Angel Animals Story of the Week, 3-12-05, "The Power of Love" -- Angel Animals Story of the Week

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Date Posted: 17:38:31 03/12/05 Sat
Author: Angel Animals Network -- LIFE IS YOUR PAGE
Subject: Angel Animals Story of the Week, 3-12-05, "The Power of Love"

Angel Animals Story of the Week
March 12, 2005
Visit us at www.angelanimals.net

Dear Friends of Angel Animals,

Welcome to the Angel Animals Story of the Week.

We are pleased to have in the Announcement section below, the winners of the 2004 Angel Dogs Contest. We plan to include many of the winning stories and other entries in the new Angel Dogs and Rainbows & Bridges books to be released in fall of this year. Some of the judges had a hard time picking the winners from among so many wonderful entries. Over time, we'll publish some of the stories in this newsletter so you can enjoy them also. Thanks to everyone who entered the contest.

Today's story brought tears of joy to our eyes with its wonderful expression of how love overcomes all obstacles.

And for those of you who have written to ask, the saga of Speedy clinging to the hardware store bag continues, although a bit of balance has been restored to his life. He's started leaving the bag more often to return to his old favorite places. With a mysterious cat, who ever knows why?

We welcome your stories for possible future publication in this newsletter or in one of our upcoming books.

If you're new to this newsletter, and you like to write or think about wanting to write, check out our other newsletter and Website at www.writingontherun.com and the "Writing on the Run Tip of the Week."

We invite you to e-mail this week's newsletter in its entirety to others who might enjoy it.

Animal blessings,
Allen & Linda Anderson

* * * * *

STORY OF THE WEEK

THE POWER OF LOVE
By Mary M. Alward

Kelly came to us on a rainy autumn day in the late 60s. As my cousin Lisa descended the steps of the school bus, she heard whimpers of distress. She searched the area and finally found Kelly hiding in the culvert at the end of the driveway. She picked up the thin, shivering pup and brought her to the house, wrapped in her jacket.

When I first saw Kelly, I was horrified. Her tiny body was thin; her ribs could be seen pushing at her skin. Her stomach was swollen from lack of nourishment. Her head drooped. She was lethargic and every time she was moved, she whimpered in pain.

My Aunt Millie immediately took a liking to the half-starved pup. She warmed some milk on the old woodstove, put it in a dish, and set it before the trembling ball of fur. The pup struggled to lift her head but soon gave up, flopping onto her side. Aunt Millie searched frantically in the medicine chest until she found an old, glass eyedropper. She cuddled the pup in her arms and gently coaxed her to swallow the milk that she dropped into her mouth.

No one held much hope for the pup's survival. Uncle Jim said if she lasted the night it would be a miracle. Aunt Millie, who'd always had a soft spot for animals, was determined to save the pup's life. She sat up all night in her oak rocker, holding the dog in her arms. She stroked its fine red hair and crooned to it lovingly. When dawned turned the eastern sky to hues of pink, purple, and blue, Aunt Millie was fast asleep in her rocker. The red setter pup slept soundly on her lap.

As soon as Lisa was safely on the school bus that morning, Aunt Millie put the pup, whom she'd named Kelly, because it was "a good old Irish name," into the old, rusty pickup truck and headed for town. Kelly was going to the vet's.

The vet examined Kelly thoroughly and told Aunt Millie that Kelly was suffering from exposure. If she received lots of nourishment and love, she would be fine. That was all that Aunt Millie needed to hear. She spent hours cuddling, petting, and talking to Kelly. Within a few days, the dog was following her around the kitchen. Within a month, Kelly looked like any other red setter pup. She had a flamboyant personality, and her antics sent the entire family into fits of laughter.

Kelly and Stripe, the barn cat, also formed a firm bond. They played and tumbled in the yard and soon became good friends. But Kelly's first love was Aunt Millie, and the feeling was mutual. Aunt Millie adored the beautiful red setter.

As Kelly grew, the bond between her and Aunt Millie became firmer. When Aunt Millie went to town, Kelly would whimper and whine until she returned. Kelly always knew when Aunt Millie was coming. She would hear the pickup coming down the road and run down the driveway full tilt to meet the truck at the end of the lane. Aunt Millie always kept a sharp eye out for Kelly, who would race alongside the truck, barking furiously until it reached the drive shed.

One day when Kelly was two years old, she heard the pickup coming from town. She raced down the lane to meet it. This time Aunt Millie wasn't driving. Hank, the hired hand, turned into the driveway, making a wide turn. The front bumper of the truck collided with Kelly's left hip. Her lovely red body tumbled beneath the wheels.

Uncle Jim wrapped Kelly in a blanket and rushed her to the vet. Her left rear leg was severely mangled. The vet said amputation was Kelly's only hope. Pins and splints would be of no avail. Kelly's leg would never heal. After much discussion between Uncle Jim and Aunt Millie, surgery to amputate Kelly's leg was underway.

Because Kelly was young, healthy, and strong, t didn't take long for her leg to heal. Within a few days, much to our surprise, she was beginning to adapt to her disability. She was confined to the kitchen but in spite of this was in great spirits. She did her best to follow Aunt Millie as she cooked and cleaned.

Within two months, Kelly was her old self again. She raced down the lane on three legs almost as fast as she had on four. We were amazed at the strength she showed.

For five years Kelly lived a normal life, doing all the things farm dogs do. She brought the cattle to the barn at milking time, chased Stripe and the squirrels around the yard, and played fetch with Aunt Millie and Lisa.

When Kelly was six, tragedy struck once more. Her mobility began to decrease and in the beginning, we all assumed her old injury was being affected by arthritis. It wasn't long until her right rear leg, which had always compensated for the disability, began to swell. She began to lie around most of the day. When she did move, she'd whine and whimper with pain.

After trying everything she could think of, Aunt Millie decided to take Kelly to the vet. The news wasn't good. He took a biopsy. It came back positive. Kelly had cancer. It was possible that surgery would save her life but it would be costly, and the vet offered no guarantees of recovery.

That afternoon I found Aunt Millie sitting in her rocker, her fingers lovingly caressing the fan quilt that my great-grandmother had given her on her wedding day. The quilt had been in the family for generations and was considered an heirloom.

"I'm going to sell it to Mrs. Cassidy," Aunt Millie said, her voice trembling. "She's wanted it for years. The money will pay for Kelly's vet bills."

Later that day I went with Aunt Millie to Mrs. Cassidy's antique shop. As I watched, I realized how hard it was for my aunt to relinquish the quilt. She took the money and drove straight to the vet's.

Kelly came through the surgery with flying colors. The effects from the chemotherapy she was subjected to over the next few weeks left her listless and lethargic. We often wondered if she would make it.

As Kelly recuperated, Aunt Millie spent hours sitting on the floor with the dog's head in her lap. She would stroke Kelly and croon gentle words as she'd done that day so long ago when Lisa had first brought the puppy home.

Within three months, Kelly was once again frolicking in the yard with Stripe and following Aunt Millie around the farm. Even the vet was amazed at Kelly's ability to overcome obstacles.

Never underestimate the power of love. It sustained Kelly through the major tragedies of her life. She died in her sleep six years later in her favorite spot -- on the rag rug beside Aunt Millie's bed.

A few years later as Aunt Millie lay in her bedroom, dying of the cancer that was slowly devouring her body, her mind wandered back in time. She often reached over the side of the bed and stroked Kelly's head. The doctors and nurses said she was delirious. I doubted it. I believe that somehow Kelly was able to return to Aunt Millie in her final days to help her make the transition from life to death. The power of love is amazing.

BIO:
Mary M. Alward's work has been published in both print and online venues. You can read more of Mary's stories at http://www.suite101.com/welcome.cfm/5086

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT:

When has an animal showed you, especially over time, the power of love?

* * * * *

ANGEL ANIMALS QUOTES OF THE WEEK

"It is a matter to gain the affection of a cat. He is a philosophical animal, tenacious of his own habits, fond of order and neatness, and disinclined to extravagant sentiment. He will be your friend, if he finds you worthy of friendship, but not your slave. '
--Theophile Gautier

"Dogs seem to be very aware of the fact that other individuals have a particular point of view that must be taken into account. Here is a simple proof of this that you can verify when you are playing fetch with your dog. After throwing a ball a few times for him to retrieve, all you need to do is to intentionally turn your back on the dog. Inevitably the dog will run around and put the ball down in front of you. This means that the dogs seems to understand that the human has to see the ball before he'll throw it and that he can't see it unless he is facing toward it."
--Stanley Coren, HOW DOGS THINK, p. 310

"Birds make great sky-circles
of their freedom.
How do they learn it?
They fall, and falling,
they're given wings."

--Rumi, translated by Coleman Barks with John Moyne, A. J. Arberry, and Reynold Nicholson, quoted in June Cotner's ANIMAL BLESSINGS, p.72

* * * * *

ANNOUNCEMENTS

The 2004 Angel Dogs True-Story Contest winners are listed below. There were over a hundred entries of wonderful, uplifting, and amazing stories. All were special.

Grand Prize Winner
"An Angel in the Night"
By Mary J. Yerkes

Second Place Winners

"Moby"
By Barri Soreil

"Justine -- A Tail of Love
By JoAnn Semones

"Incident at Lake Isabella"
By Kathy Broderick

"Rainbow Dog"
By Joanne Nobrega

"Gracie -- Our Hostess Dog"
By Pam Thorsen

View the list of the Angel Dogs 2004 Story Contest
at http://www.angelanimals.net/winnersdogs.html.

Allen and Linda Anderson will be interviewed on the Donna Seebo Show (KKNW1150AM) on March 16, 2005 at 10:00 a.m. Central Standard Time. You are invited to listen in on the interview by visiting http://1150KKNW.COM.

ANGEL CATS: Divine Messengers of Comfort, GOD'S MESSENGERS: What Animals Teach Us about the Divine, and ANGEL ANIMALS: Exploring Our Spiritual Connection with Animals are available at online or regular bookstores and at many gift shops that sell animal books. ANGEL CATS is also a selection of One Spirit Book Club.

* * * * *

OTHER INFORMATION

The Angel Animals Network is devoted to collecting and disseminating original, true stories about the spiritual connection between people and animals. You can learn more about the Angel Animals Network at www.angelanimals.net.

If you send this newsletter to others (and we hope that you will), please don't change it in anyway and include the information above about the Angel Animals Network. Thank you.

This newsletter is sent to you by the Angel Animals Network. Copyright 2005, Allen and Linda Anderson, Angel Animals Network. All rights reserved. Nothing in this newsletter may be reproduced or published without the written permission of the individual authors and/or copyright owners. Angel Animals(r) is a registered trademark.

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