【講師コラム】メル講師No.20 ～My FURbulous and PAWsitively PURRpect Family～

 It’s the most wonderful time of the year… Everywhere I look indeed tells me that Christmas is near… Schools here in the Philippines are already busy preparing for their Christmas parties, and kids are looking forward to attending them in their coolest outfit and new pair of shoes ( I was the same when I was young, hehe). Malls have extended their shopping hours as many parents are now busy shopping for new clothes and shoes for their little ones. Students are also flocking to shopping centers to look for things they could buy for their exchange gift at school Christmas party, and many others are buying presents for their friends and loved ones… True enough, Christmas season never fails to fill everyone’s heart with happiness and love… How about you, Mommies and Daddies?.. Have you already prepared for your precious ones’ presents this Christmas? Have you heard about their wishes from Santa this year?

           By the way, the topic for my blog entry this time is about my pets. I am sure that many of you know that I have A LOT of dogs. I only have one child but I always say that I have a BIG FAMILY. I used to have 12 dogs, but five of them went to a better place last June… To be honest, I still can’t accept that my Kinako, Kurochan, Azuki, Monaka, and Askal have already left me… They were my babies… Talking about them now actually makes me feel like crying and extremely sad. I have always dreaded the day that one of my pets would say goodbye to me… Imagine how heartbroken I was when five of them said goodbye to me in just a span of one week… I was crying everyday, but my husband told me that God has a reason for taking them from me, and that they are in a much happier place now where there is no hunger, pain, and sickness… I am still missing them a lot everyday, but I just think that they must be watching over me and my family from where they are now…

            We still have our seven dogs and my cats with  us… I have two beautiful puppies, and my cat has recently given birth to three adorable, chubby kittens! I was not a cat person at first, I really did not like keeping a cat as a pet. But I started loving them soooooo much two years ago while I was feeding the stray dogs outside our house… It was past midnight, and I was so busy feeding my friends (I call those stray dogs my friends, hehe!) when I heard this faint meow coming from behind. When I looked around, I saw this tiny, bony kitten running toward me. Stray cats are usually very aloof, but it must be really starving that it begged me to give it food, too… I started feeding it every night from then on… It was not scared of me but it was really terrified of other people, so I had a hard time coaxing him into our house… Now, he and a mommy cat with 3 kittens are all part of our big and PURRfectly FURbulous family… Oh, and I learned that cats are just as adorable and sweet as dogs…  My fur babies never fail to make me feel better no matter how stressed or sad I am, and our home certainly is so much happier and lovelier with them…

              Keeping pets surely isn’t easy. My husband was actually against having many pets at first. We even fought a lot, really a lot, about it. But I can never ever turn my back on these beautiful and helpless creatures… It took many years before I could finally make him understand why I cannot give up on my pets. And I am glad that he has finally gave in, hehe!

             These animals are just soooooooo pure and precious… I always hear that our pets are the only ones who can love us more than they love themselves… I couldn’t agree more. That is definitely true. There is no one in this world  who is more loyal than our pets… They say there in nothing weaker than a human’s mind in the face of money, that a man would not hesitate to turn its back on you for the sake of having more money… But a pet will never ever leave you, nor will it betray you even if someone offers it all the riches in the world… I just hope that everyone would see that… And I hope that we can all learn from them… Oh, how I really wish I would win the lottery!!! I will really build a sanctuary for the homeless, unwanted, and abused animals… It is my lifelong dream…

            Oooops! I guess my entry has gotten so long again… I hope that you did not get bored reading it… Thank you always, Mommies and Daddies… Thank you, Mommy Kayo… I will always have this heart-expanding gratitude to you all… Merry, merry Christmas to you!!! Oh, and advance Happy New Year!!! This year has been really, really, really tough and challenging for my family… They say that, “When it rains, it pours!”. 2022 has been giving me right and left blows non-stop… But I am never letting it knock me down… Life isn’t always great, but there is always something good in it… I hope that you are all hanging in there, too no matter how life gets harsh, Mommies and Daddies… Let us all welcome the coming 2023 with a hopeful and grateful heart… As for me, I am PAWsitive (positive) that I will see a rainbow after all these rainy days in my life…

            MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR, Mommies, Daddies, and my unique and beautiful BUDS!!! May our 2023 be filled with happiness, kindness and all colors of wonderful…