I just realized that I dint read the "about the author page" of the Ferrets for Dummies Book... I took the time to read it (Very Cute)... But it got me thinking about those of us who care about things that cannot speak out when they are in trouble... After reading about the Animals for Awareness refuge... I found myself contemplating the way we not only relate to one another but relate to animals and other humyns... I know this is NOT totally Ferrety but again IT IS! First of all I would like to tell a quick story about a fuzzy owned humyn I met today... I live in the State College Area and spent the day at my first "ferret mixer"... hehehe... it was sooo cool to see other ferrets and see a WHOLE ferret (up close)... one that I KNEW was whole anyway... (sheesh, why do people complain about the smell? It was nuttin!!) Mary put together a really fun event and one of them was raffles of course... there was a HUDGE basket full of stuff that, among about 5 million other things, had a "felix the cat" toy in it... (something else that I have found exists in the ferret world) I LOVE Felix and when I saw him in the basket I made a comment about how cool it was and told people around that I liked felix so much that I have him tattooed on me... I DID NOT bid on that basket, a young girl won the basket... somebody who had been present 2 hours earlier when I was discussing how much I liked felix, anyhoo... once the raffles were over I strolled over to look at her goodies that she was unpacking and she promptly picked the Felix toy out of the basket and said, "you said you liked felix, right? Here, I want you to have this!" I honestly almost cried... this was a total stranger (and I'm really emotional) and there she was perfoming this random act of kindness... I hung him over one of my doors in my house and he will serve as a reminder that humanity and kindness are not extinct and that often they are found when you are NOT really looking for them. Okay, part of the reason for the story is that I have noticed that people who are able to not only care for but empathize with animals are much kinder to people (who are also animals)... back to the "about the author page"... I have also been seeing alot of OTHER cool stuff (similarity kind of things) in the ferret world... Kims' Husband is an Addictions Councelor... I have a Psych degree and for 3 years I worked for "The Centre For missing and Exploited Children" Doing an Outreach program with Runaways to help them KICK drug habits through referral systems and a program called of all things..." Refuge "... I guess what I am saying in a LONG winded kind of way is that ... it seems to me that "relating" to somebody may often be more important than being "related" to somebody. I love reading the FML (skipping the mean posts)people are so supportive and understanding, helpful... sheesh... even VETS & Shelter Moms (AND DADS) take time out of their schedule to help answer important questions... OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND... hehehe... I am soo thankful for my fuzzies... Just look what they have given me... not only their love but... HOPE... when the world seems like a dark uncaring place... Hope that things like that random act of kindness from that young girl today are not only a solitary act but a seed that grows ... When I open a door for somebody or offer a hand... I would rather say..."pass it on" than "You're Welcome!" So in conclusion to ANYONE out there that has helped me... If I havent ALREADY passed it ON... I WILL!! And Thanks, if I dint already say it! Dooks Dance and Hope Eternal! -Betty and the Seven Wonders of MY world! Oh yeah... Confuscious Say : Ferrets HATE to have paint on their paws and often show their contempt by sharing the paint with their humyns! hehehee... [Posted in FML issue 3207]