(please pardon the slight modification in the last sentence - this reminded me so much of Jesse I couldn't resist)

The Story of Little Orange Boy

The little orange boy woke up on the edge of a pond. Behind him, kitties and puppies were playing, chasing each other and wrestling in the warm sunshine. It looked like so much fun, but in front of him, through the clear stillness of the pond's water, he could see his Mommy.

His Mommy was crying.

He pawed at the water, trying to get at her, and when that didn't work, he jumped into the shallow water. All that got him was wet and Mommy's image danced away in the ripples. "Mommy!" he cried.

"Is something wrong?"

The little orange boy turned around. A beautiful lady was standing at the edge of the pond, her eyes sad but filled with love. The little orange boy whined and walked out of the water.

"There's been a mistake," he said. "I'm not supposed to be here." He looked back at the water. It was starting to still again and his mommy's image was coming back. "I'm just a baby. Mommy said it had to be a mistake. She said I wasn't supposed to come here yet."

The kind lady sighed and sat down on the grass. The little orange boy climbed into her lap. It wasn't Mommy's lap, but it was almost as good. When she started to pet him and skritch under his chin where he liked, he started to purr. He hadn't wanted to, but he couldn't help it.

"I'm afraid there is no mistake. You are supposed to be here and your Mommy knows it deep down in her heart," the lady said.

The little orange boy sighed and laid his head on the lady's leg. "But she's so sad. It hurts me to see her cry. And Daddy too."

"But they knew right from the beginning this would happen."

"That I was sick?" That surprised the little orange boy. No one had ever said anything and he had listened when they thought he was sleeping. All he had heard them talk about was how cute he wa or how fast he was or how big he was getting.

"No, not that you were sick," the lady said. "But you see, they chose tears."

"No they didn't," the little orange boy argued. Who would choose to cry?

The lady gently brushed the top of his head with a kiss. It made him feel safe and loved and warm - but he still worried about his Mommy

"Let me tell you a story," the lady said.

The little orange boy looked up and saw other animals gathering around. Cats - Big Boy and Snowball and Shamus and Abby and little Cleo and Robin. Merlin and Toby and Iggy and Zachary. Sweetie and Kamatte and OBie. Dogs too - Sally and Baby and Morgan and Rocky and Belle. Even a lizard named Clyde and some rats named Saffron and Becky, a rabbit named Dot and a hamster named Odo. They all lay down near the kind lady and looked up at her, waiting.

She smiled at them and began:

A long long time ago, the Loving Ones went to the Angel in Charge. They were lonesome and asked the angel to help them.

The angel took them to a wall of windows and let them look out the first window at all sorts of things - dolls and stuffed animals and cars and toys and sporting events.

"Here are things you can love," the angel said. "They will keep you from being lonesome."

"Oh, thank you," the Loving Ones said. "These are just what we need."

"You have chosen Pleasure," the angel told them.

But after a time the Loving Ones came back to the Angel in Charge. "Things are okay to love," they said. "But they don't care that we love them."

The Angel in Charge led them over to the second window. It looked out at all sorts of wild animals. "Here are animals to love," he said. "They will know you love them."

So the Loving Ones hurried out to care for the wild animals. "You have chosen Satisfaction," the angel said.

Some of the Loving Ones worked at zoos and wild animal preserves, some just had bird feeders in their yards, but after a time they all came back to the Angel in Charge. "They know we love them," they told the angel. "But they don't love us back. We want to be loved in return."

So the angel took them to the third window and showed them lots of people walking around, hurrying places. "Here are other people for you to love," the angel told them.

So the Loving Ones hurried off to find other people to love. "You have chosen Commitment," the angel said.

But after a time a lot of Loving Ones came back to the Angel in Charge. "People were okay to love," they said. "But sometimes they stopped loving us and left. They broke our hearts."

The angel just shook his head. "I cannot help you," he said. "You will have to be satisfied with the choices I gave you."

As the Loving Ones were leaving, one saw a window off to one side and hurried to look out. Through it, they could see puppies and kittens and dogs and cats and lizards and hamsters and ferrets. The other Loving Ones hurried over. "What about these?" they asked.

But the angel just tried to shoo them away. "Those are Personal Empathy Trainers," he said. "But there's a problem with their system operations."

"Would they know that we love them?" someone asked.

"Yes," the angel said.

"Will they stop lovng us?" someone else asked.

"No," the angel admitted. "They will love you forever."

"Then these are what we want," the Loving Ones said.

But the angel was very upset. "You don't understand," he told them. "you will have to feed these animals."

"That's all right," the Loving Ones said.

"You will have to clean up after them and take care of them forever."

"We don't care."

The Loving Ones did not listen. They went down to where the PETS were and picked them up, seeing the love in their own hearts reflected in the animals' eyes.

"They were not programmed right," the angel said. "We can't offer a warranty. We don't know how durable they are. Some of their systems malfunction very quickly, others last a long time."

But the Loving Ones did not care. They were holding the warm little bodies and finding their hearts so filled with love that they thought they would burst. "We will take our chances," they said.

"You do not understand." The angel tried one more time. "They are so dependent on you that even the most well-made of them is not designed to outlive you. You are destined to suffer their loss."

The Loving Ones looked at the sweetness in their arms and nodded. "That is how it should be. It is a fair trade for the love they offer."

The angel just watched them all go, shaking his head. "You have chosen Tears," he whispered.
___________________________________________

"So it is," the kind lady told the little ones. "And so each Mommy and Daddy knows. When they take a baby into their heart, they know that one day it will leave them and they will cry."

The little orange boy sat up. "So why do they take us in?" he asked.

"Because even a moment of your love is worth years of pain."

"Oh." The little orange boy got off the lady's lap and went back to the edge of the pond. His Mommy was still there, and still crying. "Will she ever stop crying?" he asked the kind lady.

She nodded. "You see, the Angel felt sorry for the Loving Ones, knowing how much they would suffer. He couldn't take the tears away but he made them special."

She dipped her hand into the pond and let the water trickle off her fingers. "He made them healing tears, formed from the special water here. Each tear holds bits of all the happy times of purring and petting and shared love. And the promise of love once again. As your Mommy cries, she is healing."

"It may take a long while, but the tears will help her feel better. In time she will be less sad and she will smile when she thinks of you. And then she will open her heart again to another little baby."

"But then she will cry again one day," the little orange boy said.

The lady just smiled at him as she got to her feet. "No, she will love again. That is all she will think about. That is all that truly matters." She picked up Big Boy and Snowball and gave them hugs, then scratched Morgan's ear just how she liked.

"Look," she said. "The butterflies have come. Shall we go over to play?"

The other animals all ran ahead, but the little orange boy wasn't ready to leave his Mommy. "Will I ever get to be with her again?"

The kind lady nodded. "You'll be in the eyes of every kitty she looks at. You'll be in the purr of every cat she pets. And late at night, when she's fast asleep, your spirit will snuggle up close to her and you both will feel at peace. One day soon, you can even send her a rainbow to tell her you're safe and waiting here for when it's her turn to come. And a long, long time from now - you'll find her standing at the side of the pond waiting for you when you finish playing."

"I would like that," the little orange boy said and took one long look at his Mommy. He saw her smile slightly through her tears and he knew she had remembered the time he almost fell into the bathtub.

"I love you Mommy, he whispered. "It's okay if you cry." He glanced over at the others running and playing and laughing with the butterflies. "Uh, Mommy? I gotta go play now, okay? But I'll be around, I promise."

Then Jesse turned and raced after the others.

Thank you, DJ.

Ur welcome.... I still can't believe he's gone sometimes.... OH well.... til next we meet...

DJ
Glad to see this story posted on the new board. Hope you are doing well.
Gary

I'm great Gary - thanks - and yes, this story HAD to be in the new forum.

I cried as I read your story. I cried for all the pets I have lost, either through death or from having to give them up for unavoidable reasons. And I am crying for the two beautiful ##atiels I gave up 6 months ago because my husband and soul-mate is in declining health (83 years old) and was no longer able to tolerate their noise. But when I experience that one terrible loss, I will again have a little feathered companion.

Thought id slip this lovely poem in here so the new guys also get to read about the Little Orange Boy

Love to you all
Sue


A faithful dog will play with you
And laugh with you and cry
He’ll gladly starve to stay with you
Nor ever reason why

And when your feeling out of sorts
Somehow he’ll understand
He’ll watch you with his shining eyes
And try to lick your hand

His blind implicitly faith in you
Is matched by his great love
The kind that all of us should have
In the Master up above

When everything is said and done
I guess this isn’t odd
For when you spell ‘dog’ backwards
You will get the name of ‘God’

God Bless you DJ..........

Just what I needed to hear..

Love, Denise

Thank you DJ.

So beautiful and so true. I talk to many people who've lost a pet and they say they just won't ever get another. Some never do. I've always responded that of course, it hurts (and how excruciatingly so, we all know), but oh, is surely true too "tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all." One of these days, I'll be ready to love another little dog, maybe two next time to spread some of the love around. There will never be another Hannah, but so many people and so many little animals need us.

Thanks for sharing. I've never read that story before.
Marcia

Thank you afor this beautiful story....I am so glad that I chose tears. Although the pain I feel right now is unbearable this gave me so much hope and comfort....how lucky we are to have this site.

wonderful story. it helps

Oh wow...I didn't think a story like that would make me cry so hard as it did! It was so beautiful, and so true. I had to attach a picture of Tigger when he was a baby sitting on my training potty (I'm 20 now so that's how old it is) and he was the little orange boy in my life. His ears always stayed the same but thankfully, his head grew Thank you for the story, I'll have to forward that to my parents. It will make them smile (and probably cry).

As always, I miss you Tiggy.

I am glad so many of you were touched by the story... it's not mine, but it needs to be read.

Thank you.

Happy Holidays to all of you. And please remember, if you are feeling lonely and alone over the holidays - there is a little spirit - or two - or three - snuggled up against you.

What a beautiful story. I needed it.
Thanks,
Kathleen

For Garfield - the little orange boy with the gold and freckled eyes.

Thanks for sharing...what a beautiful story

Thank you for this story. It helps. It's a coincidence, but a "Merlin" is mentioned in this story as one of the animals playing around the Little Orange Boy, and it comforted me to see my pet's name. Merlin, play a lot, be fearless, and know you are safe, warm, and loved forever. We miss you, little buddy.

I LOVE that story..............I'm hope that my "orange boy" is hopping with everyone and is being watched over by angels. I miss you my precious Rusty -- Rabbit-Man.

Lynn

Oh wow....I hadn't seen that one before today and it made my heart ache. What a lovely story...thank you so much for posting it. I've copied it and will be sending it to my mother-in-law who just lost her best friend of 20 Years last week, a beautiful dog named Bambi. I know it will soothe her heart.

Kristie

Thank you for sharing that story. Beautiful.

DJ
So beautiful it made me cry.
I too am glad I chose "tears". It is all worth it for the happiness and joy my beloved little Indy
gave me over the past 10 years.

I was thinking of a story called "The Little Orange Boy*", which was posted a long time ago and how much I enjoyed it.

I thought it would be nice to bring it back for those of you who haven't read it.

Much peace & love to all of you,

Denise


* As you will see, this was posted on July 9, 2003, by a Lightning-Strike member, DJ - Edgar, Jesse, Tom's Mom )

Wow, what a sweet story. It describes us, the ones left behind, pretty well. We know from the beginning that we'll have to say goodbye yet it kills us when it happens anyway! I hope I can bring myself to love again, we'll see. I hope it's true that I'll see Stew in a new kitty's eyes, and hear him in their purr...I'll take any bit of Stew I can get.

Kelly

What a beautiful story. thankyou so much to DJ for posting it in the first place and thankyou Muffins for remembering it and re-posting it for us to see.
Jan and my Angels and Pixie x