goodness and value

as humans, quite often, we see what we want to see.

we see sweet little blind wilbur, bravely circumventing countless obstacles, detouring around many legs, patiently manuvering to get closer to "the cookie". we pick him up and his little tail starts wagging and he begins licking our faces so very happy to have been noticed.

we see wrecked little cedric, patiently staring at us thru the wire, teeth chattering in excitement. we see his poor litttle three legged hobble as he moves closer to us, and feel his warm and grateful head rub deeply into our hand as he says hello.

we see gentle tally curled up in his chair, or moses moving in close for a snuggle or cole singing a song of hello.

we see all of this and we melt and we feel warm inside and we love them.

and then there are the phoebe's and the murphy's and the buddy's, and the swinger's and the norton's. and we see the chaos, and the noise, and the growling or the snapping. we see them guarding their spaces, or irritated with each other, unsharing or uncaring, or a little bit twisted but certainly not nice. and we look past them or want them to go to sleep or be quiet or whatever but please just get out of the way of our warm and fuzzy moment.

and it is not fair. because i have seen sweet little wilbur hanging from the rottweilers neck, i have seen cedric knock jack off her feet because she came too close to his bed, i have seen moses yell at the other dogs, and cole stop their fun, and i have even seen sweet and gentle tally tell a new dog to buzz off and find somewhere else to live.

beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but goodness and value are too. the animals here are far from perfect, they all have their goodness, and their not so greatness, wrapped up inside them.

i have seen murphy, gently lick jacks face when cedric has been mean to her. i have felt his warm face in my hand as he welcomes me home. i have held buddy in my arms had recieved his kisses and been whacked by his tiny feet when he decided he wants to play. i have seen swingers concern for spritely and norton's tongue has gently given me one small, shy kiss each night when i come home, and i have held the sleeping phoebe in my arms and felt her softness and her gratitude for being loved.

the whole point of saints is loving and caring knowing full well who we care for. it is in accepting and finding value in everyone, easy or not. it is about the real wonder inside of all the creatures here which includes the good, the bad and the annoying.

do you want to know why i really do rescue? the real hidden truth underneath it all? it is because if i can love them all, in all their imperfections and value who they all really are thru and thru...then maybe, in all my imperfections, i can be just as valued and worthwhile and loved in all my goodness and not so greatness too.