Charlie: The Pint Size Angel

I was a woman interrupted. My world was seriously turned upside down, I literally lost grasp of reality. Tragedy struck our family several times in several years, but the worst was when my younger brother went missing. He was 26 years old, a father of 3, a son, and a brother. 3 weeks slowly ripped like a tornado through my life before finally hearing the worst thing imaginable. He had been found, off the road in a wooded area where he had wrecked his motorcycle and hit a tree, losing his life. I had pretty much given up hope. That is until the day Charlie came into my life.

Charlie was a baby boy puppy looking for his forever home. Everyone I knew said I needed to get a puppy so that I could have a companion to love and together, we could help each other grow. I was scared at first. However, when I saw his picture, I knew that he found me and that somehow a divine blessing was upon me and I had to embrace this beautiful opportunity.

Instantly it was obvious that we were meant for each other. He loved being swaddled in blankets and cuddled at night when he was a baby puppy. I remember feeling love and joy for the first time in years when he and I were together. Overwhelming emotion quickly subsided while I watched him grow up so fast and develop his own little mighty personality. So full of love and happiness.

Before I ever got Charlie, I had a litter of stray kittens brought to me by the stray I inherited at the new house we moved into about 4 years earlier. Daddy kitty had gotten bit by something big, and he must have known he wouldn't survive. One day he brought his girlfriend (momma kitty) and 4 brand new baby kittens to my porch. Immediately I knew that he was counting on me to look after them as he wouldn't be able to. The next day he was gone and I never saw him again. Those kitties, however, knew where they got fed and where to come for protection whenever needed.

When I got Charlie we were worried that the kittens and he would not get along and that he might even be in danger because they were there. I made the decision to just play things by ear until I could really get a feel for how it would go with all of them. Boy was I in for a huge surprise!

Stray cats and domestic dogs generally don't get along. Charlie was different though. He went out to those kitties as fearless as a lion even though he was the size of a jelly bean. In amazement, I watched as the next couple of weeks went by and watched those kittens and their momma find a best friend they never even knew they needed. Charlie had started to act just like the momma kitty did to those babies and before I knew it she was literally bringing them to the porch to have Charlie babysit while she went out catting around. I remember one day we were inside and I heard something at the front door. When I went to investigate, I see a kitten up on his hind legs tapping and scratching at the door. When he saw me he looked up at me and meowed, Charlie heard him and ran out to answer the door, because it clearly wasn't a visitor for me.

Now, Charlie is 3 years old and even more full of love. Always so eager to please me, or cheer me up when I'm feeling down. It still amazes me how much joy he brings to my life to this day. Together, we have learned many things. But in my opinion, the greatest thing we have learned is love. With all that is going on in our world today it seems like there are way more unknowns than certainties. It saddens me to see the divide between humanity that has occurred over the last couple of years. Being in public seems almost like visiting another planet or something on some days. I see people afraid to get too close to someone else they are passing in the store, on the sidewalk, or having a socially distanced lunch with the family. To Charlie and I, living life unleashed, and I mean totally unleashed to the fullest, means embracing our weird, owning our beautifully broken souls, and loving unconditionally the perfectly imperfect creatures we are. It means, standing fearless in the face of Giants, and ligahead with leaps and bounds of unbridled joy and the determination like children who still have that never ending hunger for adventure and knowledge. Because you never know what could be waiting to be discovered around the corner, like a squeaky shiny ball, or a new dog's butt, to sneak a friendly courtesy sniff, as we kindly introduce ourselves and say hello. What's the worst that could happen if we live life unleashed? We have all experienced and witnessed the leashes of life and our furry angels have as well. The choice is yours to make. Isn't that beautiful in itself? As for Charlie and I, we prefer to have no limits, to live life unleashed as often as possible. Always cherishing the fact that at the end of every day, we will still have each other. And THAT my friend is what makes life worth living, loving, and conquering!