheering up.
[Posted in FML issue 4714]