"God knows what your silent heart wants, even if you don't include it in your prayers. He hears what your heart whispers. He may not give it to you now, but someday, when you least expect it, things will happen in the best possible way."
-Unknown

As many of you know, I had a pet chicken named Chicky who came to be my muse by way of a broken leg from a dog attack. I had her put back together, took her on tour with me last summer, and that chicken and I bonded like crazy. She became my partner, my company, my little love. Steel rods and screws held her together... I called her the bionic chicken.

Due to the timing of the accident, I had to forego flying and drive 3000 miles in three days to get to my first city on the tour, because airlines won’t let birds fly. It didn’t matter, I was happy to do it. I snuck that chicken in and out of hotels like a thief in the night. Chicky, who was only four months old when I left for the summer, traveled 37 states with me and I documented every bit of it with video and photographs. People everywhere loved her and she made everyone who met her feel such joy, she was the sweetest bird and loved to be held by anyone.

Last year, after I got home, Chicky became egg-bound and passed away at only 8 months old. I was devastated. On top of an already hard year, I just swallowed the loss and healed along with everything else that had happened. I went numb. I did not talk about it, I didn’t want people to feel any more sorry for me than they already felt.

I think about her every day. Her twin sister (who we call Chicky 2.0), still lives in our chicken coop, but she and the 18 chickens we have are not cuddlers. They have free range, an amazing life and although they love me, they don’t care to be held, so I respect that and am just content to feed them out of my hand.

Last month when I was playing a fair in Texas for 10 days, I met a fellow magician/hypnotist who had a chicken in his show. A chicken! My ears perked up. Take me to the chicken! And so he did.

"Nugget" is a Japanese bantam Rooster, a very small breed that can more-or-less fits in the palm of your hand. I had never seen one, and I fell instantly in love when I held him. As soon as I picked up that fussing rooster, he fell asleep on my chest. I was a goner. He had me at buk-buk-buk-aaaaay.

His owner and trainer, Brad, said he didn’t think that he had ever been kissed, cuddled, and fussed over like that. He seemed amused at the way the little rooster loved being babied.

After a few days of after-show visits, I knew that I had to have Nugget. No, HAD to have him. Holding him made me remember Chicky and how much I missed having a little pal in my arms to love on and travel with (Geese and Turkeys are way too big to take on the road)

So, just like the God Father, I made Brad an offer he couldn’t refuse. Thank you Brad!

Nugget is on his way to me now, being driven from Richmond, VA to California (remember the no-fly rule) and I expect he will be here by Thursday of this week. I feel like an expectant mother, I’ve done everything but buy the rooster outfits.

After the loss of my Buddy Boo and then Chicky, I never imagined I could make room for, or emotionally invest in, another love like that.

We all know that with loss of love comes great pain. However, with love also comes great joy, and so when the moment unexpectedly arrived, when I knew it was right, I opened my heart to it. I made room not for a replacement (there could never be another Chicky), but another love.

If you need to open your heart again, to a person, a pet, a situation, open it.

It does not mean you have to act on it. It does not mean you are actively looking. It means you are open to possibilities. It means you are open to love finding you.

Open your heart for joy to find you.

In less than a week, Nugget will join the rest of us at our farm and become my "Chihuahua", going everywhere with me; we will make each other happy and bring a smile to the face of everyone who meets him. The extra plus is that I also get a built in alarm clock. The rooster crows at first daylight.

>> Join me on Facebook for more updates, about Nugget and the rest of the Feathered Mafia. We aim to make you smile! :-)

Love For Sure,
Cat