A circle of love.

My favorite Aunt on my mothers side is by far Shirley. My wonderful mom has one sister and her name is Shirley! I have many fond memories through the years of the "ranch" in Willow Lake South Dakota. It is where my mom and Shirley were born and raised. My mom ventured off to Sioux falls, SD to work and Shirley stayed on and married her high school sweetheart. They made their home on a peaceful little acreage right outside the Willow Lake (population 321 - before mom left) city limits. I remember them having horses and always some kind of animals outside and fore sure a dog in the house! The house being full of hospitality and love.
...My Aunt cared for my grandma allowing her 9 more years to live independently in an apartment - even though eye disease had taken almost all of grams site. Shirley was a big part of grams life... taking her meals, setting up house cleaning, taking her to buy groceries, to church, to Minnesota, and assisting her in daily living. It was as if Shirley and Grams came full circle, Shirley being able to help grams as grams had helped her. Grams just moved into a nursing home in Bryant in 2008. She is doing well there also but I am thank-ful she had all those years on her own.... ....As of lately anytime you venture to the Ranch you will usually find Shirley nursing some stray cat and her kittens. On September 26th, 2010 we went to Willow Lake to celebrate my gram-mas 97th birthday... Shirley was again busy with a new litter of kitties that they found under a shed... their momma had left them and they were cold and hungry. Every day she takes a dropper and some kitten milk (that she get from the veterinary clinic) and goes out and sits with the kitties feeding each one by hand. She also lovingly built them an incubator so they would be warm and feel at home when she wasn't there. Before she backs out the car the kittens are safe....
....I wonder if that momma kitty knew that Shirley would find her kitties and take care of them? Knew that she would get them food, find them a warm home, and help them to grow? Until they were able to come full circle and have a life of their own.
It seems my Aunt Shirley's life has a common thread....
....helping people (and animals) close the ends of their circle!