I have to admit I slowed the pace of the Haiti posts because I’ve been waiting for the pictures from our photographer. Once I have those (getting them tomorrow) I’ll ramp up the writing. I have a lot to share but the visuals are so strong that I didn’t want to proceed without them.
So, instead, more dog stuff. Last night somebody named Stormy wanted my attention. She woke me up with a nose and a paw on the bed. I gently pulled her up and she laid down next to me. And for the first time ever, I fell asleep with my nose on her head and my arm draped over her. It was wonderful.
Long range shots are my only hope.
I don’t know what our future as dog/pack leader/human/daughter/dad will bring, but this was a big step. I take great comfort in having her accept that love.
I wish the same for all of you. And, I’ll turn it around – is there someone in your life that needs that paw and nose presented? Someone you love but have been afraid to admit it? And will showing your vulnerability hurt or heal you?
Finally, today begins my non-scientific study to see if putting random keywords into the posts will blossom traffic in new and weird ways. Today’s is Justin Bieber in honor of my friend Bob Stephenson who mentioned him on Facebook this morning. I figure if I draw in a few people every day with some silly random keyword in the popular culture or news it might be one more person who seeks God.
I’m pleased to report that our newest family member is doing well. She’s actually becoming socially acceptable.
But I still have to catch her sleeping. Yesterday I must have laughed for 20 minutes trying to get a picture of her outside. She either turned and ran or hid behind the tree when she saw the camera come out.
So I had to settle for a picture of her sleeping on her “pee pad” blanket.
That’s a mighty absorbent blanket you have there, Stormy.
The dogs love those things. I think it’s awful that I’ve had to carpet my entryway and part of the dining room when I leave the house. She’s the culprit. She is of the impression that since Edzell can use them she can as well. Difference is that Edzell is now done being mad and doesn’t use them unless it’s an emergency – and I’m fine with that. She has other ideas.
Edzell views the pads as a place to sleep, she can’t very well let go on him… and so she goes right next to the pad. Kind of defeats the purpose of the things.
Next step? I’ve got to be smarter than the dogs and the pads. Not very likely.
I went shopping at three very different food outlets this past weekend. All three reflect how we can approach our lives both spiritually and on Earth. Sadly, many of us opt for the third choice and trudge our way through life denying ourselves the chance for an afterlife.
I would like to think Heaven will be like that. We anticipate it, we smile over the thought of it, and we are welcomed when we get there. Sure, along the road of life we have to work hard to make the currency to get into the place, but that work and trust all pays off in the end. Isn’t that a great way to look at it – do the work and it’s waiting for you? In our case, it means to believe and accept His Grace and you get the double scoop. I’ll go for that.
The stop before the Ice Cream parlor was Cub Foods. For those of you outside the region, Cub is a big-box grocery store. Not the high end of the scale, not the low end. I happened to go to a store in an urban area where I live. And roaming about the aisles were hundreds of people making their food choices. Many were smiling, using it as a family outing. Some looked lost in thought, some had no expression at all, just trying to get what they needed and get out.
When I got to the store I was blown away by the wonderful smells as the doors swung open. There was promise in the air (and chicken, oranges, bakery, etc.) It was a beautiful summary of what awaited me in the aisles. Couple that with the smiling people, the thinking people, and the surviving people and you have another good metaphor for how most of us live our lives. There is so much around us with potential to please and all God asks is that we pay attention and use a little bit of moderation. He wants us to be happy, but knows that there’s a need for drain cleaner, donuts, and apples all at the same time. It’s all what we make it. But if we make wise decisions we’ll eventually find that ice cream on aisle #7 before we hit the cash registers.
The final stop on the tour actually made me laugh. It’s my personal version of Hell. I had to go to an organic coop to get a gift for a friend. The doors opened and I was assaulted with the unpleasant odor of patchouli. I know it’s supposed to be brimstone, but for the life of me why you would have the stench of patchouli in a grocery store is beyond me. I wandered around looking for the buckwheat honey I needed and realized two things – everyone there was frowning and every male in the place had a scruffy looking beard. If any eye contact was made it was hostile.
I found my honey (right next to the “bee free honey” which is not honey – evidently radical vegans won’t touch real honey because a bee might be hurt making the stuff (I couldn’t make that up if I tried)) and reframed my attitude. These people couldn’t possibly all be frowning. So I put on my very best happy-idiot smile
Patented happy idiot smile.
and wandered EVERY aisle of the store looking for more victims. Honest, not one smiling face in the place.
When I went to check out they asked if I had a member number. Nope! I’m pretty sure that triggered the security cameras. And I think I got an extra “poof” of patchouli when I went past the door sensor.
That’s how some of us actually spend our lives. We’re so sure that we have the only clue to life and how to live it that we make ourselves thoroughly miserable. And we deny the joy that God wants us to have at the same time. We just know we could never be good enough so we deny ourselves the chance to accept the love and care that God has for each of us in our lives. We put on sack cloth and ashes and lash ourselves as some kind of a test. And we miss out on the good things He provides as a result.
Are you wandering around in rough cotton clothing with a frown just to prove how “pure” you are? Why? What can you do to make life better for yourself and others and still attain your goals?
Dr. Shakil Afridi is the Pakistani doctor who helped locate Osama bin Laden. Without him, and the intelligence work he performed for this nation, that monster would still be running loose.
He is currently being tortured by the Pakistanis on a regular basis. Their intelligence agency (ISI) is probably the closest thing to a branch of the Taliban you could find.
And what is our government doing to gain this man his freedom? How is the country that bankrolls Pakistan’s military working to free a man who helped us “bag bin Laden?”
That was the sound of crickets. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. Nothing I can find at any rate. The time for “quiet, behind the scenes diplomacy” is now past. The people need to raise a ruckus.
So, since our illustrious government isn’t doing the job it should, perhaps we all need to give them a little encouragement. How about if today we all head to our Facebook page, our own blogs, our Twitter accounts and post the item below:
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Dr. Shakil Afridi is being held and tortured by the government of Pakistan. He is a friend of the United States and helped us to find Osama bin Laden. Please contact your elected representatives today and demand that our government actively work toward his release. Use this link to find your contact information and do it now. His life may depend on your call or email: http://www.contactingthecongress.org/
Let’s all work to “Free Afridi”
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I made all of my calls and sent all of my emails before posting this message. Hop to it people. This is how democracy works. You spread the word, your friends spread your word, and before you know it we’ve made it happen. Be polite, leave nice messages, but do it today. I may have an impact by myself. But if the 20,000 readers of this blog all spread the word, and their friends and relatives and …. get the idea? Strength through numbers.
If I showed up at a local hospice and offered to massage dying men with lotion I’d brought with me I’m pretty sure that security would be called and I’d probably wind up chatting with local law enforcement. If I showed up with 13 of my friends and made the offer there’s a 100% chance it would make the local news.
In Haiti, at San Fil, the home for Sick and Dying Adults it’s a regular ocurance. The teams from Healing Haiti make this a scheduled stop on the missions, and there is a reason – most of these men and women have no family to come and care for them. Or to love them. They are dying of a variety of diseases including A.I.D.S. and tuberculosis. Most importantly, they are God’s children and they are lonely. Lonely for contact, lonely for care, and lonely in their hearts. They know they will soon die. And some of them are young teenagers. Continue reading →
