A pictures
worth a thousand words
IF YOU'VE EVER NURSED A PARTNER, CHILD, OR ANIMAL COMPANION
THROUGH AN illness, you undoubtedly know the frustration
of a sleepless night. My daughter came down with a nasty
virus recently that left us all bleary-eyed and sanity-challenged.
Last night, however, came the turning point I'll never
forget.
I was comforting my five-year-old through a bad bout of
coughing at around 4:00 a.m. when Katy, our six-month-old
kitten, sprang up onto the bed. Over the last few days,
I had been keeping Katy in a spare bedroom at night since
every time someone got up (which was very frequently),
she thought it was time to either eat or play. I had forgotten
to put her in her room last night so here she was in all
her calico glory, happy to have her nocturnal freedom
restored. Instead of meowing for food, though, she slowly
approached my daughter's head, cranking up the volume
on her purring as she went, and gently lay down next to
her face. She began kneading (cat people will know what
I mean by this) so it looked as though she were stroking
her human sibling's hair. Finally, she wrapped one arm
around either side of my daughter and settled in, still
purring to beat the  band.
The patient looked up at me and asked, "What is Katy
doing, Mommy?"
"She's hugging you because she knows you don't feel
well", I replied.
Cradled by two furry paws and lulled by the monotonously
peaceful purring, the little girl was soon asleep. Incredibly
touched, I looked down at them and thought, If only I
had a camera.
Apparently many of our readers have had similar experiences
and fortunately, you did have cameras! We have been overwhelmed
by the response to our second Amazing Animals Photo Contest,
not only by the volume of photos we received but by the
beautiful, hilarious, charming and cuddly subjects who
share your homes and hearts. On behalf of all the staff,
thanks go out to each one of you who entered the contest.
We enjoyed every photo that came in, and appreciate you
sharing your companions and their stories with us. It's
so obvious that every one of these animals is amazing
in his or her own right. And although we have only a few
prizes to award, it's easy to see from the devoted eyes
in the photos that each of you has already won something
far greater.
Warm wishes for a wonderful 2004,
Dana
|
