Mother's Day is fast approaching, and now is the time to spend a moment thinking about all that your mother has done for you. In remembrance of all that, be sure to give her a great Mother's Day gift to say thank you. Of all the Mother's Day gifts your mother could wish for, the best one is your gift of love.



Everyone has a mother, and our favorite pets and animals are no exception. One Mother's day story that is particularly meaningful takes place on a little farm on a faraway island. The farmer raised sheep, and every spring they gave birth to their little lambs. One special ewe was named Ma. Ma was an old ewe, and had been a favorite of the farmer for several years. On this particular year, Ma was likely to give birth to three or even four lambs, as was her custom. She wouldn't eat, and was nervously pawing the stable bedding, so the farmer know that the birth was eminent. He put her in a private small stall, made sure she was comfortable, and then went inside for his dinner. While he was away, Ma gave birth. There were complications, and by the time the farmer returned, two of the lambs were dead, but a third was on the way. Eventually, a final lamb was born. A tiny ram lamb, a wispy little thing. Too little to stay out in the cold, the farmer whisked him away to the warmest room of his home, where he put him in a box that was lined with the softest towel he owned. The farmer checked on the little lamb throughout the night. By morning, the lamb was hungry and ready to return to Ma. But alas, during the course of the night the farmer's beloved Ma had died. The tiny lamb was now an orphan. Try as the farmer might, over the next few days he tried to get some of his other ewes who had recently given birth to adopt the little lamb, but to no avail. He would get butted away, and he was sad. So, the farmer named him Boubouki, which is Greek for "Rosebud," and gave him four bottles of milk everyday. He grew big and strong. At the start, he lived in the house, and in the evening the farmer would let him lay on his lap while he listened to the radio. Boubouki was fond of jazz, the farmer discovered. Eventually Boubouki became the ram for the herd. In this way Ma continued to live on, through her son. The farmer often thought of Ma when he looked at Boubouki, and he thanked her for giving him the best ram he ever had.