The Woman's Bear Son

An Eskimo Legend

Long ago in the far north, there lived a village of people known as the Inuit. They lived on the shores of the icy Arctic, and they depended upon the bounty of the salmon and seal and the creatures of the snow to feed themselves. All the young men of the village were hunters and fishermen. One old woman lived alone She had no husband and no sons to hunt or fish for her, and though her neighbors shared their food with her, as was their custom, she was lonely. She longed for a family of her own. She often walked along the shore, looking far out to sea, praying that the gods might send her a son.
One cold winter day, the woman was walking by the sea when she spotted a tiny white Polar Bear sitting all alone on the thick ice. At once she felt a kinship toward him, for he looked as lonely as she. His mother was nowhere in sight. "Someone must have killed her," she said softly, and she walked onto the ice, picked up the cub and looked into his eyes. "You will be my son," she said. She called him Kunik.
The old woman took her cub back to her home. From that day on, she shared all of her food with Kunik, and a strong bond grew between the two.
The village children loved Kunik, too. Now the woman was never lonely, for her son, the Bear, and all the village children kept her company all day. She would stand by her igloo and smile as Kunik and the children rolled in the snow and slid on the ice. Kunik was gentle with the children as if they were his brothers and sisters.
Kunik grew taller and smarter. The children taught him to fish. By springtime he was fishing on his own, and every afternoon he came home carrying fresh salmon for his mother, The old woman was now the happiest of all the villagers. She had plenty of food and a son she loved with all her heart. She was so proud of her little bear that whenever he returned home, she would say proudly to anyone nearby, "He's the finest fisherman in all the village!"
Before long the men began to whisper among themselves. They knew the bear was the most skillful fisherman of the village. They began to feel envious. "What will we do?" they asked each other. "That Bear brings home the fattest seals and the biggest salmon". "He must be stopped," one of the men said. "He puts us to shame". They all turned and looked at him. They nodded slowly for although they were envious , they knew how much the old woman loved the Bear. "We'll have to kill him. He has grown far too big", one man said. One by one the others agreed, for their envy made them stupid and mean. "Yes", the others said. "He is a danger to our families".
A little boy overheard the men talking. He ran to the old woman's home to tell her of the terrible plan. When the old woman heard the news, she threw her arms around the Bear and wept. "No", she said, "they must not kill my child". At once she set off to visit every house in the village. She begged each man not to kill her beautiful Bear. "Kill me instead", she wept. "He is my child. I love him dearly".
"He is fat", some of the village men said. "He will make a great feast for the whole village". "He is a danger to our children", the others said. "We cannot let him live".
The old woman saw that the men was determined to kill her son. She rushed home and sat down beside him. "Your life is in danger, Kunik. You must run away. Run away and do not return, my child". she wept as she spoke and held him close. "Run away. but do not go so far that I cannot find you", she whispered. And though her heart was breaking, she sent Kunik away. He had tears in his eyes, but he obeyed his mother's wishes.
For many days the old woman and the children grieved their loss. And then one day the old woman rose at dawn and was determined to find Kunik. She walked and walked, calling out his name. After many hours, just as the old woman feared she would never find him, she saw her bear running toward her. He was fat and strong, and his coat was shimmering white. They embraced, and the old woman whispered, "I love you".
But Kunik could see that his mother was hungry, and so he ran to get her fresh meat and fish. With tears in her eyes, the old woman cut up the seal and gave her son the choicest slices of blubber. Promising to return the next day, she set off for home, carrying her meat, her heart filled with joy.
The next day, as she had promised, she went to visit her son. And every day after that, the old woman and her son met, and the bear brought his mother fresh meat and fish.
After awhile the villagers grew to understand the love between the woman and the Bear was strong and true. And from that point on, they told with pride and respect the tale of the unbroken love between the old woman and her son.

-Native American Indian Legends-

"Houan Nanongtoom Y Su Hijito Jenna"

Hace unos siete años, una Gata de Tailandia

encontró en un armario a Jenna,

el Ratón, cuando él aún era casi un recién nacido...

Y ella decidió entonces que él sería siempre, únicamente su hijo.

En esta publicación, mi pequeño homenaje

a esa madre tailandesa llamada Houan.

"Por Algo, Se Llama Casa De Dios" - 2

Algunas historias que nos trae la tradición, y dos noticias que hacen pensar...
En "Holy Dogs & Asses; Stories through Animal Saints", se conocen las historias de distintos animales que de algún modo se relacionaron directamente con la religión y sus actos.
Sin contar los casos -indiscutibles aunque sólo sea por la fé- de Leones que ayudaron y hasta defendieron a santos, o criaturas que se sacrificaron para ofrecerse como comida, están el de un León que a la muerte de S. Jerome se apenó profundamente; el de otro que solicitó ser bautizado; y el de una Mula ciega que llevó el féretro de un santo fallecido a la iglesia.

En cuanto a las noticias, el Terrier George salvó a cinco niños en N. Zealand del ataque de dos Pitbulls y terminó muerto a raíz de ese hecho... Más de uno de nosotros, por hacer ese sacrificio fue considerado santo, en algún momento después de su muerte. ¿Cómo deberíamos considerar a George? ¿Podría estar presente en una iglesia, al menos habiendo sido enterrado allí?
Y la segunda nos habla de un grupo de Leones que salvaron y defendieron a una niña en Etiopía de un grupo que la había obligado a contraer un matrimonio forzado.
Aquí la historia traída por la tradición se cumple nuevamente... Si esos Leones ahora no tienen forma de estar en una iglesia, ¿Podrían entrar acaso a una los que intentaron someter a esa joven?

-St. John's Episcopal Church-

Más casos aún...

"En mi parroquia hay un perro que va todos los días a la misa de la tarde, no sé por qué no en la mañana. Solo asiste por la tarde. Llega, se echa en medio del pasillo y no se levanta hasta que la ceremonia termine.

Ya lo conozco muy bien. Él espera hasta que abran la iglesia. No molesta, ahí está. Me agrada su presencia. Es más, cuando algún día no hay misa, queda viendo al sacristán y le dice: Qué!, Hoy tampoco hay misa. Bueno!... No dice eso, pero como si lo dijera". - Blog de Ricardo Bulmez.

"En la Iglesia episcopal de St. Francis en Stamford, Connecticut, las bancas están ocupadas por fieles inusuales: los perros se sientan al lado de sus dueños y los gatos asoman la cabeza a través de las jaulas. En una celebración vespertina de la Eucaristía, en la cual la gente comulga y las mascotas reciben bendiciones especiales, se escuchan ladridos y ronroneos o sonidos de plegaria’, como los llama la iglesia. El servicio, de media hora, se enfoca en la relación especial que tienen las personas con sus mascotas. ‘En nuestra iglesia hay personas solteras o que han perdido a algún ser querido y que su mascota son su principal relación’, comenta el reverendo Mark Lingle". - Bestiario - La Nación

Más casos que encontré... Y me faltaba agregar (¡Sin duda hay muchos más!)

"Psychic Animals", "The Dogs and their ways" y otros libros - Un comerciante que iba a caballo y con su Perro transportando una bolsa de dinero, de pronto la olvidó junto a un árbol; al querer avisar de esto, el abnegado perro terminó arrastrándose moribundo, hasta el árbol al lado del cual estaba el dinero abandonado... Su dueño había creído que el Perro estaba rabioso y le disparó, pero sin matarlo inmediatamente. Fue entonces "otro San Guinefort", muriendo por intentar ayudar a su amo.
Un Perro en Liverpool rescató a un Gato que estaba siendo maltratado y lo llevó hasta la posada en que vivía, donde también le dio algo para que comiera.
Durante la guerra de Secesión, un Perro impidió que su amo -o amigo, o protector- fuera ejecutado... Sólo que pudo hacerlo justo después de que lo mataran a él.
En cuanto a los Gatos, en 1944 uno de ellos salvó a un hombre amigo suyo sacándolo de su casa poco antes de un bombardeo (ciudad de Magdeburg).
Fueron famosos a principios del S. XX los Caballos de Elberfeld, capaces de hacer cálculos, indicar fechas, leer una partitura -Hans el Sabio-, dividir, restar, sacar raíces cuadradas dobles, reconocer todas las letras -Muhamed y Zarif-, y ... Hablar -Muhamed, al menos una vez-.
Yendo muy atrás en el tiempo, encontramos incluso dos Cocodrilos que ayudaron respectivamente al Rey egipcio Menes -salvándolo de una jauría- y al Abate Helenus, ayudándolo dos veces a cruzar un río.
Los Cuervos también tuvieron ocasión de prestar servicio a Elías, a San Benedicto y a S. Pablo el Eremita.
Por su parte, un León se dejó morir de hambre tras el deceso de su gran amigo S. Gerásimo.
Unos Elefantes cubrieron cuidadosamente con ramas y hojas a un niño que dormía, para que las moscas no lo molestaran...
Y en la Edad Media, un muy humilde Saltamontes permaneció en una iglesia en una helada noche invernal -mientras todos en la ciudad habían preferido quedarse en sus hogares-, durante una misa de Navidad.

Si cualquier persona indigna puede entrar a una iglesia manteniendo su culpa en secreto, ¿No serían muchos de ellos más merecedores de estar en una?

Más casos aún...

Un Perro comenzó a seguir a una de sus dueñas a la iglesia; se deslizó por la puerta lateral, caminó y se recostó sobre una alfombra a observar el servicio religioso. Los fieles lo miraban maravillados.
Luego, Skippy -que así se llamaba-, salió por la misma puerta. Para sorpresa y alivio de su dueña, el pastor quedó tan impresionado por la actitud respetuosa del Perro que le permitió continuar asistiendo a los servicios. Mary, la dueña, concluyó que su Perro había hecho notar a todos que incluso un animal podía honrar a su Creador cada Domingo, en Su iglesia.

Misa y bendición de animales en St. Joseph’s Glasthule - 2004

Al principio, la ceremonia era efectuada por Brian O’Sullivan, el Pastor de esa iglesia fuera del edificio, pero cinco años antes -y en adelante-, Brian O’Sullivan decidió hacer misas especiales con ellos adentro.
Este último Domingo hubo entonces 150 animales, entre Perros, Gatos, Hamsters, Conejos, etc (Todos domésticos).
Cualquiera habría esperado oír un gran griterío de Perros y de Gatos, pero sólo hubo ocasionales ladridos de los asistentes caninos.

Sólo al final del servicio religioso, el Pastor procedió a la bendición de los animales; siempre en el interior de su iglesia.
THE IRISH ORGANISATION FOR PETS AND PEOPLE

...Pero aquí en Argentina, lo que puse en la otra entrada -de la familia refugiada con su Perro bajo ese altar- y lo de Skippy, no podría ocurrir por nada del mundo, como si en la Casa de Dios nosotros decidiéramos quién entra y quién no.

¿Qué piensan entonces? ¿Irían a escuchar misa

junto a su animal de compañía?

"Por Algo, Se Llama Casa De Dios..."

-Imágenes, de Flickr-

Todos deberían poder entrar, durante todo el año, en cada celebración...

Pues en las propias Iglesias se nos dice que "Dios es Padre de todos los Seres". Entonces, ¿Cómo negarles a ellos la entrada a tales lugares?

Voy a buscar material relacionado, o que justifique lo que acabo de escribir/proponer.

Do Dogs and Cats and other animals belong in church?
Fortunately The Rev. Jim Morris, pastor of Thibodaux Church, thought so when he found a family and their Poodle sleeping under the altar of St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Center on the Nicholls State University Campus. According to an article by Millie Ball, "Thibodaux Church Sheltering Pets" on the Animal Liberation Front website, the family could not check into a shelter for Hurricane Katrina victims because it didn’t allow pets.
When The Rev. Morris found more people standing outside the college shelter with their pets, he invited them into his church — 130 people with Dogs, Cats, Birds, and a pot-bellied Pig took him up on the offer. PetSmart and PetCo later donated cages. People slept on the floor and the pews. The pastor likened the scene to Noah’s Ark. Most of these people would not leave New Orleans because they couldn’t abandon their pets.
The Rev. Morris says, "Animals calm people down. And pet lovers usually have gentle hearts. If you go into the other shelter, people tend to sit still and idle. Here, there’s a lot going on. And what’s wonderful is the way our students are volunteering and helping wherever they can.

For us this is a mission that helps the evacuees and their pets as well as our students who are here taking care of them.

"Angel Animals in Church"

We asked readers of our "Angel Animals Story of the Week" to weigh in on the question of whether animals should be in church with people.

Below are some of their answers.
Tia Dawn says, "Why not? They are members of the family."
Ana D. Cruz of Valley Stream, New York says, "I definitely feel animals belong in church, for God loves all his creatures, so why shouldn’t they be welcome in His house?
Christine Smith from Pennsylvania writes, "Yes, I do believe animals belong in churches. When I first joined my parish, they had a Cat. You could see him strolling around church. It was always a joke when we had a novena. Many non-parishioners attended, and all of a sudden you would hear an exclamation here or there when they saw the church Cat.
Theresa Finck lives in Oklahoma in what she calls "the land of tornadoes." She thinks Animals belong in church because after all, Christ called himself the Good Shepherd. She says, "Our new priest recently blessed animals on the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi.

They are God’s creatures and in some cases, a lot nicer than humans.
I had a priest who was speaking to an elderly lady whose dog recently died. She asked him if she would see the Dog in heaven. Monsignor said, ‘Would that make you happy?’ She said it would make her ecstatic. So he replied, ‘Then you will see him in Heaven.’ We also have a lady who brings her Iguana to church nearly every Sunday. He does nothing but sit on her shoulder and never moves or makes a sound."
Gail Parker of Philadelphia writes, "My Dog Renegade had to stop in the chapel before going on our rounds each and every visit we made to the St. John Neumann Nursing Home. It was his idea; not mine. He’d stand there looking toward the altar for a minute or so, and then we could leave.

I’d say a prayer too.
Carmen Villegas writes, "Animals definitely belong in church.

At the birth of Christ, Animals were around the manger."
Cathy Gorgenson says, "It is my belief that animals probably have more of a right to be in a church than most humans. You don’t see them trying to kick someone out because of the color of their skin, hair, species, sexual preferences, etc. I don’t go to church because of the difficulty in finding a true heart preaching the scriptures. I think, though, after reading about Rev. Morris in Thibodaux, it would be an honor to attend his church.

We need more souls like him on this planet."
Judy Morris in Key Largo, Florida gives an interesting twist to the question. She says, "I belong to a church that chants or sings the word HU, which is an ancient name for Godand is very holy.

We get together in groups and joyfully sing this sound.

Sometimes we get together in my home to do this.
I have a Cat named Willie. He is special in many ways and he loves the sound of the HU. He crawls onto my lap and lays his head against my chest while watching my face, then places his hand on my throat to feel the HU. He stays that way for about twenty minutes until we stop. I believe he is consciously participating in the group HU. Also, another Cat named Dusty sometimes attends and sings along with us by meowing repeatedly.

What a way to express the joy of soul!"
Sandi from Phoenix, Arizona writes, "When my mom died, I was at her side along with my Dog Bunny. We had spent the previous summer living with and caring for her. Oh how she loved Bunny. In fact, he was also recovering from surgery and had difficulty standing, so she began hand feeding him as she had with her own little Dog. There were mystical moments around Mom’s death. Bunny was seeing things the rest of us couldn’t.
Her funeral was held in her hometown church, and Bunny attended, lying quietly in front of the pew. When I got up to deliver her eulogy, he stayed in place. The next day,

as we journeyed to the cemetery to inter her ashes, Bunny accompanied me.

I was not about to leave him out when I needed the best support I could have.

"Skippy Gets Religion"

In our book, "God’s Messengers: What Animals Teach Us about the Divine", Mary Elizabeth Martucci, a retired university administrator from South Bend, Indiana, says that parishioners in her childhood church renewed their relationship with God in an unique way. One Sunday, Mary’s Dog Skippy started attending services. The dog followed the then eight-year-old girl to church, sneaked through the side door, walked down the aisle, lowered himself onto the sanctuary carpet, and observed the service.

The congregants watched in awe and amusement.

Afterwards, Skippy walked back out the side door.
To Mary’s surprise and relief, the pastor was so impressed with the Dog’s respectful demeanor that he allowed Skippy to continue attending services. Skippy’s close attention to the proceedings prompted parishioners to become more mindful and reverential. Mary concluded that her Dog had reminded everyone that even an animal could honor his Creator in church on Sundays.
What do you think? Would you like to attend church with your animal family member?

From http://www.angelanimals.net/

(levemente modificado y en inglés, pero pronto habrá algo en castellano).

"The Little Teachers In Their Day"

Today, April 29, the world should say something very special

to every animal, or at least, have a good thought to them.

Much more to the creatures in these pictures...

For they came to teach one -but not without much importance-

lesson to us humans: that killing

is no longer necessary to live better.

Dante the rescued tom is a cat which is thought to be the UK's only vegetarian cat

- and turns his whiskers up at anything but organic fruit and vegetables.

13 Apr 2009

Dante refuses to touch traditional cat food of any kind in favour of less fattening home-grown alternatives.
Current favourites include melon, bananas, broccoli, rhubarb, asparagus, aubergine and Brussels sprouts, but he also has a taste for uncooked potatoes.
The two-year-old is so insistent on getting his five-a-day that he even raids the fruit bowl if he's feeling peckish.
Experts confirmed Dante's peculiar appetite was "extremely rare".
Maggie Roberts, director of veterinary services at the animal charity Cats Protection, said: "This is extremely rare - I have never before heard of a cat that will not eat meat".
"Cats are obligate carnivores, and cannot be vegetarian".
Dante was abandoned as a kitten and was found close to starvation in an alleyway by owner Becky Page, 21.
Becky, a child minder, tried to fatten him up with tasty treats like chicken, tuna, seafood and biscuits.
But she said Dante "wolfed down" a plate of leftover vegetables which had been left near her kitchen bin.
Becky, who grows her own organic fruit and vegetables at her home in Tasburgh near Norwich, Norfolk, said: "I tried feeding him meat, fish and everything else cats usually like, but he turned his nose up at all of it.
"But just when I was thought nothing would work, I caught him wolfing down a plate of vegetables that I was going to throw out.
"Since then, he won't go near anything fatty and prefers the things I grow in the garden".
Becky, who lives with long-term partner Adam Carpenter, 26, added: "Dante is part of our family and although we have lots of other animals he is more human than any of them.
"He loves attention and loves being with us so the least I can do is let him have his favourite foods.
"I admit he has a very, very unique appetite - but he's certainly healthy".
Sarah Medway, who runs a web site dedicated to cat behaviour, said "I have never heard of a purely vegetarian cat. Nutritionally cats need to eat meat to survive.
"Unlike some other animals that can live quite happily on a vegetarian diet cats are natural carnivores and are likely to look and hunt elsewhere to eat meat".
"There are certain nutrients that a cat needs that can't be obtained from plant foods".
Mrs Roberts, from Cats Protection, added: "Cats Protection advises that cats be fed a complete cat food, which provides all of the necessary nutrients in the right balance".

"Strong Familiar Bonds, From The Beginning"

This video shows a reality beyond all our troubled reality;

and also how creatures can be treated like our equals

in some parts of the world we all live,

we being forced to think so much

in the daily dosis of difficulties.

http://www.evtv1.com/player.aspx?itemnum=1528

But when it happens in our modern cities,
it only can bring us back to nature...,
back to innocence... Back to Eden.

A US Woman Breastfeeds Her Dog

January 15, 2009, 10:17 PM

Mum Janelle Williams, 27, nursed her Terrier crossbreed back to health with her own breast milk after he fell ill.
The puppy, Jack, stopped eating and became weak soon after Janelle bought him in October last year.
A vet recommended formula milk, but Jack refused, prompting Janelle to take more drastic action.
Janelle, from Nevada, said: "I was producing milk as I was still breastfeeding my two-year-old son Johnny. So I squeezed some breast milk onto my finger and Jack lapped it up".
Jack took to Janelle’s breast, and now suckles alongside Johnny.
She added: "Johnny -who was generous-, pointed at my right breast and said ‘puppy titty’ and then at my left breast and yelled ‘Johnny titty’ ".
The puppy got better after breastfeed with Janelle’s milk.
Medically, as long as the dog is healthy and Janelle’s nipple is clean, the practice poses no risk. Now they are sharing the same mother but different breast.

"Little Cute Pictures"

For Valentine's Day

...Unas imágenes que estoy haciendo,

para ver si después puedo mandarlas a un sitio

y a lo mejor consigo algo.