For years, Christmas has been a hard thing for me to endure.  My mom was
sick for 2 of them and then she was gone last Christmas.  I really wasn't
looking forward to this Christmas at all.  Christmas eve is particularly
hard for me as that was my mom's and my special night together.
 
Mom and i would sit up together, opening presents and we always let my
ferrets help.  Then we would go into the ferret room together and sit on
the floor and let the shelter ferrets enjoy their Christmas eve presents
too.  I haven't done that in a while.
 
Last night, on Christmas eve, a few of our ferret volunteers/friends came
to the shelter.  We ate, drank and went into the ferret room.  Some of
the secret Santa boxes had arrived and the Paris kids HAD something to
open.
 
The kids had a ball!  Ferretone and treats were everywhere!  There were
even 2 (count 'em 2!!!) antlers for kids to wear.  i made them suffer by
wearing the antlers and snapping photos.  Boon loved it most and you
could see him thinking "gosh, i look sexy in these!".  Poor Elvis just
tolerated them and let me kiss him while taking photos.  Pickle wasn't
sure WHAT kind of torture device it was, but he knew it didn't hurt.
Chip was too busy chewing on some plastic McDonalds french fries to care.
 
Before i went to bed, i crept into the ferret room again.  Each ferret
was tucked into a warm sleepy sack, bellies filled with Tone and treats
(the Santa kids shared) and asleep.  Their extra long tongues were all
resting on their bottom lips which made them all look so much cuter.
Then Oliver woke up.
 
I looked into his little eyes and wondered what he was thinking.  Was
he happy?  Then sadness came over me.  I started to think, what kind of
desperation he must have felt to have to eat his cage mate to survive.
I picked him up and gave him a kiss.  He nuzzled right into my neck and
started sniffing me with loud nostrils.  A tear fell from my eye and
little Oliver didn't miss a beat in licking it away for me.
 
I believe it was his way of telling me that he was ok.  He had to do what
he had to do to survive and he was finally safe.
 
Although the most important mom in my world was missing, and my little
best friend as well, Christmas eve then became special to me again, after
all of these years of avoiding it.  i had my reason to love Christmas
again and it was in 29 little faces that i kissed and loved last night.
It was in 29 little HAPPY and finally SAFE little faces.
 
Thank you to the secret Santas for making the Paris kid's Christmas
special.  Thank you to Bonnie, Nigel, Sue, James, Debbie & Eric for
helping to make my Christmas eve special.  And to Jen for calling me
just after midnight to remind me that i was not alone in my thoughts.
THIS Christmas eve will remain in my heart forever and in the hearts
of 29 once un-loved little ones.
 
Randy Melanie Belair
President
The Ferret Aid Society "For the Love of our Fuzzy Friends"
<http://www.ferretaid.org/>
[Posted in FML issue 4738]