31 posts in 31 days challenge day #4

The post today is part of the challenge to write a post every day in December. My theme is joy... today just a little story from my heart...

The story continues....
He had thought long and hard about whether or not to do it.
Then, just as a reconnaissance mission he drove to the store, just to look mind you.

It had been a long hard year. First the bad news, then treatment, dealing with the fears and worries, coming to a sort of peace with the unknown. His wife needed comfort and said she was fine but he knew she needed a soft thing to hold.

She needed to take care of something, to love something, to invest in the future with a soft thing.

He contacted the doctor who said it would be a great aide to recovery, so he sort of dropped a hint...
"honey, have you ever considered getting a pet?"
"Oh" she responded, looking at her hands, wincing from some pain inside. "I don't think I can take care of me much less pick up after a dog, or change kitty litter. But... it might be okay, oh I'm just too tired to think about it"

He knew she was frightened still. He knew the treatment was nearly as bad as the illness. He suspected that the daily pain had worn her out. She was in her head more than was healthy, and happiness was constructed with good intentions instead of felt.

So here he was at the store... Lord help him make the right decision. He'd only had one dog in his life, when he was a child, and he still remembered the pain of loss when the dog passed away.

He was frightened of the possibility of losing his wife and best friend. She was so weak.

He went in to look... and for some untold reason, wandered over to the "pig palace"

That face! Those little star hands! He couldn't get her a glorified rodent... could he?
could he?
His wife would be able to pick her up... and he felt her little guinea pig soul reaching out...

The Guinea Pig
"Take me! take me! ME!
 Pick me up! Please!
I'm the one for her! I want to snuggle with her in her blanket while she watches TV!
I want to eat veggies with her!
I want to love her, give me a chance!
I've been waiting for a long time for just the right family, for people to love... let him pick me"

The Man
"I've never heard of a support pig before" this is really stupid!
What about a cat? or a poodle?

 But look at her face! There is a world of love in that face. Even if most pigs are standoff-ish, maybe this one will remind my wife there are miracles out there. There is love, and healing in loving. There is a soft thing to watch and hold.

He wanted her to smile again, like he was smiling down into this face. What could it hurt?


" Wrap her up!" he told the clerk. With a habitat, some hay, a bed too.
"What's she like" he asked as an afterthought, hoping the clerk wouldn't say she hated being touched.

The Clerk
Oh not that one! She's my favorite! I love her so much! She's the sweetest pig I've ever seen! But... she deserves a forever home too, and this guy seems nice...
"Well, she's a good pig. She talks to me, comes over for petting, and seems to know what's up" he answered. " I'm not going to lie, it will be hard to let her go"

The Man
"Oh good. Good. She's for my wife who needs to love and be loved" he turned his head just a second before the tear fell.

The Wife
"Oh, my, stars! What have you done!!?" she asked seeing the covered box. "you know I am too tired to take care of anything else! Why I don't know if I can even love anything else, it's all so hard now!" she said, hoping it wasn't true.
"but.... she's so...cute"

He looked into her face, and smiled.
She's a gift for you.
She told me she loves you already.


This story was inspired by my friend Sally in MA who blogs at https://craftscaviescontras.blogspot.com/
Because of her posts and videos of her pigs I am now smitten with them, love knows no bounds