Doing our part.

Since I have been reading "A New Earth" I am becoming more aware of my connection not only to the world around me, but my connection to this universe in general. Jer and I both feel it is our jobs to do our part, as small as it may be, to contribute to our community, the kids' school, the environment, friends, family, strangers, and now with the euthanasia issue is AZ shelters. Arizona is facing record numbers of animals in shelters, in turn record numbers of animals euthanized due to lack of space and funds. Many of these animals had families who have fallen into hard times with the housing market in turmoil, the economy in a funk, or just overall back luck. Most of them forced to move into places that doesn't allow their pet, or they can barely afford to feed and care for themselves let alone an animal. Now there is the part of me that feels bad about their problems, then there is the part of me that is so aggravated by it. When you commit to an animal you commit for the life of the animal. If you at some point cannot care for that animal any longer, it is your responsibility to find that animal another home. How someone could drop their animal at the pound knowing they will most likely be put down, abandon them in a foreclosed home, or simply push them out to fend for themselves is beyond me.  So we will do our small part here also. We cannot save them all, but we can be the difference in the life of one. 

I plan on taking Tristan on this plight. He may not remember this event vividly, but it will have an impact on his long term thought process. I want my kids to have compassion and love for the world around them, even though it can be rather nasty at times. I want them to leave the forest cleaner than we found it, turn the water off while brushing, recycle, use re-usable bags at the store, put litter in it's place and above all understand that they don't have to be saving the planet to do their small part in the world around them. If that means saving the life of just one animal, then that one animal is forever changed.