Fruitycake’s Friday Blog

The Sign Came At The Very End

This is Fruitycake.

Can I tell you something important today?

Girl Person cried yesterday.

Not the kind where your eyes get a little watery because you chopped onions. Not even the kind where you watch one of those movies where everybody suddenly starts hugging. You would need electricity to watch TV here anyway. 

But it was the kind of cry where your heart hurts so much that you don’t know how you’re supposed to keep walking forward.

I stayed close to her. That’s what I do. I don’t always know why my persons are sad. I just know they need someone to stay near them when they are.

She kept saying she was tired.

Not sleepy tired.

Soul tired.

Body tired.

Heart tired.

The kind of tired that comes from carrying too many worries for too long. Or groceries.

She said she didn’t know if she could face another day. There are so many things we’re trying to do. Sell our rustico. Keep our little family together. Help rescue animals. Find the right person for this mountain. Figure out tomorrow while still trying to survive today.

Sometimes the mountains feel very big.

Sometimes even hope feels heavy.

So Girl Person did something I’ve seen her do many times.

She prayed.

She didn’t ask for a miracle.

She didn’t ask for money.

She didn’t ask for an easy life.

She simply asked for a sign.

A sign that she was still needed.

A sign that she still mattered.

A sign that there was still a reason to keep trying.

Then…

Nothing happened.

Morning came and went.

The afternoon came.

The sun was doing its usual job of trying to bake all of Italy into one giant pizza.

We walked.

We worked.

We worried.

And still…

Nothing.

I think that’s one of the hardest parts about asking for a sign.

Sometimes they don’t come when you want them to.

Sometimes they don’t come when you’re watching.

Sometimes they come when you’ve almost stopped looking.

Late in the day, Girl Person happened to look into a bucket that had collected laundry water.

Inside was a tiny little lizard.

It had fallen in.

It was exhausted.

Just a little longer, and it probably wouldn’t have made it.

Girl Person carefully reached in and lifted the little fellow out. She held it gently until it recovered enough to run away into the bushes.

That tiny life continued because someone looked one more time.

One more glance.

One more moment.

One more act of kindness.

And suddenly Girl Person understood.

Maybe…

That was the sign.

Maybe the sign wasn’t fireworks in the sky.

Maybe it wasn’t a big announcement.

Maybe it wasn’t a phone call or an email or someone knocking on our rustico door.

Maybe it was one tiny creature saying…

“I still needed you today.”

You never really know who is waiting for you to keep going.

Sometimes it’s a dog.

Sometimes it’s a bird.

Sometimes it’s a stranger.

Sometimes it’s someone reading these words who needed them more than you realize.

And sometimes…

It’s a little lizard in a bucket of water.

If Girl Person had given up yesterday morning…

If she had decided the day wasn’t worth facing…

That little life might not have been saved.

You may be wondering today if you’re needed.

I hope you’ll remember the little lizard.

Because your reason for getting through today might not appear until the very end of it.

Please don’t leave before your sign has a chance to find you.

Fruitycake 🐾

P.S. Yesterday, Girl Person asked for a sign that she was needed, and she found it in the life of one tiny lizard. Today, I hope she’s reminded that she is supported, too. We need to buy groceries today, and every contribution—whether it’s enough for a loaf of bread or a full grocery bag—helps us keep going. If you’d like to help with today’s necessities, we’re deeply grateful. You can also join our Patreon community, where you’ll receive every daily blog, audio blogs read by Girl Person and me, recipes, behind-the-scenes updates, and so much more while helping us continue our rescue work.

❤️ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/2travelingdogsrescue

🛒 Our Necessities List: https://tinyurl.com/2tdnecessities

💙 Venmo: @travelingdogs2

Zelle Rachael@2travelingdogs.com

Thank you for reminding Girl Person—and all of us—that kindness still exists in this world