| Hamster Love |
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There was never a time in my adult life when I wanted a pet. Even as a child, my single foray into the animal kingdom was a creature relatively low on the food chain. Julius Caesar was a Woolworth's turtle whose brief sojourn at our house was marked by many distressing fungal infections (his, not ours) requiring medications purchased at ten times the price of Julius himself. Quite soon, we came to bury Caesar (not to praise him).
Dogs, cats, birds--they all were either frightening, too noisy, or too darn much work to contemplate having in our home. I was lucky enough to marry a man who shared my feelings on this subject, luckier still to have a number of children who passed through their early years with nary a pet request. Oh, once or twice we gave in to a hermit crab (no work, no noise, no--anything, all the fun and excitement of feeding and watering an empty shell). Mo replicated my disastrous reptilian experience with her purchase of Speed, another turtle, who, faced with the prospect of life in our pet-phobic home, soon hurled himself from his little rock, breaking his neck. It wasn't until Julie that we came face to face with a true pet lover. We tried to ignore the signs--she never met an animal of any size or shape that scared her or intimidated her; she loved animal movies, animal-patterned clothes, animal crackers--in the vain hopes that she'd grow out of these notions. But here we are, 10 years down the pike, and her love for all creatures great and small, continues to grow. We are still nowhere near giving in on a dog (Julie, if you are reading this, Mommy means it!) but we have made a few concessions, always with the proviso that she will remember to feed, water, clean the cage, etc. of any creature that she acquires. I have to say I have been more than impressed by the way Jules mothers her current pair of pets. Noah, her goldfish (one of those "1 week wonders" won many months ago at a school carnival) continues to thrive. Her beloved hamster, Puffles, seems quite content, judging by the merry squeaks of the annoying little wheel she runs on all night . I still have trouble with the concept that Puffles lives in a spiffy cage with toys and treats; yet if we saw something that looked just like Puffles running across the kitchen floor we'd be setting a trap. But Puffles belongs to Julie, so instead we break out the best hamster kibble. Ever so slowly, I am beginning to change my attitude. Or more accurately, Julie is changing my attitude. Because she loves animals so, and because I love her so, I am seeing animals a little bit differently. The dogs that were just barking, shedding annoyances to me are becoming individuals, with many different personalities. A few, I have to admit, are pretty lovable. Most are still annoying, but progress is being made. Is this small transformation happening in my heart really so different from the transformation of a heart that knows it is loved by God? When we open ourselves up to the remarkable possibility that we are God's treasures, it becomes easier and easier to do what we can to return that great love. From there, it becomes possible to treasure each other more, just because He finds something so lovable in each one of us. From there, it becomes at least possible to imagine a future world that is filled with love--love given, love received, love passed along, to every one of us. And, OK, I concede that includes the ones of us with fins, fur and feathers. |
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