There Must be a Machine that Does This!

     Last night as I sat with my 7 year old daughter and our good friend putting New England Pet Hospice logo stickers on (some of the) 500 lollipops we will be giving away at the Whisker Walk on June 5th, I couldn't help thinking, "Surely there MUST be a machine that does this!"  Each of the three of us developed a different method for getting those little stickers lined up just right so the edges match up and create the perfect little "flag" on the end of the stick.  Let me tell you, it wasn't easy and there were plenty of "redos" for each of us.

     I thought my daughter would lose interest after the first few.  She didn't.  I thought my friend would laugh and abandon the project in 10 minutes (she came over for another reason, completely unsuspecting that we would put her to work).  But she didn't.


     The hard part, actually, was getting everyone to stop when it was time for bed.  There was something wonderful about working together, laughing, joking, spending the time to do this ourselves, taking pride in getting it just right.  I joked that the "magic ingredient" in each lollipop, is our love - and we all laughed.

     But really, how far is that from the truth?  My heart overflows with the love I receive from everyone involved in New England Pet Hospice.  And this work is truly a labor of love.  We come together to do something meaningful for others out of our love and respect for animals and the families who cherish them, even when it is hard, even when it is messy, even when it is heartbreaking.

     We do this work precisely because no machine, no technology, no "medical advance" can take the place of a loving presence, a warm hug, a consoling word, or true and genuine compassion.

     So if you are anywhere near Lancaster Massachusetts on June 5th, please be sure to come by the Whisker Walk and find our booth for your free "Love Pop" - we'll even throw in a hug at no extra charge.