Back in April I wrote about Fran Baumgartner, a very dear friend who lives in Arizona with her two-and-four-legged family. One of the special four-leggeds in Fran’s life is Ginger. As you can see by her picture, Ginger is a little lady of great wisdom and beauty. She came to Fran after enduring terrible abuse, although how she lost one of her eyes isn’t clear. According to Ginger (yes…Ginger!) someone may have hit her with a baseball bat. She was trained to be Fran’s service dog. They communicate with their eyes, Fran says, even if they are one eye short.Recently Ginger’s picture was entered in an online contest. What a lovely idea, I thought…until I heard the rest of the story. Apparently someone contacted the owner of the store that was holding the contest and asked them to remove Ginger's picture – too creepy looking, the person said.
The owner took immediate action. She used her software to “color in” Ginger’s missing eye, so she would look “normal.”
There are times when I find myself speechless – this was one of those times. Just look at this picture! Everything that is good and pure and lovely in the world is reflected in Ginger’s beautiful face. You can see the suffering, too - maybe that's what really bothered the person who complained about her. The world we live in encourages us to do everything we can to hide our pain...but Ginger's wounds show. And that's what makes her so special. One can only imagine the horrors that she has endured, and yet she still shows up eagerly for life with passion, a sense of purpose...and an open heart.
Perhaps Ginger is a "heavenly" being who took doggie shape and came to Fran because she knew she was needed...I don't know. What I do know is that Fran sees Ginger as the perfect little creature she is...and I am absolutely certain that Ginger sees Fran the same way.
And that’s really all that matters.
Chris
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2 comments:
I couldn't agree with you more... that dog has one of the most beautiful faces I've seen, full of character and life. I just love her ears - one straight up, the other a bit floppy. It's too bad some folks are as shallow as they are when confronting the results of suffering, overcome with nobility. My previous 16-year companion spent 10 years minus one rear leg, amputated at the hip due to cancer, and she made an odd appearance from the left side. Yet to me, she was a teacher, and showed me and whoever looked close enough, that she accepted her disfigurement with grace and courage, and lived life to the fullest, never once wasting time with self-pity or self-consciousness. That dog carried on as she always had, learning a few required adjustments to her balance and movements, but otherwise unchanged in any way. These animals demonstrate what an intact spirit really is like, and can really be an inspiration to young kids, or anyone who is also dealing with physical handicaps.
God bless Ginger and her special person, Fran. If she didn't already have a great home, I'd find a way to fit her into my "six-pack" of Mexican rescues out here on the Oregon coast.
All the best!
Phil, I can tell you understand that real beauty is seen with the heart, not with the eyes. Your six-pack of rescues is lucky to have you as their guardian angel!
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