A Handful of Happiness

Massimo Vacchetta, an Italian veterinarian, provides expert care for large animals—cows, horses, sheep. One day, a friend asks him to help care for something much smaller: an orphaned baby hedgehog. Only a few days old and so very alone, Massimo is struck by her helplessness and connects with her in a way he’s never connected with any other animal. He names her Ninna._x000D_
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Soon, another sick hedgehog lands in his lap. And then another. As Massimo finds these hedgehogs who need his help, he finds himself—and the true meaning of compassion._x000D_
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While his other prickly patients are healed and released, Massimo continues to dote on Ninna like a child, constantly fretting about her health and happiness, not ready to say goodbye. But the cage that once kept her safe soon becomes a prison, and as much as it breaks Massimo’s heart to let her go, he knows she longs to be free._x000D_
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Through this life-affirming story of a man and his hedgehog, we learn that there’s no such thing as too small an act, if it’s done out of great compassion and love.