The sound of love
“Lola, my beautiful lop-eared rabbit, was my constant companion. When I adopted her from a shelter at just 1 year old, they told me she had been trained to ring a bell that hung in her crate whenever she wanted attention or food. Sure enough, as the years went by, that bell was always my signal that Lola wanted me to stop whatever I was doing, let her out of her crate and take a moment to love on her.
“From the moment we met, Lola always had the power to make me smile and she brought me such peace and comfort during very painful times—including a heartbreaking divorce and the death of my brother. But when Lola was 9 years old, her health declined and I lost her one snowy night. I grieved deeply for days, calling her name into the silence, not able to comprehend life without her.
C o u n t r y w is d o m
“One evening, desperate to feel near her me, I stood by her crate and closed my eyes, telling her how I longed to hug her. Just then her little bell jingled, causing me to jump back and stare in wonder. I searched the room to see if there was a draft or something that could’ve caused the crate to shake and set off the bell.
“Finding nothing, I looked at the crate once more. ‘It must have been my imagination,’ I whispered. ‘Lola, I miss you.’ In that moment I felt a blanket of warmth and a deep peace fall over me. Suddenly, the bell rang a second time, loud and clear.”
Remember: Home isn’t a place—it’s a feeling of love, joy and togetherness. Love, Mom.
“I thought of how seldom I had family dinners that didn’t involve smartphones and emails. How rare family time was now that we were all so busy. I wiped my tears away and decided to hang the heirloom over my own sink and work to make our home a beautiful feeling rather than just a place. Now we have family gatherings more often. My husband and I hold hands more, talk more, laugh more. It was a home before, but now, just as the saying goes, it’s the sweetest place to be.”