Viaggiatore ~ The Lion of Lyon Tail

I've adopted a Shameless Lion from Lyon, France. Everyone, please meet Viaggiatore. His name means 'traveler' in Italian. He comes from a rather large pride (he has 44 brothers and 3 sisters), all of which have been adopted into the excellent homes of the members of The Shameless Lions Writing Circle... of which I am also a member, and hence had the opportunity to bring Viaggiatore home. Here's his picture as it was on the morning I brought him here:

He wasn't here even a moment before he left his little pedestal in the photo and began to wander about the page. When last I saw him, he said he wanted to go watch the sun set on the ocean (we have a lovely view of the beach just outside the front window there....) and that is just where he headed off. I'm not surprised, really... after all, he is a traveler, and quite an interesting lion.

I will invite you to visit with us a bit, and find out more about him, as he has had quite an amazing journey getting here; the peace of this place is exactly what he needed.

Viaggiatore was once a single thought... just one idea. Long ago, a good Samaritan selflessly saved the life of another human, with no thought for his own safety. The Lord was so pleased at this act of love, that he offered the Samaritan a wish... anything he wanted. The Samaritan said he wished only to continue to do good, everywhere he went, without ever knowing it. The Lord granted this wish, and then decided that it was such a good idea, it ought to be everywhere, for everyone.

He created Viaggiatore as a thought... it is him, in those moments of kindness when we do not know the good we do for others, he is a passing idea... a traveling thought that steps gently within us, and then moves on. As Viaggiatore passed throughout the world touching others, he walked away with remnants of each step touching him, and these remnants created a tangible body for him. The beauty of a world in unity incarnate in the skin of a lion. If you click on his picture (the original) you can see an enlarged version of him.

His feet are covered with the flowers of fields and meadows that he has traversed, his legs and body are colored with the tides of every sea. On close inspection, you will discover images of shipwrecks and sea creatures emblazoned on his sides. The words of the world have covered his legs, and the likeness of continents he has passed through are evident on his hide. Viaggiatore's tail is adorned with miniature works of art that he loves, the most famous being Leonardo Da Vinci's "Mona Lisa"... and just a little way further down his tail, he keeps a watch (so that we do not run on Scarlett time... he says to me with a sly smile). On his back, he proudly wears a small rug, gifted to him by the Maharishi in honor of the goodness and peace that Viaggiatore spreads. His mane is a wild abundance of flowers and blossoms, given to him by all the children of the world, in every country, it is fragrant and light, and when the wind dances in it, the scent fills the air with the sweetest fragrance ever known.

He wears two earrings in his left ear, one for unity, the other for peace. On his left rear paw, he wears a chain... put there by the evil chief of a jungle tribe (more on that later). When I offered to take if off, he declined... "oh no," he told me... "I am made of the places that I have passed through, like any of us, it is the good and the bad that make me who I am and I cannot discard those things in my life that weren't good, any more than you can. It gives me character anyway, don't you think?" So it remains. At his feet rests a book that he is never without. "Knowledge gives us the capacity to understand our world, and better it." he said. I haven't had a chance to look at the book yet, perhaps someday he will let me. The scarf he wears was a gift from me, I picked it up in Paris last April, and he liked it immediately, so I gave it to him.

His front left leg was injured in his escape from the evil chief of the jungle tribe, and I have bandaged it and called my cousin in Pittsburgh, Dr. T. Lyon, to ask her to mend it up for him. He will spend some time here, healing, and we will divulge the tail (excuse me... tale) of his great escape to you as the days pass. When he is quite himself again, Viaggiatore and I will be off to explore the world and go on many great adventures together. Each will be chronicled here, to share with you. Postcards home to our friends and family.

Thank you for being here, we look forward to visiting with you again soon.

Scarlett & Viaggiatore