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My Birthday Wish

Larry Chusid headshot 5x7My name is Larry Chusid and today is my birthday. And my birthday gift to me is taking this moment to say thank you to you. To each and every one of you. Thank you for caring about the animals. Thank you for loving the animals. Thank you for being the voice for the animals. For they too deserve to be heard.

“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.”
~ Anatole France.

My birthday wish is to see the end of animal abuse. End it forever. Finished. Kaput. Done. To stop any and all animal suffering. To end the agony that these majestic friends far too frequently feel when people choose to do bad things.

May we someday find a way to educate those who bring harm so they can learn what they have done is wrong. So that someday, they too can celebrate and enjoy the unconditional love of an animal friend.

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” ~ Mohandas Gandhi

For my birthday this is my wish. Because the animals deserve that wish. For each and every one of them. Whatever they are. Wherever they are. For they deserve better.

Especially for those already gone at the hands of abuse. That have suffered. That have known pain. May they rest in peace.

Running on rainbows. Sleeping in clouds. May they know the smiles they brought. May they know they were loved. May they know. May they know. May they know.

“Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.”~ Mother Teresa

Every wish that I wish for the animals I wish the same wish for the people as well. Adults and kids alike. Because we share this fine earth together. Even for those that bring harm and may not seemingly deserve that wish, I still wish it. Because that wish brings hope.

“There is no medicine like hope, no incentive so great, and no tonic so powerful as expectation of something tomorrow.” ~ Orison Swett Marden

And with that wish I wish that today will bring a better day for all. For all animals. For all creatures. For all people. For all beings. For all living things great and small. That is my birthday wish.

“You may never know what results come from your action. But if you do nothing, there will be no result.” ~ Mohandas Gandhi

On my birthday I thank every single person that makes Team Pongo purr. Getting up and showing up time and time and time again to make a difference for those less fortunate. There are far too many names to mention here, but please know that you are important and appreciated and loved.

You give with heart and you give with joy and you are the core group of dedicated souls that have defied the odds and proven that impossible is possible.

And I thank you.

“Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It’s a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.” ~ Muhammad Ali

On my birthday I thank Pongo for being who he was. The grand spirit of life who knew it was all about love, kindness and joy. And great food.

He lived large and he lived long and against impossible odds he thrived. Outliving his years many times over. Always with zest and gusto and love. He blessed my life for many years.

But the 19 years we had together were still not enough. And I miss him.

And I thank Scooby, my 21 ½ year-old beagle-basset buddy, for the love and friendship he brought me that went beyond anything I could have ever dreamed. The love and friendship that he still brings today. Because he’s here. No longer here. But he is.

I know you understand.

He is my compass. My guide. No matter where he sleeps at night he still is all that he was and will continue to be. My Dalai Lama. My Gandhi. My Buddha. He has lived long enough to know what’s important and what’s not.

He is an inspiration. His soul is pure. His heart is full. And I am lucky to have him as a mentor.

“Never be afraid to do what’s right, especially if the well being of a person or an animal is at stake. Society’s punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

This message is far longer than I had hoped. Yet it does not even begin to come close to conveying the sincere gratitude that I have for each and every one of you. You are held dearly.

Because we are all in this together.

“Ring the bells that still can ring, Forget your perfect offering, There is a crack in everything, That’s how the light gets in.” ~ Leonard Cohen

For my next year and each one of the many thereafter my wish for myself is that I will ring more bells.

That I will be more understanding. More compassionate. More patient. More forgiving.

And that I will always err on the side of kindness.

If nothing else I hope that I will bring the same kind of love and kindness that our animal friends bring. Because if I can do that, I will have done well.

“I shall pass through this world but once. Any good, therefore, I can do or any kindness that I can show… let me do it now. Let me not defer it or neglect it for I shall not pass this way again.” ~ Stephen Grillet

~ Larry Chusid, The Pongo Fund, March 20, 2016.