Hi All,
I read Roary's post tonight, after having my babies out earlier today.
I stepped on Snowflake's foot AND rolled my chair over her foot as I did
my office work.  (I even looked first before I moved the chair)  They are
everywhere at once, they are up, down, in, out, here, there, you can't
humanly keep track of them at times.  We do our best and still they
outferret us to their own misfortune.  I have only had ferrets for a year
now and both major health issues have turned out for the best.  I can
only imagine the pain of losing one as I haven't had to yet.  I have
read many posts about people losing their last ferret and not wanting to
get any others as the pain is too much to bear.
 
I think, that we have been given such fierce love and caring for these
little creatures because there aren't enough of us to protect all the
ferrets there are, and all the ones that get rejected.  So we have to
have fierce love and caring so we keep on doing it, so we adopt more
ferrets into our homes, because there are always more out there that
NEED US.  There lives are so short and they need us so much AND there
are so few of us.  If you think about the laughter, the softness, the
cuddles, the GRATITUDE, the joy they give us every day..Every day they
are there, clamoring to get out, scratching at the door, wanting to be
with us,,wanting to make us laugh..It doesn't matter what our day was
like, who dissappointed us, who wasn't there for us, if we are happy or
sad, they are always there, always themselves, always confident we love
them, always bringing a smile to our faces and hearts.If we added it all
up for as long as they were with us,,,would it even out the pain??  would
it equal it???  Not today and not next month, but someday we will be able
to think of them and remember the wonderful things they did and we will
laugh or smile and that is their gift to us.  If they knew that we loved
them too much to help another ferret live a wonderful, protected, loved
life, would they be happy about that??  Maybe it is in memory of the ones
we have loved and lost that we bring another one into our hearts and
homes.  What would that ferret do without us??  How would their short
lives be??
 
I read a poem in Oprah magazine by Maya Angelou.  It, of course, was
written with us humans in mind, but I thought it fit us and our short
lived friends very well.  I know all the ferret lovers who are beating
themselves up because their ferret was hurt or worse, killed on their
watch & they are hurting inside and feeling less than worthy, but think
about yourself in a cage with no home and no people to call your own.  No
cuddles, no special treats, Cold, hungry, dirty, sick.....and think about
your whole life being spent like that.  You must believe you have done
the best you could and bring another homeless ferret into your heart in
memory of the one that has gone.
 
Here is the poem...thanks for listening to this ramble!!
 
Love's Exquisite Freedom:
 
Love arrives;
and in its train come ecstasies
old memories of pleasure
ancient histories of pain.
Yet, if we are bold
love strikes away the chains of fear
from our souls.
 
We are weaned from our timidity.
In the flush of love's light
we dare be brave
And suddenly we see
that love costs all we are
and will ever be.
Yet, it is only love
which sets us free.
[Posted in FML issue 4883]