My compassion

My nowadays mornings start with taking care of my son's cat Cheddar. The first thing he wants is my love - he has me follow him to where he sucks on his blanky while I will gently stroke his fur, hug and kiss him, and whisper loving words as he goes back to sleep.

Yesterday, I watched a 2-part old movie about a man who cared for a dog that was born albino - the wrong color for the breed. His original owner was going to put him to sleep.

The whole movie was about some people understanding that animals can't speak for themselves and need to be taken care of and protected, and the other extreme - people treating dogs as if they were dirty, objects or to make a profit from. There is so much cruelty! Dogs are being tied and left to die in a cold of the winter, thrown out of a moving car... Amazing on how much creativity these ruthless people have...

5 years ago, when I was in Puerto Rico, I ran into homeless dogs on the beach. They were old, unwell, thrown away to fend for themselves. Myself and another loving soul took care of them, washing and feeding. One of the dogs was so tall that when I first saw him on a foggy morning, I thought he was a goat :) I felt so proud and secure walking with him on the beach in the mornings. He was such a gentle soul, caring about the other dog. In fact, all the homeless dogs on that beach never fought for the little food they found.

I do not care about dog / cat breeds - it's the heart that matters. Just look in the animal's eyes...

My last year in college, I had a teaching practice at a public school in a poor section of Brooklyn. I was with the 6-year old children. I loved them all! and they reciprocated. When their teacher noticed it, she told me that they needed to be treated harshly to obey / listen to the teacher, as this is what they are used to at home.

In my mind, love is priceless - it's like giving someone a gift, even if it's for a short moment.