Tag Archives: love

Furry Angels

Health, Life and Times, Northumberland Hills, Personal, , , , , , , , , , ,

“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.” Anatole France

Audrey and Spike
Audrey and Spike

Most people have soft spots for our furry friends just view YouTube animals and see the volume of views on anything to do with animal antics and care stories. I’m no different, I have always had a dog in my life from childhood and in the later years I have grown to love cats as well. Today, I have the pleasure and honour of being watched over by three furry angels and a guest furry angel. I am calling them angels because at this time in my life they are giving me such peace and love, it’s as if they can sense the physical wrongness that is in my body and they all of them hover and try to cover me with their little bodies 24/7 drawing out the bad. Where I walk they will follow, never leaving me alone in the house. If I need to sleep for a few hours, they curl up alongside and stay there until I wake. They are my constant companions always there to give me their loyalty, unconditional love, and a hug and lick when I need it. So, I would like to introduce them to you…

Spike, who happens to belong to my sister, came into her life last November. He is part pug, part jack Russell. He is smart, with a most intelligent face. In the beginning I wasn’t sure about him as he was an older dog rescued from termination. So, I did not know his history. I could only get a sense that maybe he had been abused because he was somewhat shy and non-approachable initially. It took him a few weeks to get to know me and realize that I was always coming home. He certainly suffered from separation anxiety. Once I understood this, I started to make a very big deal about when I was leaving and when I was returning home with him. Lots of touching and kind words and soon he was my most faithful companion hanging with me every day waiting patiently whenever I had to leave him and so happy when I returned. I have grown to love this little guy and he in turn has rewarded me with his love and angel protection. His favourite pastime is sitting in stealth mode for Khimo… who he chases around the house playing hide and seek.

Starlin and Khimo
Starlin and Khimo

Khimo, is the baby a beautiful black with two white spot tabby who my daughter and I purchased in 2007 to help with the loneliness of my older cat Starlin. We picked Khimo because the pet shop had a posting of him over his cage and there was a memo which stated that black cats where the hardest to adopt because of their colour, silly superstition and that they were the most frequently abused and terminated based on their colour. My daughter and I, could not let that happened to him.  Khimo was born and raised in the shelter and had never be out of a cage until we brought him home. That first couple of days and nights were for him so traumatic because for the first time in his life he was able to go beyond the bars and investigate his new world and the folks in it.  Once he became comfortable, I became is human mommy, he would curl up under my chin and sleep like that until I moved him. Even as lean and long as he is today, he still thinks he can get under my chin. He is a head butter always looking for me to acknowledge his presence with a good butt to my chin and he refuses to be ignored. Especially since becoming ill, he is even more so wanting to be in my space, needing to curl up while I’m watching TV, or in my office, he definitely sleeps with me now and generally finds that he has to have some form of physical contact. In the evening he and Spike will sit on each side of me as if protecting me from the bad influences in the air. Together, they have a companionable rivalry going on and will go off and chase and hide in there imaginary game which I seem to always be the center. I literally, cannot move without one or the other seeing where I’m going and Spike always at my heel.

Starlin, my old girl has been with us since 2001. She is a beautiful taupe tabby and she is the animal that has traveled the farthest and struggled through the wreckage of my personal separation. Through the breakup, Starlin lost her long-time dog friend and companion Truman and her freedom as we moved from a house where she had been allowed to roam to an apartment where she was confined to three rooms. I became very concerned for her as I could see her spiraling downhill and becoming depressed. She was home alone for most of the day while my daughter went to school and I to work. So, within a few weeks I knew that I had to do something or lose her. So, we introduced Khimo to the family and it worked within a very few short days, Starlin kicked into mommy cat mode and she and Khimo became each other’s lifeline and together they became mine. Starlin, loves where we are now because again she is allowed her freedom and can roam in the beautiful forest trees of Northumberland Hills and bask in the sunshine. She is the master of our household the grand dame so to speak. All other furry residences and furry visitors know that she sets the rules. When she walks into the room, they all watch and listen.

For my cats, they have a safe haven which is strictly for them and that is my bedroom. I have a gate across my door so that they can jump over and remain unmolested from Spike or any visiting dog friend allowing them a quiet space to sleep during the day. It’s bright and airy and has high places for them to laze around. During the evenings needless to say, they are my sleeping companions. Spike has his bed setup just outside the gate and that works for him as a protector he has views of our bedrooms and is very close to watch over all of us.

Last but now least is my nieces little pug Audrey. Who is truly full of beans. I have become her mom away dog sitter and I enjoy every minute of it. Spike and she, are best pals and she slides right into the hierarchy of the home with no problem. I moved her bed outside the gate as well, so that she could be close. Audrey is full of energy and gets Spike and her running around the house chasing each other in circles. It’s hilarious.

These furry little angels are so special and I truly believe that in their little hearts and souls angels reside to help make my days a little happier and a little less stressful and that the energy they pass on to me with a stroke of their fur, a cuddle and lick is positive energy infused with love and healing powers.

Family: Momma Mabley- Samuels/Smith

Life and Times, Personal, , ,
Jackie Moms Mabley 1968
Jackie Moms Mabley 1968

Moving forward I knew that I needed to remove myself from the environment and family of my birth and that if I remained, I would cease to exist. So, at age fifteen I developed an exit strategy. I had been baby-sitting for the Momma Mabley family for several months.  Momma Mabley (not her real name) has definite views on computer privacy. Now in her 70s she does not believe in any form of internet exposure. So, to protect her privacy and with the respect and love I continue this piece with the name we used as young teens “Momma Mabley” a name captured from a wonderful comedian Loretta Mary Aiken from the 50s who’s stage name was, Jackie Mabley, and in the 1970s, becoming known as “Moms” because she was a “Mom” to many other comedians in the 1950s and 1960s. She came out as a lesbian at the age of twenty-seven, becoming one of the first triple-X rated comedians on the comedy circuit.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moms_Mabley

Mom’s family lived in the apartment building adjacent to our townhouse. I don’t quite remember how I came in contact initially, but at a time when I needed a job they offered to pay me for looking after the four children, Martin, Tony, Twila and Bobbie all under the age of 10. John Smith, was Momma Mabley’s partner an educated IBM employee. Mom originally from Nova Scotia believed in a strong family and she was the heart and soul of this family. She was tough, and firm when making all decisions regarding those in her world. To my eyes viewing this family from the outside in was an… ah ha moment.  This family had love, caring and absolutely no violence that I could see on the surface.  It allowed me to  believe that families could exist in a normal world free from abuse and violence and I  got a glimpse of how a normal family would interact with each other. Momma Mabley took me under her wing and provided me with a safe haven away from my violent and destructive home for even just a few hours in a week. So, I loved my times of babysitting. I cherished the normalcy.

My father was not happy with me being in someone else’s home I’m sure it was because he was worried that I might tell and I do believe he was  intimated by Momma Mabley. She was a very strong personality and not afraid to get into someone’s face, if she felt her children or her world was threatened her reactions were swift and decisive and she was well aware of my father’s tendency towards violence. One evening while I was sitting he came to the door in a drunken stupor and dragged me out leaving the kids alone. I was horrified, and didn’t know what to do or how to explain this embarrassing situation. Fortunately, Momma Mabley and John arrived home early having been told about the situation. I vaguely remember a confirmation between my father, Momma Mabley and John over this and I wasn’t allowed to babysit for them for some time.

Mom’s family moved away to Scarborough and when that move happened I knew, I had to move too. So, just before my sixteen birthday, I contacted them and went to visit and told them my story [off which, they knew most] and asked if it would be possible for me come live with them. Momma Mabley and John, took only a brief moment to discuss and come back to me with a positive yes and over the next few weeks my escape plan was implemented. The actual day of my leaving was so traumatic for my siblings I would be leaving behind. As much as, I wanted to stay for them I knew I could not, this was about my survival and at the time, I thought that if I can get out maybe I’ll be able to help them someday.   As for my father, at sixteen, his power and control over me ended and my new life began.

You would think that the transition out of Regent Park would have been easy, but it was not. I grew up for sixteen years with no social skills, running wild, escaping out of the house whenever I felt like it and basically had no rules. So, to be brought into the fold of the Mom’s family with sit down dinners, curfews, and oh my … clean hygiene I was out of my depth. I remember Moms dropping of body care products in my room and later explaining how I needed to take care of myself and shower every day. That was most embarrassing. The rules, I felt like I was smothering under them. home after school, dinner at the table, eat with the proper utensils, help with dinner preparations, and clean up after dinner. Handle my own wash and of course I was now the live-in babysitter who looked after the kids after school until parents arrived home from work. Yes, for me it was difficult, stressful and I rebelled by leaving and going out on my own, staying away for months and then returning when things got tough [which it always did] .

No matter how many times I left, I was always welcomed back with open arms and a little lost pride. It took me many years to learn that this family loved me and I was one of it owns. They acknowledged me for who I was unconditionally along with another foster sister Kathy and Mom’s had the capacity to wrap her world around each one of us wayward children and bring us into the fold and never gave up on us.

Today, this family of eight children, two of us fosters under the guidance of Momma Mabley have each grown into respectable adults with families of our own. Mom’s extraordinary family has expanded to include nine grandchildren and four great grandchildren. Our best times as a family are when we all get together to celebrate the traditions of our society like Thanksgiving this weekend which for us is a major family affair. Complete with good food, lots of children, friends and love. For me being wrapped up in all this warmth throughout the years helped me grow and become the person I am today. Love from Momma Mabley, from my adopted siblings and of life moved me forward and propelled me into being a part of life normal and I will forever be grateful for the home and sense of strong family tie. It was not the family I was born into but, it is the family I chose to belong too.

Happy Thanksgiving