What I Missed...

Good evening all! Hope you had a great weekend - the weather was crisp and sunny on the farm yesterday.

In dealing with a family situation, I have been unable to volunteer weekly at the farm since the end of July until last Saturday. I cannot describe to you the emotions I felt driving up with Kim - a little anxious, nervous, happy, bewildered at how the time had passed and filled with anticipation. Would everyone be happy to see me? Would they be mad at my absence? Angry that maybe I had abandoned them and let them down? The car just could not go fast enough. Yet, when I took that turn and came up the driveway...it all melted away. Charlie, Maggie, Sammy came running down the drive...I pulled up and saw the extremely handsome Pierre - Julien sitting on his log and Lexy with her doll. My heart jumped up and beat so fast.. here they were - my family.. my brothers and sisters.. each majestic and beloved in their own way. In the barn lemurs jumping and happy, Mickey and marmosets chirping, Chelsea with her new dolly - a running shoe, Nan, Jenkins, Basil, Koo-Koo and Coco, Pockets.. That warm dense presence, it was like being wrapped in a loving blanket.

and then there was George and Susie! If ever there was a doubt about being loved or missed... George and Susie made it pretty plain how silly that is... chattering, making happy sounds, pushing against the enclosure, wanting scratches and grooming... little Susie... so sweet and happy... and of course George trying to push her out of the way, but she maintained her spot. So much that I missed...these precious moments - gifts of lives, emotions, sounds, touches. It was great to to see Jen, our hard working "little Jen" in the barn and Kim - to be working once again alongside them.

As we heard at another event on Saturday - some say it may just be a drop in a huge ocean, but it is our drop and to the lives it touches it is the universe... this is what I missed..