For more than four years I have been writing about the ugliest man in the world. I describe the darkest actions and most disgusting rhetoric I have witnessed in my 73 years.

This morning I want to write about the best person in the world. I fell in love with her 27 years ago.

My wife is many things. She’s incredibly beautiful, extremely intelligent, loving, and cares for every living thing on the planet.

We’ve shared personal tragedies; which is normal as we grow older. But where she shows her true self, her real beauty, is when she is with animals.

Together we’ve had four dogs and two cats. The way she cared for them; the way she truly loved them; was genuine and heartfelt. However, it’s not just dogs and cats Sandy cares about. She can’t kill a spider. When she finds one in our home, she captures it and releases it outside. She feeds the wild birds, and makes sure the lizards in our yard have water.

She inspires me every day, but what led me to writing this was what she did last evening.

Most people dislike or even hate pigeons. They make messes on the sidewalks, our driveway, and everywhere else they can; but not Sandy. She went outside to fill our birdbath and found one bird who was obviously seriously ill. It couldn’t fly. She accepted the fact that it was going to die, but she didn’t want the animal to suffer of be eaten by one of the cats in our neighborhood. She spent a lot of time creating a safe place for the bird with water and a blanket. She wanted to make sure it would lose its life in peace. She is a role model for all human beings.

If people cared about each other half as much as she cares for animals, there would never a hungry person in the world. No one would feel alone. There would be no anger, hatred, or violence.

My bride is as close to a perfect human being as one can be. Mahatma Gandhi said: “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way in which its animals are treated.” The same thing is true for every man, woman, and child in the world.

In the bible Jesus Christ instructed his followers to ‘care for his Father’s creations.’ It is our responsibility to love the animals, and every living thing on this planet. This includes the flora and fauna. The environment is our responsibility. Oh, by the way, climate change is real. It’s our fault if the air, water, and land are polluted.

I love inspirational quotes. I don’t know the author of these simple three words; “dare to love;” but they mean the world to me.

Tell everyone, “the truth lives here.”

Op-ed by James Turnage

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