Something To Think About Before You Make That Commitment!

[linda040899]

I found this on a discussion board many yrs ago and I've always remembered the words before any animal comes to live with me. I thought I would share it with everyone.


The Meaning of Rescue
**Author Unknown**

Now that I'm home, bathed, settled and fed,
All nicely tucked in my warm new bed.
I'd like to open my baggage
Lest I forget,
There is so much to carry -
So much to regret.
Hmm...Yes, there it is, right on the top
Let's unpack Loneliness, Heartache and Loss,
And there by my perch hides Fear and Shame.
As I look on these things I tried so hard to leave -
I still have to unpack my baggage called Pain.
I loved them, the others, the ones who left me,
But I wasn't good enough - for they didn't want me.
Will you add to my baggage?
Will you help me unpack?
Or will you just look at my things -
And take me right back?
Do you have the time to help me unpack?
To put away my baggage,
To never repack?
I pray that you do - I'm so tired you see,
But I do come with baggage -
Will you still want me?

[wilkiecoco]

Linda - that really struck a chord with me - it is so heartwrenching, and so true. I am struggling right now with whether to get Kiwi a buddy, for a number of reasons. But most importantly, I recognize that I need to have the time to commit to another presence and living thing in my house. Although I am hoping they would become friends, I also know that there is a possiblility that they would not get along, therefore, the ownness would be on me to meet the needs of another lovie. And i just don't have the time, energy, or ability to do that at this time of my life. So i am waiting, because they don't deserve to be passed around like inanimate objects. Instead, I will give Kiwi all that I have - time, love, comfort, care, and when I can honestly say that I can take care of another living thing, longterm, for the length of their lives, no matter what baggage they come with, then I will. Thank you for sharing this piece with us. It helped bring into focus what I need to do for me and Kiwi.

[Christine9]

Linda- that is such a wonderful poem. Thank you for sharing; it really brought tears to my eyes. Birds are like kids, you don't really know the extent of what you're getting yourself into when you first bring them into your lives. They are rarely, if ever, one hundred percent perfectly behaved. Some days they are more work than they are fun. But, above all else, they deserve unconditional love and commitment. They don't deserve to be passed from home to home.

I guess this is kind of a touchy subject for me because I know of someone who is constantly bringing birds into their home and then rehoming them- and that person always has some sort of an excuse as to why. I feel so bad for them, and for any new bird that might come into that household, because whether that person wants to admit it, I know there's only a 50/50 percent chance that it'll remain there. It's just sad, if you ask me.

[LauraO]

I've read this poem several times over the years and it's so sad and so true:( . It also reminds of a conversation I recently had with my mother regarding the shipping of our bunner Gordon from Hawaii. He's a rescue bun saved from euthanasia cause he was deemed unadopteable by the humane society. It's going to cost us at least $200 to ship him here to Oregon, but as I explained to my mom it's the right thing to do because we made a commitment to Gordon and it's a commitment for life!!!! It's the reason why we shipped all of our 28 birds from Oregon to Hawaii, including the three wild parakeets someone brought to our door. We made a life committment and I don't take that lightly.

[linda040899]

Laura,
I've made the same commitment to my birds and they will be with me as long as I can care for them. Once that is not possible, my daughters will take over their care. When I first met my husband, I introduced him to my flock and made the comment that if you take me, they come with me. Package deal, all or nothing!!!

[michael]

The unconscionable attitude a lot of poeple have towards the priviledge of having a pet has at times spread upon a vast portion of our society, for reasons that I personally am at a loss of words for, or to which there are too many answers. I pray that in the future, we as human beings, can and will do better than we are now when it comes to our animal friends and each other. .. Those final words.."will you still want me?"...at the end of.."The meaning of rescue" .. is a good epitaph to the usual fate of too many of society's unwanted pets. ...Thank you very, very much Linda, for sharing these words with us.....Michael, Goofy, and all our friends.


And I can say that whenever a new pet crossed my threshhold it was the only other time besides when I got married, that I uttered the words "Till death do we part"........

[dani]

Oh boy this poem made me cry a little...:( but it also makes me look past my babies' faults and little quirks, and to honor and to always remember the depth and importance of my committment to them... all pet owners should read that poem.

[Bomom]

It made me cry a little too. I thought of all the pain my little budgie rescue , Eesha , must of suffered . She is quirky and has fallen in love with her nice comfy perch and the bed/nest I made for her out of untreated hemp jute and a finch nest . She brought me to tears a few times now . I hope she knows she has a forever home