By Jonker Tomasoa, The Netherlands
Years ago, my wife and I paid a visit to a dear friend and her family in Kenya. It was our first time in that country. When my friend married four years earlier, I was her best man. Although we are not related, she called me Abang, which means brother in the Malay language.
By Tammy Attama, Virginia
With joyful anticipation, we picked up our new puppy! She was a few months old, gangly, and adorable in the body she had yet to grow into. Our family fussed over her and made her feel welcomed; however, her excitement did not match our own.
By Russell Henderson, Oregon
The horse who became my cherished friend had helped me heal from the loss of my wife. How would Divine Spirit guide me through saying good-bye to him?
By Peter Skrivanic, Kyoto, Japan
At ten years old, I went with my family to our local humane society in Oakville, a suburb of Toronto, Canada, to find our first family pet. Looking from cage to cage, I stopped before one that held Sam, a six-year-old, gray, male tabby cat with yellow-green eyes. He was large, slightly rotund, and older than most of the other cats in the shelter.
By Lois Stanfield, Minnesota
When my newly adopted, rescued Afghan Hound, Lila, came to live with my other Afghan, Pistachio, and me, I had to help her accept her newfound freedom. Eventually she graduated from being a dog who had lived in a kennel to a beloved house pet.