Hello all humans and ferrets alike. I have something to share, an
experience that I hope you will enjoy. I am a nurse and have been
for some 16 years now. I also am a great lover of ferrets. These
two things occasionally collide with the ferrets coming out on top.

I have great co-workers. Everyone knows Kim the ferret lady at work, I
have had numerous strangers from other floors and other hospitals walk
up to me and ask me if I am Kim the ferret lady. We all laugh and they
usually ask me a thousand questions about the little fuzz monsters in
my life. But there are of course some skeptics who upon finding out
what out vet bills run, how much their food costs or even how much it
costs to cremate one nearly fall out of their chairs, proclaiming that
they would never spend that kind of money on a pet. Fortunately they
are petless. I have tried to explain how much love these little guys
give back, how much pleasure to watch them play and wrestle, how even
the old guys love to stretch and take a snooze in my lap and how safe
they feel with me. Some of them had very rough starts in life, others
have never known anything but us.

Well for the longest time the skeptics just remained skeptics. One
of them a nice lady who sits next to me most of the time when we are
charting. Last week she asked to go with me shopping, you see my middle
daughter is getting married tomorrow, and there is lots to do. I went
and picked her up and apologized because I had to make a stop first at
the vets office to pick up Renee's ashes. No problem. When I came to
the car with the little box and card she took them a little hesitantly.
I explained that the ashes were in an urn inside and wouldn't spill
out. She sat with the little box in her lap for a few minutes and asked
if she could see the urn. I said sure, she opened the little box and
took out the tiny urn and began to cry. She said you know I was right
in the middle of them making fun of the money you spent on these pets
but this little urn makes me understand its not what you give to them
that you count, its the blessings they give back. Our crematory sends
a little card with the story of the Rainbow Bridge on it and inside
your pets paw print. She was truly moved by this.

I guess the point of my story is how this tiny creature that is no
longer breathing changed the mind of a woman who thought of pets as
a worthless expense. She also went back to work and now is a staunch
defender. Stranger things have happened I guess, but not nearly as
nice things.

Have a Blessed day and hug a ferret today.

Kim and the 11 fuzz monsters.

[Posted in FML 6265]