Dear Friends, It distresses me so to see so much bickering on the FML. Bob is wonderful, and he lets everyone have their say. If you have a problem, try to express it in a kinder way. I would urge you to remember in these trying times; EVERYONE is fighting an uphill battle. Ferret people have to build the hill they have to fight up. The only people in our corner are other ferret people. As you all know, Ferrets are considered "wild and dangerous" by some insurance companies. They will cancel your policy in a heartbeat. I speak from personal experience on this one. Our brothers and sisters in California have to go underground for their ferrets. Everyone's ferrets get sick, vets do their best, some know more than others, but all try, and still they die, leaving a void only another ferret person can help fill. Many people cannot keep their ferrets and must farm them out to others. That has to hurt, especially if there are children who don't understand. Some just turn them out. With all this stress in our lives, I would remind you all, WE HAVE NO ONE ELSE BUT THE FML. WE ONLY HAVE EACH OTHER; THERE REALLY IS NO ONE ELSE. When we bicker and fight and say mean things to each other, someone, somewhere is being hurt and has no where to go except to the people that are driving home the hurt. No one understands ferret people and the love and caring we have for these little creatures EXCEPT other ferret people. The world, outside the FML, would lock us all up for spending our life savings on vet bills, driving miles to save a little life, staying up all night with a sick ferret, cooking, cleaning, and worrying about these little furry bodies. No one but another FERRET PERSON understands why we cry over them and go to pieces when they die. That is what we want to do, and no one but another FERRET PERSON would understand. Many have said something that has caused pain, then apologized later. Please remember in the future, a word said and a stone thrown can NEVER be recalled. I do not mean to preach to anyone, and if you have a grievance, just try to temper it with kindness. There is a fable that tells of a mouse running away from a fox, a big lion stepped in and saved the mouse. The mouse told the lion to call on her if ever he needed a favor. The lion laughed, "You are so small and I am so big, what could you ever do for me?" Time passed, and one day, the lion was walking in the forest and was caught in a snare. He was bound tight by thick ropes and could not get out. The little mouse heard the roars of the lion and went to see what happened. The lion was helpless, but to the mouse, there was no problem. "At last I can repay the favor to you," said the mouse, and set about gnawing through the rope. The lion was free in no time. Please remember this fable and that a kindness, no matter how small, is never wasted. Marilyn and the gang at Ledoux Hospice. [Posted in FML 5990]