By heart broke hearing Mr Ferret's story. I was behind on the fml, and heard the story directly from Diane. As she explained the ordeal from the beginning, I was silently pleading for the ferret to be ok. It was not to be. And I had to remind myself of my deep belief that as long as the ferret reaches the rescuer's caring hands, then it's a happy ending. That, as long as he gets to that moment of love, even if just for an hour, we can in some small way rejoice. Knowing Diane of South Shore Ferret Care, and her volunteer assistant Michele, I can imagine the love that surrounded Mr Ferret for that hour. And for all the miracles of that hour, short of the one that would have saved Mr Ferret, I am thankful. Thankful to Diane, dropping everything to immediately get emergency care for Mr Ferret. Giving Mr Ferret all the love and reassurance she could, in such a short time, while emotionally dealing with this desperate situation. Thankful to Michele, making sure that Mr Ferret's two siblings in fur were being safely attended to, securely out of a bad situation. Getting warm soup for their bellies and dealing with the fleas, while still being there for Mr Ferret. Thankful to their vet, staying after hours into the night to see what could be done for Mr Ferret. Oxygen, fluids, and bloodwork to see if this ferret, cool to the touch, could be helped. If his body wasn't too gone, his organs shutting down, to bring him back. In the end the decision they made was the only one. To try and keep his body going for maybe one more day, maybe one more day of pain, would not have been fair. And so in the end, that hour had to do. That hour of unconditional love and acceptance. That hour of reassurance and tenderness. That hour of what life should be. Mr Ferret got to know that. I don't know what an hour is to a ferret. I don't know what it feels like. But I imagine that an hour to feel the embrace of love, to feel the touch of caring, was everything to this ferret. Was in it's small moment, a lifetime. A sudden lifetime of love to carry with him into death and whatever lies beyond. A feeling that touched him, filled him, and could be carried in his soul. I imagine Diane's love enveloping this little one. In his final moments filling his cool body with warmth. I imagine that feeling such love before death must have felt like the beginning of heaven, it must have been everything. And it fills my eyes with tears, that although it was only for the hour, that it was. Thank heavens that it was. I'm so thankful for the heroic efforts of Diane, Michele, their vet, and most sincerely, of Mr Ferret. Mr Ferret who held on until a rescue came. A rescue that brought him love, and will bring his siblings in fur their second chance. Thank you. There are small miracles of love everyday at shelters. Along with the heartache, hard work, and challenges, there are these small miracles of love. Please, thank a shelter. Please thank them for what they do everyday, every hour, and for what they do on extraordinary days like this. Please thank and support them, so they can be there for the next ferret who needs their miracle. Risa [Posted in FML 5937]