With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful and strive to be happy. – Desiderata, by Max Ehrmann (1872-1945)
Ohana means family and family means no one gets left behind or forgotten. – Stitch (Disney’s Lilo & Stitch)
This is the way I remember the story. One day a young girl passed through the work room. She was wearing a military uniform; she was so slight a small breeze would surely blow her away. I wondered about the uniform so I asked. We’ll call her Amy. Amy explained she was in the ROTC program. “My family can’t afford vet school so the military will pay for it; there are veterinarians in the military.” It so happened Jack, my cat, was having almost daily treatments at the vet’s office only a few blocks away. I invited Amy to go with me and make contacts and so she did.
Days later I learned Amy was 14 years old and her mother worked in the office. I fled to the mother to introduce myself and apologize for whisking Amy away without her permission. The mother, I’ll call Angel, said with a smile “I trust Amy’s judgment.” About the uniform she explained Amy had to change schools in order to join the ROTC program and it had not been easy but Amy was determined.
In time I learned Angel, a fitting name, had fostered both Amy and her sister and others as a single working mom. Kelly, was a young teenager who had been abandoned by her family. Kelly tried to fend for herself by staying in school and finding an after-school job. She kept the secret and tried to pay the bills until she couldn’t do it anymore and turned herself in to the Department of Human Services. That was the best decision Kelly could have made. Angel took her in provided for her, and in time Kelly would become a nurse. Kelly still calls Angel “Mom.”
Amy may have gotten her determination from Angel. Against all odds Angel moved heaven and earth to adopt Amy and her sister. I do believe there are birth families and there are built families. It occurred to me the whole family turned out to be “givers.” Each one giving what they had to give back. Angel gave the girls a home. Amy gave six years to her country. Kelly gave herself to the sick and hurting.
Just a few years ago Angel inherited the homeplace and moved back to her childhood home. It had been her dream that one day she would be able to live there and have a small farm with chickens maybe goats and other animals. Angel had embraced her calling-taking care of children and animals. Turns out she was really good at it.
A month or two ago Angel reconstructed an old shed into a “tiny store” that sits at the edge of the road where she lives. Inside the store you’ll find fresh eggs and crafts for sale mostly on the honor system. My hope for Angel is one day she will sit back on the porch in a rocker with cats in her lap, chickens at her feet, and watching the cars go by as she waits for her kids to come home for a visit. It’s been a bit hard life but good life for Angel. I doubt seriously she’d change anything at all.
Shannon Bardwell is a writer living quietly in the Prairie. Email reaches her at [email protected].
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