For those who missed it when it was originally published, I thought it appropriate to re-post the story about how it all started as we close off the chapter of our life that started with George's adoption into our family. As I re-read what was written back then, the old saying of hind sight being 20/20 seems more true than ever.
So, here's
Meet George
again, as we say the final Good-bye George
It wouldn’t have been as much of a surprise, if for the past five years my children haven’t been listening to my daily mantra,
We need to simplify! And …
Less is more! And …
The more you own, the more it owns you!, and so on and so forth.
Mission Simplify affected every area of our lives. Every new acquiring of possessions carefully evaluated, every new commitment brutally examined. I became a Don Quixote battling the tidal wave of physical as well as mental clutter and distractions.
So, when I learned that a friend is looking for a new home to their guinea pig, I was the one most surprised to even crack the door of consideration open. I know that owning an animal is a responsibility and represents dedicating extra time and work to their care. Even our children know this and consequently haven’t pushed the pet issue too much. Our daughter’s insatiable need for nurturing critters has been satisfied through occasional dog-sitting opportunities and by adopting lizards, frogs and snails in our back yard.
When I tentatively mentioned the guinea pig to my husband, his immediate response was,
Are you crazy?!!!
I saw no need for him to bring up the fact already agreed upon by everyone that knows me. However, I took it as a cue and I decided not to raise the subject of the guinea pig again.
In the days and weeks that followed I resisted the nagging thoughts about the rodent as temptations to sidetrack me from what I really need to do – get rid of more stuff, not add to the pile. I argued with myself that if he had a tail, I would call an exterminator. If I lived in Peru, I would serve him to my children for supper in a stew. No need to get all misty-eyed and emotional.
Then, after several weeks have gone by, I learned that George is still waiting for a new family to adopt him. And, it just so happened that I needed to go to George’s family home one day that week. Of course, being under the same roof, I had to ask if I could see him.
I never should have asked, for the moment I saw him, I fell in love with him. I knew we were destined for each other.
After spending a sleepless night, I piled up the kids into the car the next morning and drove to pick him up. The kids couldn’t believe their eyes. They couldn't believe that we would take him home and have a pet of our own. A new member of our family. The youngest member of the family, as our daughter likes to emphasize, pointing out the new birth order in the family.
After a few days of sheer wonder, she finally broke down under the weight of the paradoxical nature of her mother’s recent actions and asked,
Mom… Why did you decide to adopt Gorge? Why did you choose to bring him home?
I mulled the question over for a while. I thought about how bringing a new living creature under your roof is work, and a responsibility, and a mess, and an expense, and an adjustment of schedules and priorities. We even had to rearrange the furniture in several rooms in our house, in order to accommodate Gorge’s cage.
But, it is also a way, small as it may be, to affirm life in the world where evening news are dominated by stories of death; to celebrate joy in the world overwhelmed by narrative of gloom and depression… A seemingly insignificant, yet living way to feel and touch and hold God’s love towards His creation embodied in the furry ball called Gorge.
Hon, I … I just wanted you… I wanted US, I corrected myself, I wanted us to get to experience God’s love for us… in a way we never could have… without bringing Gorge into our family.
Epilogue
In God's gracious and mysterious providence, the day after George died we learned that Tinkerbell is pregnant. She is due some time at the end of this or beginning of next month.
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