even the animals knew

Not long ago our friend Anna Clark introduced me to Christian author and poet M. Kent Travis.  Kent's blog is worth following in general, but his recent post "Even the Animals Knew" especially grabbed my attention.  Kent acknowledges he's not the biggest "animal person," but his insight is perhaps even more valuable as a result.  I'm grateful to be able to share it here at the beginning of Lent when many Christians are honoring Christ's 40 days in the wilderness ...   

Yesterday was a particularly difficult day for my second daughter.  She was being snippy and unkind to everyone else in the family, even after we explained to her what she was doing.  It was if she couldn't stop herself or didn't even know that she was doing it.

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chosen by a horse

To close out a series on the special connection we have with horses, I wanted to share one of the more poignant animal-themed books I've read, and one of the first I reviewed for not one sparrow. Susan Richards'
Chosen by a Horse is an honest and beautiful account of two intertwined stories of tragedy and redemption, the memoir of a scarred middle-aged woman wrapped around an unexpected adoption of an abused and emaciated racing horse breeder.

Susan's own story had quite a few ghosts in it, along with two horses of her own, when she suddenly got a call from a local chapter of the SPCA that several horses needed immediate rescue and housing from a filthy and derelict Standardbred farm.  The horse she ends up taking home, appropriately called Lay Me Down, fights to restore her health while at the same time demonstrating an unbelievably tender and loving spirit despite all she'd gone through. 

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Buck, a "horse whisperer"

To kick off a few posts on our unique connection to horses, I'm grateful to Nick Olson and Christ and Pop Culture for allowing us to share this poignant review of Buck (Meehl '11), "a powerful documentary that shows how even inhumane circumstances can be redeemed into something beautiful, creative, and compassionate" ... 

Early in the documentary Buck, Dan “Buck” Brannaman tells a crowd of attentive, aspiring horse trainers that there are rarely “people with horse problems” but most often “horses with people problems.”  Yes, Buck is interesting because he’s a primary inspiration for Robert Redford’s 1998 drama The Horse Whisperer, but his story becomes especially fascinating as we learn of what this real-life horse whisperer has endured to become a magical horseman.

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Eddie the rescued dog and grace

Ellen Painter Dollar is a Christian who writes on "faith, family, disability, and ethics," including the genetic bone disorder which she and one of her three children live with.  She's penned an honest and heartfelt post on her family's rather awkward first two months with a rescued dog named Eddie, who lived in at least three other homes previously, and is extremely shy and often nervous.  Here are just a few lines from "What my Dog is Teaching me About Grace," which I hope you'll have a chance to read in full:

There were times in those first weeks that I was so baffled by this animal and so certain I could not ever understand what he needs, much less provide it, that the foster mom’s offer [to take Eddie back if necessary] was tempting.

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talking to animals on Christmas Eve

It's becoming a bit of a Christmas Eve tradition to share this reflection from Nancy Janisch of Conversation in Faith, a heartfelt and hopeful complement for 'the night before' ...

When you were young, did anyone ever tell you that animals can talk at midnight on Christmas?  I don’t remember who told me, but I do remember looking expectantly at our family Dachshund for several years on Christmas Eve.  For the record, he never said anything.  At least not in a human language.

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Grady the Gray Cat

Earlier this year I bumped into Christian author Lori A. Moore on Twitter, who most recently has written a book for children called Grady the Gray Cat (Tate Publishing '11).  I don't know of many books for children written by fellow believers with a strong message of concern for animals in general, or the value of adopting a pet in particular.  So I was grateful to Lori when she sent me a copy to review for not one sparrow.

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goodbye Scooter

I was going through some childhood papers before our recent move, and came across this letter I wrote after the rather tragic death of my first hamster, Scooter, when I was about eight:

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two claws up for 'Rio'

We've shared a few reviews of animal-themed children's books in recent days, but other forms of media can also be very valuable in helping kids grow to love and care for animals.  Many thanks to friend and fellow Christian Irena Schulz of Bird Lovers Only Rescue Service based in northwest Indiana (and home to Snowball the dancing cockatoo) for sharing this insightful review of the recent animated film Rio ...

I enjoy animated movies like Shrek, Ice Age, Cars, Finding Nemo, Up, and Madagascar, so it is no surprise that I enjoyed the latest movie Rio whose main characters were parrots.  I think the only part of the movie that made me want to jump out of my seat screaming "Nooooooo!" was the scene where Blu was given chocolate chip cookies and hot chocolate with marshmallows.  It was at that part that I wished I had a bullhorn so I could shout out, "Please do not feed your parrot any chocolate - it will make them sick!" to the entire audience in the theatre; but ... I didn't want to embarrass my son.

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closer than a brother

The last post in our animal death and grief series is a deeply touching tribute to a scarred dog who became the most loyal companion and protector, sent by personal message from our dear friend Cherie Sindall of Bravehearts Horse Haven & Animal Shelter in South Africa ...

One of my beloved rescued dogs died of cancer 2 weeks ago.  I knew he had a tumour and that it was inoperable, so I let him 'be' to live, love and be loved, and have quality of life.  He was abandoned when he was about 3 or 4 years old, and was taken to Animal Welfare.  At the time, I had just relocated to the farm I live on and the only dog I had was a rescued miniature doberman!  The neighbour farmers told me I need additional security reinforcements or I would become another South African farm statistic. 

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last minutes with Oden

This short film will almost surely bring you to tears, and even contains a few instances of strong language.  But I promise, if you take just a few minutes to watch it, "Last Minutes with Oden" will be one of the most moving and Christ-imbued moments you ever have the privilege to witness - between a man with a broken past and broken friends, and his cancer-ridden dog who loved him and all of them unconditionally ...

"He showed me, through his example, how to love.  And I loved him. ...

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