Last year many little ones left us. All had medical problems. It was a difficult year. So how do I continue? First and foremost, I love each and every little one with all my heart. Some are a bit more special but the love is the same. Each loss hurts deeply, sometimes it takes a bit longer for me to recover from a particularly difficult illness or unexpected death. But then I sit back and think about what would have happened to these little ones if they hadn't come to me? Would they have suffered a prostate enlargement and urinary blockage for days before the bladder ruptured? Would they have seized unmercilessly from insulinoma episodes? Would their heart have beaten so hard from heart ailments that their entire body pulsed before it gave out? Would they have drowned in their own fluid in their lungs because no one noticed they were having difficulty breathing? Would they have pined away in a filthy cage? Starved to death locked in a cage without food and water? Abandoned? What keeps me going when my heart feels like it is being torn from my chest is not only my love for this wonderfully enchanting, endearing creature, but also that they need us to look out and care for them and my need for them to know they are very much loved. I know that while they are with me they are well taken care of, their medical needs are met (and sometimes exceeded), and they have quality of life (not always quantity), even if their time is short. For me, I believe I am contributing to make the world a better place for those that cross my path. In a world so full of hate and cruelty, I have to try to make it better for those I can. Warm hugs to all. tle Troy Lynn Eckart Ferret Family Services http://www-personal.ksu.edu/~sprite/ffs.html http://www.geocities.com/Petsburgh/Haven/5481/ Please sign up to support our charity http://www.iGive.com/html/ssi.cfm?cid=46&mid=58395 [Posted in FML issue 3167]