Sometimes the day to day responsibilities of ferret sheltering can really get a person down. After all, dealing daily with large numbers of ferrets one is bound to have more than a few hospice cases, one or two biters, oldsters that can no longer make it to the potty area, strong personalities that won't tolerate other ferrets, piles of ferret laundry that never seem to end, emergencies that come at the most inopportune times, food & supply orders that rival the national debt (yeah, an exaggeration but seems like it at times), poop on walls where no ferret can reach by itself (they must help each other aim that high!), etc... Don't get me wrong, I love what I do for these guys, it just gets overwhelming at times and one begins to ponder the futility of it all. Then you get a surprise in the mail; a card, a short note from someone whom you've helped with advise or a placement or a surrender due to family hardship. Or a large white envelope stuffed full with lovely soft fluffy ferret bedding and a "Thank YOU!" letter from the S.O.S. . As I read, the tears welled in my eyes and softly rolled down my cheeks. My heart swelled with gratitude. I quieted my brain and sent praise to the cosmos, the collective subconscious. So now I say to Risa & the others at the S.O.S.; THANK YOU! The package came at a time when I really needed that little pat on the back from my peers. The bedding has already been claimed by several of the furbabies and is being lovingly used as I type this. With grateful appreciation, admiration, & respect, Debbie Saunders Director, Big Lick Ferret Shelter & Hospice Roanoke, VA "I'm not suffering from Alzheimer's, I have ferrets..." D. Saunders [Posted in FML 6323]