We love going to the local zoo. Usually we will try to go for my mom’s birthday or Mother’s Day. But, like most businesses that gather lots of people, the zoo is closed right now. Last week while we were chatting with my mom’s Parkinson’s exercise class, someone said they had been watching videos that the zoo had been sharing. My mom and I got on their website and found that they were also offering virtual animal encounters. I booked an encounter with the tiger to help my mom celebrate her birthday. My parents, brother, and I along with our other family members all joined in on the Webex session today, excited for the adventure. My brother got the picture on the big TV and once we got the sound worked out we had a great time. The zoo keeper was right along the fence and coaxed the tiger through some behaviors such as showing her teeth and paws, and standing up. When the animal did what was being asked of her, she was rewarded with some meat. It was especially amusing to watch the tiger wander away out of sight, then sneak up on the keeper and pounce on the fence. She looked like she was having a lot of fun. While we are unable to do the things we would like to do right now, this kind of encounter is something we would never have been able to do before. My mom very much enjoyed her special surprise. It was personal, informative, and wildly entertaining.

I Found God today enjoying a personal animal encounter.