Little Pieces
By Grace Saalsaa
(Written for those who foster)
Melissa sat on the
floor, unable to sit straight and tall like her mother had always admonished
her to do when she was a child. Today, it would be impossible. And tomorrow...
it probably wouldn't be possible then either. Her mind was too busy thinking
about the dog that lay across her lap.
When he came to be with
her, he had no name. She remembered that day very well. The first sight of him
was enough to break her heart into little pieces.
The woman, who had
taken this dog from the rough streets where he had lived, had tried to save
him because she was unable to watch this young dog find his own food in a
dumpster outside the crack house where he lived. Nobody cared that he was
gone.
His fur was very thick;
so thick that she had to wiggle her fingers down to feel his bony body. And as
she pulled her fingers away again, they were coated in old dirt. Black and
white, he was supposed to be. But on that day he was beige and dust.
He sat in the back of
her car panting continuously, ears laid outward for he had lost his courage
and couldn't keep them proud and tall. He sat motionless, waiting and limp.
But the thing that was
the most disturbing was the look in his eyes. They were quiet eyes, sunken
into his head - and they watched her. They were alive with thought. He was
waiting for her to do something "to" him.
Little did
he know at the time
that, instead,
she would "give" something
to him.
She gave
him one of the
little broken
pieces of her heart.
She reached out to
stroke his head and he instinctively squinted his eyes shut and dropped his
head, waiting for the heavy hand. With that little bit of movement she gave
him another one of the broken pieces of her heart.
She took him home and
gave him a bath. She toweled him dry and brushed some order back into his
coat. For that, he was grateful and even though his own heart was loaded with
worms, he accepted yet another piece of her heart, for it would help to heal
his own.
"Would you like some
water, big boy?" She whispered to him as she set down a large bowl of cold
well water. He drank it up happily. He had been dehydrated for a long time and
she knew it would take him most of the week to re-hydrate.
He wanted more water -
but it was gone. Ah... that's how it is, he thought to himself. But he was
grateful for what he had been able to get. "Would you like some more?" and she
gave him another bowl along with another little piece of her heart.
"I know that you are
hungry. You don't have to find your own food anymore. Here's a big bowl of
good food for you. I've added some warm water and a little piece of my heart."
Over
the four
months that he stayed with her, his
health improved.
The heart
full of
worms
was replaced piece by piece with little bits of
her loving heart. And each little piece
worked a very special kind of magic
When the warmth of love
and gentle caresses are added, the little broken pieces knit together again
and heal the container it resides in. That container becomes whole again.
She watched each little
broken piece fill a gap in the gentle dog until his quiet eyes radiated the
light from the little pieces. You see, kind words gently spoken turn the
little pieces into illumination for the spirit that resides within.
He rested beside her,
happy to be with her always. Never had he known such kindness, such gentle
caresses; such love. His health had returned, his spirit was playful as a
young dog's should be and he had learned about love.
Now his heart was full.
The healing was complete. It was time to go. There was another person who had
another heart that was meant to be shared with him.
So she sat shapeless on
the floor because all the broken pieces of her heart were with the dog. It is
difficult to sit tall when your heart is not with you. She wrapped her arms
around the dog that sat with tall, proud ears for her. Lean on me, he said.
And she gave him one
last thing that would keep him strong; that would keep the pieces of her heart
together long after he had gone on to live his new life. She gave him her
tears and bound them to the pieces with a simple statement made from the
ribbons of her heart.
"I love you, Joe." And
Joe lived happily ever after.
Melissa sat on the
floor, straight and tall like her mother had always admonished her to do when
she was a child. Today, it would be possible. And tomorrow... it probably
would be possible too. Because her mind was busy thinking about this, the next
dog that lay across her lap.
Where did she get the
heart to help yet another dog, you ask? Ahhh... it came with the dog. They
always bring a little bit of heart with them. And when the rescuer breathes in
that little bit of heart, it quickly grows and fills the void left by the last
dog.
