The following is a poignant vignette reminding us that all those with special needs, animal or human, do need understanding and help when needed.  Too often a blind eye is cast towards those needing help or understanding which we are always called to offer.   A few weeks ago, a naked man bleeding from scratches evidently from going through brush and branches, appeared on the doorstep of a home in Hilliard, Ohio. He begged to be let in as he was freezing in the bitter cold and snow.  The owner of the house did not open his door but called 911 which was the proper call to make in the owner’s eyes.  I am not one to judge the owner’s reasons for not throwing out a blanket at least, but I wish he had done more.  With the 911 call, the naked man became frightened and ran away. When the police arrived they looked for the man and were not able to find him.  The man took refuge in a shed and was found dead of hypothermia the next morning.  Now if his tracks could be followed the next morning, why did not the police use flashlights to track him the night before?  The police dropped the ball. I know that the naked, the homeless, the broke and broken do not always fare well in our society, but why did the police not do a more thorough search and why did the house owner not do more.

The television show “What Would You Do?” can be turned into What Would I Do?  if a freezing naked man would appear on my doorstep or anybody’s doorstep. My friends and I have had deep discussions about the tragic scenario of a life not being saved. I know deep in my heart what several of my very brave, caring girlfriends and I would do: we would have gathered sweats, blankets, and opened the door and invited the man in to get him warm with something hot to drink and then would have called 911. I could turn the name of the TV show into “What Would Jesus Do?”  I was truly enraged and horrified at the outcome for this mentally ill man so in need of help. In my opinion, we need to remember the Golden Rule as difficult as it sometimes to do so.

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A farmer had some puppies he needed to sell.  He painted a sign advertising the 4 pups and set about nailing it to a post on the edge of his yard. As he was driving the last nail into the post, he felt a tug on his overalls. He looked down into the eyes of a little boy.

“Mister," he said, "I want to buy one of your puppies."

"Well," said the farmer, as he rubbed the sweat off the back of his neck, "These puppies come from fine parents and cost a good deal of money."

The boy dropped his head for a moment. Then reaching deep into his pocket, he pulled out a handful of change and held it up to the farmer. "I’ve got thirty-nine cents. Is that enough to take a look?"

"Sure," said the farmer. And with that he let out  a whistle. "Here, Dolly!" he called. Out from the doghouse and down the ramp ran Dolly followed by four little balls of fur.

The little boy pressed his face against the chain link fence. His eyes danced with delight. As the dogs made their way to the fence, the little boy noticed something else stirring inside the doghouse. Slowly another little ball appeared, this one noticeably smaller. Down the ramp it slid. Then in a somewhat awkward manner, the little pup began hobbling toward the others, doing its best to catch up…

"I want that one," the little boy said, pointing to the runt.

The farmer knelt down at the boy’s side and said, "Son, you don’t want that puppy. He will never be able to run and play with you like these other dogs would."

With that the little boy stepped back from the fence, reached down, and began rolling up one leg of his trousers. In doing so he revealed a steel brace running down both sides of his leg attaching itself to a specially made shoe. Looking back up at the farmer, he said, "You see sir, I don’t run too well myself, and he will need someone who understands."

With tears in his eyes, the farmer reached down and picked up the little pup. Holding it carefully he handed it to the little boy.

“How much?" asked the little boy… "No charge,"  answered the farmer, "There’s no charge for love."

The world is full of people who need someone who understands.  Just like our naked, freezing man!

I love whales.  When I was in New Zealand several years ago, I went whale watching.  I was humbled by the beautiful creatures as they spouted and then dove with their tales waving in the air. I abhor hunting them and the possibility of their extinction.  Mankind is so greedy which has been the cause of so much warfare with our taking what we want no matter what.  The following true story was sent to me by my friend Marilee; I have seen it before but it never fails to touch me. 

…The Whale… If you read a recent front page story of the San Francisco Chronicle, you would have read about a female humpback whale who had become entangled in a spider web of crab traps and lines. She was weighted down by hundreds of pounds of traps that caused her to struggle to stay afloat. She also had hundreds of yards of line rope wrapped around her body, her tail, her torso, a line tugging in her mouth. A fisherman spotted her just east of the Farallon Islands (outside the Golden Gate ) and radioed an environmental group for help. Within a few hours, the rescue team arrived and determined that she was so bad off, the only way to save her was to dive in and untangle her. They worked for hours with curved knives and eventually freed her.

    When she was free, the divers say she swam in what seemed like joyous circles. She then came back to each and every diver, one at a time, and nudged them, pushed them gently around as she was thanking them. Some said it was the most incredibly beautiful experience of their lives. The guy who cut the rope out of her mouth said her eyes were following him the whole time, and he will never be the same.

    May you, and all those you love, be so blessed and fortunate to be surrounded by people who will help you get untangled from the things that are binding you. And, may you always know the joy of giving and receiving gratitude. We pass this on to you, my friends, in the same spirit.