Some people come into your life and become part of your story. Craig has been part of mine for a lifetime. He is my lifelong friend, someone who has always been there for me, and someone whose love for animals has been a part of who he is for as long as I have known him.
Craig has always had a heart for animals that need someone. Every night, the raccoons come into his yard looking for Craig. He feeds them, and they have learned that his home is a safe place. Over the years, some of those raccoons have had babies of their own. Now those babies come too, following the same path to the person they have learned to trust.
Then there are the hummingbirds. Craig keeps multiple feeders filled, and season after season, they return to his yard. Tiny wings, buzzing from feeder to feeder, knowing there will always be something waiting for them. His sunroom became a safe place for a rescued colony of cats. He has opened his home to rescue dogs and cared for animals that simply needed somewhere safe to go.
And when animals were abandoned in the city, Craig went looking for them. He would walk into abandoned buildings searching for animals that had been left behind, knowing they could be frightened, hungry, and completely alone. If there was a chance he could find one and get it to safety, he was going to try.
Craig has never done these things for recognition. He does them because he cares. It is simply who he is. His compassion reaches beyond the animals he can personally help, too. He has supported organizations dedicated to protecting and caring for animals, helping make a difference in lives he may never even see.
And that same kindness and loyalty is something I have been lucky enough to have in my own life. Craig has been my friend for a lifetime, and he has been there for me in ways I will always be grateful for.
Thank you, Craig, for being my friend, for always being there, and for every animal you have helped simply because you cared.
In honor of my lifelong friend, Craig, and a friend to every animal lucky enough to find him.