Holiday Greetings to everyone. I haven't posted in a bit, finally
catching up on FML's emails and orders. I had time to reflect yesterday
in the quiet of the ferret room.

I looked around and saw the nice cards we received for Thanksgiving
(the ferrets had fun scratching at the envelopes and Rudy dutifully
hid them under the cage). I don't ever feel like a hero, I'm actually
kind of shy around regular people and come alive for ferret people and
aren't afraid to ask for help for anything the ferrets need. I don't do
anything beyond what every shelter mom and dad, or ferret lover does. I
feel blessed to be a mere vessel. Kind of like a cracked pot with two
spouts, one coming in and one going out with me in the middle. Seems
like I've been more helpful to people through ferrets lately, I'm not
sorry, I feel honored to do anything to be helpful.

In one cage I have four ferrets of a friend of mine who is going
through a domestic situation and they needed a safe haven, they are
asleep with tummies full of dook soup in comfy hammocks. I was in
those shoes twenty years ago.

In the play pen are five ferrets of a local family who have been saints
to the shelter. Their daughter has spent many a weekend working with
nippy ferrets to socialize them while her father hand fed hospice
ferrets. Their mother who had back surgery still found the time to
locate a food saver so we could keep our food fresher longer as well as
a ferret nation cage that someone was giving away. Last week the father
commited suicide, the kids found him and the mother called me to help.
Not only did we take in the ferrets, but my friend and assistant
shelter director located a bird rescue who not only took in the
finches, and parrot, but also two turtles as well.

On my lap is an older ferret whom I've been babysitting for years they
used to be a group of three. Over the last holiday, his sister passed
away at my house. We knew she was ill and was brought to me to have "a
nice place to die" such as Risa's poem of a few weeks ago, she wrote
that about me. I had to call them Thanksgiving day to let them know
that she passed peacefully. The next day I arranged cremations
services. Rather than sending the remaining ferret home alone, we
offered to let him stay with us as he is adrenal and insulnomic.

Hanging upside down looking at me from hammock is the ferret who with
five others we dumped near a reservoir in a card board box. He makes me
smile as I got to meet the nicest non-ferret person who came to their
aid, bought them a cage, brought all five to the vet. She was so upset
that she couldn't catch the sixth ferret, a little white female, who
was too scared to come to her. I hugged her as she said that little
face haunts her...

It's been a tough year for everyone and it's hard to see past all
the saddess as we lost our 25th shelter ferret yesterday, Freckles.
Although our shelter ferrets are not up yet on the Giving Tree, we
don't mind waiting. I remember a time before there was such a wonderous
thing as the Giving Tree. Our ferrets don't ever mind receiving a
wonderful box of goodies in January or February. We are still putting
up items on ebay and our website to offer for those who are picking
ferrets off the trees.

As well some items I had shipped in November mysteriously disappeared.
After weeks of working with the manager of the local post office we
have our answer. The mail woman who did the pick up at my house was
in bad accident in the mail truck. When they towed away the vehicle
they didn't notice that all of my packages of dook soup and laundry
detergent were still in the back. Instead of being annoyed of my lost
packages, we sent her a nice get well card on one of our ferret face
greeting cards. Her daughter called me this morning to say that her mom
is still on the mend, and appreciated our card. The post office has
offered to reship everything today for me at no charge. For anyone
waiting for a shipment, from us all packages are being reshipped today.

So when my significant other says "come back to the people" I staunchly
reply, "I do help people, I help them through the ferrets". This year
we have done two weddings, an anniversary, two babies, where we were
second on the list to call, when the time came, three funerals, too
many rescues to name. When I went to Pittsburgh I got hugs from people
whom I've only seen by email.

I also have so many people who help me and feel lucky that we also help
each other. Maybe like you all I feel like it is "my calling".

Blessings to all, Merry Christmas to all.....

Diane Wall
South Shore Ferret Care
www.southshoreferretcare.org 

[Posted in FML 6184]