....to get a fire going". And hopefully the group of little Sparks (the youngest branch of the Girl Guide Association) who visited Hearts on Noses Pig Sanctuary tonight will ignite a fire of compassion, concern and generosity for the many abandoned and abused potbellied pigs who have found their way to the sanctuary.
Watching and talking with fourteen little girls ages 5-7 (many with their parents and a few with their little brothers in tow), was an interesting experience. To see the piggies through their eyes, to see their expressions of concern when they heard the stories behind how the pigs came to the sanctuary, to hear them giggle as they fed Tortilla and Casanova and Pebbles and Comet and all the others the tasty carrot sticks they had brought with them, to listen to their exclamations and questions as Janice showed them pigs that could sit, twirl, kiss – what a fun time!
Those little girls will surely have stories to tell their teachers and classmates tomorrow, and hopefully one day in the future at least one of them will remember the day when she met some piggies whose families had abandoned them and she will say "Taking on an animal is a lifetime commitment. You don't just get a piggy or puppy or kitty and then give it up!"
And maybe, if we are very lucky, that little girl will one day decide to adopt or sponsor a pair of piggies, or to volunteer at a rescue or sanctuary, or to donate whatever she can in time or money or goods to help the critters.
Just as a spark can ignite a fire, so too can a seed planted in the mind of a child become a commitment to animal stewardship when the child becomes a young adult.
I hope Janice and I planted a few seeds today.
1 comment:
Hello Jean,
What a wonderful experience you and Janice provided for the Sparks group. Both of my daughters were in Sparks, and yes they are lovers of animals. One of my daughters is a vegetarian (no red meat and no pork)because as she said at 11 years old "I cannot eat what I love" (she does eat chicken and egss.
Lou
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