I am a huge animal lover. Growing up, our house always had pets such as cats, gerbils, goldfish, and lizards. Just before I left for my first year of college, my mom and dad decided to get our first dog…needless to say, it was my favorite pet. He was a Collie-German Shepard and was smart as a whip. We could teach him tricks within five minutes…yes, he was that smart. He was just like another member of the family and he went everywhere with us. He went swimming, played soccer (he was the goalie), went for walks, protected us from strangers, on and on. He was an amazing dog that I still miss to this day.
I found the following little description of the life with a dog that I thought all my dog-lover friends out there might relate to and appreciate like I did…
It funny, but no one tells you how quickly dogs age. How one day you wake up and suddenly their face is all white and gray, how their eyes start to seem milkier than before, how you have to call their name a few more times than you used to.
People tell you not to blink when you have children, but what about the dog who was with you before your children were even thought of? The dog who was by your side before you found the love of your life, the dog who jumped from apartment to apartment in your early 20’s. No one tells you to cherish every moment you have with them.
Cherish your dog. The one who’s been there through every break up and every dumb fight with your best friend. That dog who slept in the bed with you when you were lonely and made you feel safe when you left home. Cherish him, because one day you’ll take him on a walk and he’ll start to get tired before you and you’ll realize just how many years he’s been walking by your side.
The following is a great “wish list” that I think a lot of women (even men) would probably like to be some day. But for now, I hope that you enjoy the following humorous dream than a lady once wrote…
In this life, I am a woman. In my next life, I’d like to come back as a bear. When you are a bear, you get to hibernate. You do nothing but sleep for six months. I could deal with that.
Before you hibernate, you’re supposed to eat yourself stupid. I could deal with that too.
When you are a girl bear, you birth your children (who are the size of walnuts) while you’re sleeping and wake to partially grown, cute, cuddly cubs. I could definitely deal with that!
If you’re a mama bear, everyone knows that you mean business. You swat anyone who bothers your cubs. If your cubs get out of line, you swat them too. I could deal with that.
If you’re a bear, your mate EXPECTS you to wake up growling. He EXPECTS that you will have hairy legs and excessive body fat.
What in the world is happening? Why did something like this happen to me? Why is it that this individual continues to do this annoying thing to me? Don’t they understand that when they continue to do this same thing over and over, it really, really bothers me!?! What is this jerk doing? Why is this person so mean? Why is it, that it always seems like bad things always happen to me?
Occasionally, there are things or situations in life that happen that we simply don’t understand at the time we are experiencing them. Sometimes people will continuously do things to us, like our bosses, parents, or a host of other kinds of people, that we don’t comprehend why they are doing what they are doing. The result? We jump to negative conclusions, make poor judgments and assessments of others…many times resulting in embarrassing or awkward moments.
The following little story is a great little illustration which demonstrates a simple truth of life…that we should attempt to truly understand the unfortunate things that may happen to us before we judge others wrongly.
Once upon a time, there was a crab. It was walking on the shore of the ocean, leaving its beautiful footprint behind. The crab adored its footprints. Suddenly as the crab was adoring it footprints, the waves of the ocean washed the footprints away. The crab turned towards the ocean wave and said, “Hey!! I thought you were my best friend. Why did you do that?? Why did you wash my footprints away?” The ocean said, “A fisherman was chasing you, my dear friend, looking at your footprints, so I washed them away so that fisherman could not chase you.” It’s a general human tendency. We all judge each other in different situations and conclude about the person. Even in our relationships, we judge the people by the actions or behavior. But it is important not to conclude about that person and react without understanding other person’s intentions. (Divya Nimbalkar). http://frtonyshomilies.com/
JUDGING A PERSON DOES NOT DEFINE WHO THEY ARE…IT DEFINES WHO YOU ARE!
Sometimes, there is nothing better than a good story about animals. Mix the story with a little humor and good old-fashioned Faith…and you will have a story that will bring a smile to your face and maybe even a little giggle or laugh.
Today is an entertaining little tale that I think that you will enjoy.
It’s a Miracle Kitten from Heaven story. What could be more fun than a little girl wanting a kitty cat? And what if she prayed really hard for God to send a kitty to her from heaven? And what if God answered her prayer immediately? When A Child Prays, Their Faith is Strong and Alive, Expecting an Answer. Read on . . .
Dwight Nelson recently told a true story about a pastor. He had a kitten that climbed up a tree in his backyard, and then was afraid to come down. The pastor coaxed, offered warm milk, etc. The kitty would not come down. The tree was not sturdy enough to climb, so the pastor decided that if he tied a rope to his car and drove away so that the tree bent down, he could then reach up and grasp the kitten.
He did all this, kept getting out to check, then figured if he went just a little bit farther, the tree would be bent sufficiently for him to reach the kitten. But as he moved a little farther forward… the rope broke.
The tree went *Boing!* and the kitten instantly sailed through the air- out of sight. The pastor felt very bad. He walked all over the neighborhood, asking people if they’d seen a little kitten. No. Nobody had seen a kitten. So he prayed, “Lord, I just commit this kitten to Your keeping,” and went on about his business.
A few days later, he was at the grocery store, and he met Melissa Jefferson, one of his church members. He happened to look into her shopping cart, and he was amazed to see cat food. Knowing she hated cats, he asked her, “Why are you buying cat food when you hate cats so much?” She replied, “You won’t believe this,” and told him how her little girl Meghan had been begging her for a cat, but she kept refusing. Then a few days before, the girl had begged again, and so the Mom finally told her little girl, “Well, if God gives you a cat from heaven, I’ll let you keep it.”
You can guess the rest. She told the pastor, “I watched my little girl go out in the yard, get on her knees, and ask God for a kitty cat. And really, Pastor, you won’t believe this, but I saw it with my own eyes. A kitten suddenly came flying out of the blue sky, with its paws spread out, and landed right in front of her.
I’ve always wondered if he told her what really happened.
This is a great little story that I found a little while ago that demonstrates two primary things that generally will decide whether or not a person ever becomes successful. It has always been fascinating to me how many people are afraid to let go of their fears or to think “outside the box” in order to be successful. The following short illustration, gives us a good example of this concept…
Monkey-hunters use a box with an opening at the top, big enough for the monkey to slide its hand in. Inside the box are nuts. The monkey grabs the nuts and now its hand becomes a fist. The monkey tries to get its hand out but the opening is big enough for the hand to slide in, but too small for its fist to come out. Now the monkey has a choice, either to let go off the nuts and be free forever or hang on to the nuts and get caught. Guess what it picks every time? You guessed it. He hangs on to the nuts and gets caught.
We are no different from monkeys. We all hang on to some nuts that keep us from going forward in life. We keep rationalizing by saying, “I cannot do this because . . .” and whatever comes after “because” are the nuts that we are hanging on to which are holding us back. Successful people don’t rationalize. Two things determine if a person will be a success: reasons and results.
Dogs really are man’s best friend. Most people have had some sort of pet sometime in the life and can attest to the fact that they were a joy to have. Dog’s are usually the most favorite kind of animal that people have. There is no other pet that is so adoring, loving, faithful, happy, and dedicated to their masters. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end and for many people, this sad time can be very sad, depressing, and lead to a great deal of despair. On the other hand, there are some instances in which people remember fondly their pet, learn from the situation and move on. They look at the circumstances from a different perspective.
Such is the case in today’s story. A dear college friend of mine, Heidi, sent me the following story which…I am sure…will warm your heart and, maybe, cause you to look at life a little differently.
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Here’s a surprising answer from a 6-year-old child.
Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog’s owner Ron, his wife Lisa, and their little boy Shane were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle,
I examined Belker and found that he was dying of cancer. I told the family that we couldn’t do anything for Belker and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for their old dog in their home.
As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me that they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.
The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker’s family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped away peacefully.
The boy seemed to accept the transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker’s Death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that dogs’ lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, “I know why.”
Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I’d never heard a more comforting explanation. It changed the way I try and live.
He said, “People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life like loving everybody all the time and be nice, right?” The six-year-old continued.
“Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don’t have to stay for as long as we do.”
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Live Simply.
Love Generously.
Care Deeply.
Speak Kindly.
Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like:
When your loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.
Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure Ecstasy.
Take naps.
Stretch before rising.
Run, romp, and play daily.
Thrive on attention and let people touch you. Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.
On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
When you’re happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
Be faithful.
Never pretend to be something you’re not.
If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently.
That’s the secret of happiness that we can learn from a good dog!
There is something really special and magical when small animals get together with little children. The result is usually simply adorable! Today’s picture is a perfect example of that sweet time of most of our lives, when we had the enjoyable time to love our pets and feel good about the world.
I am sure that you probably remember such a time…if so, leave a comment and share your experience with us!!
A crow lived in the forest and was absolutely satisfied in life. But one day he saw a swan. “This swan is so white,” he thought, “and I am so black. This swan must be the happiest bird in the world.”
He expressed his thoughts to the swan. “Actually,” the swan replied, “I was feeling that I was the happiest bird around until I saw a parrot, which has two colors. I now think the parrot is the happiest bird in creation.” The crow then approached the parrot. The parrot explained, “I lived a very happy life until I saw a peacock. I have only two colors, but the peacock has multiple colors.”
The crow then visited a peacock in the zoo and saw that hundreds of people had gathered to see him. After the people had left, the crow approached the peacock. “Dear peacock,” the crow said, “you are so beautiful. Every day thousands of people come to see you. When people see me, they immediately shoo me away. I think you are the happiest bird on the planet.”
The peacock replied, “I always thought that I was the most beautiful and happy bird on the planet. But because of my beauty, I am entrapped in this zoo. I have examined the zoo very carefully, and I have realized that the crow is the only bird not kept in a cage. So for past few days I have been thinking that if I were a crow, I could happily roam everywhere.”
That’s our problem too. We make unnecessary comparison with others and become sad. We don’t value what God has given us. This all leads to the vicious cycle of unhappiness. Learn to be happy in what you have instead of looking at what you don’t have. There will always be someone who will have more or less than you have. The person who is satisfied with what they have, are the happiest people in the world!
This is an incredible photo that shows the beautiful silent language that animals sometimes share with humans. I believe that animals can sense when people are hurting, suffering, or experiencing times of despair or hardships.
There are times when I feel that animals were put on this earth for not only the enjoyment of the human race but also for healing, joy, and comfort.
Look at the absolute happiness and delight in this crippled person’s eyes…proving once again, that a photo really is worth a thousand words!!
I think that this is a terrific picture that shows the simple and pure compassion that an animal can show to another creature in a time of great danger. It is probably safe to say that this monkey saved the life of this puppy. Simply an incredible picture!
It makes me think of how much more, we as human beings…who are more intelligent and knowledgeable than animals…can treat other human beings with love, care and compassion. Too many individuals waste too much of their time here on earth being mean, judgmental, and thoughtless to others. Imagine what a better place YOUR WORLD would be if you took the time each day to help others and find ways to be an encouragement and blessing to them.
I love cats! When I was a kid, we used to have many cats running, sleeping and playing around the house. Both of my parents really enjoyed having the critters around and my grandmother, who lived with us, loved them as one of her own grandchildren.
One of the funniest things I enjoy watching, are cats doing silly, funny, and surprising things. Sometimes, they make me laugh so hard that they make me cry.
So, what I decided to do today was to share some of these funny gifs with you (gifs are small movies, that last a few seconds). I think that you will find yourself giggling and laughing at the silliness and stupidity of our furry friends.
So, without further ado, let the laughs, snickers, and giggles begin!!
And away we go!Peek-A-Boo…I see you!Itsy Bitsy spider…..“I’m a monster!”“Has anyone seen Kitty?”King of the Hill!“Ok….enough of you Psycho cat!”Stop Thief!What the ?????“Wait….what was that??”Hit the SNOOZE buttonGeronimo!Houston…we have lift off!HA! HA! HA!
Put both lids of the toilet up and add 1/8 cup of pet shampoo to the water in the bowl…
Pick up the cat and soothe him while you carry it towards the bathroom.
In one smooth movement, put the cat in the toilet and close the lid. You may need to stand on the lid.
At this point, the cat will self agitate and make ample suds. Never mind the noises that come from the toilet, the cat is actually enjoying this!
Flush the toilet three or four times. This provides a “Power-Wash” and “Rinse”.
Have someone open the front door of your home. For the safety of everyone around, be sure that these are no people between the bathroom and the front door.
Stand well back, behind the toilet as far as you can and quickly lift the lid.
The cat will rocket out of the toilet, streak through the bathroom, and run outside where he will dry himself off.
Good news!! Both the cat and the toilet will be sparkling clean!!
Yours Sincerely,
The Dog
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I hope these directions brought a little smile to your face, a giggle to your heart, and laughter to your soul!!!
