Skip to content

Posts from the ‘Dogs’ Category

Jul 5

2 Comments

Biding Time

“Every man must patiently bide his time. He must wait / not in listless idleness but in constant, steady, cheerful endeavors, always willing and fulfilling and accomplishing his task, that when the occasion comes he may be equal to the occasion.” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I’ve been keeping Lily busy (both of us really) the past week since Molly died. She’s got loneliness in her eyes that I can’t fix and it’s like looking in a mirror. We are both biding time, knowing that with passing of time it will be more tolerable and we’ll settle into a new normal we didn’t want but need to accept. I’ve had two dogs for the past twenty years and when one leaves the other behind, it’s heartbreaking. But the love and joy that they’ve shared through the years and that they let me share with them carries us through and stays with us.

“Find a place inside where there's joy, and the joy will burn out the pain.” – Joseph Campbell

“Find a place inside where there’s joy, and the joy will burn out the pain.” – Joseph Campbell

So some distractions like swimming, long walks, patios that allow dogs and boating give us permission to smile and carry on since there are no other real options but to go through. So we bide time, we cry, we laugh, we play and we remember well, grateful for what has been, for what is present right now and for what is to come.

Jun 27

6 Comments

Sweet Molly

“The most important lesson that I have learned is to trust God in every circumstance. Lots of times we go through different trials and following God’s plan seems like it doesn’t make any sense at all. God is always in control and he will never leave us.” – Allyson Felix

“That perfect bliss and sole felicity, the sweet fruition of an earthly crown.” – Christopher Marlowe

“That perfect bliss and sole felicity, the sweet fruition of an earthly crown.” – Christopher Marlowe

As written in this blog through the years, Molly and Lily have been an integral part of my life, primarily the joy of it. They cast light so naturally and have taught me how to cast light. This post saddens me to my very core, like some others over the past few months.

Molly had surgery last week on a torn ACL – last year at this time, it was her right leg. I brought her back on Saturday for a high temperature. This morning I got a call that she was in critical condition. After hours of stressed breathing, they were able to get an x-ray indicating severe problems with her lungs. The option was to hang on for desperate measures to keep her alive for a few hours or to let her go and release her from the pain.

Unconditional love knows when to hang on and when to let go. I do find comfort in Dad embracing her in heaven and lovingly walking off the leash of this world to a peace that passes all understanding.

Farewell Sweet Molly.

molly3

Mar 28

Easter Monday

“Easter is meant to be a symbol of hope, renewal, and new life.” – Janine di Giovanni

We are called to carry to the joy of Easter Sunday into Monday, Tuesday and each day to come thereafter. More than a day, it is a way to live, to be transformed. A chance to begin again, to accept grace that is given freely and generously.

Do not succumb to despair. Allow yourself to change and be changed.

Kids and dogs breathe in and breathe out joy naturally, without hesitation. Wide-eyed and unassuming, they accept and release abundance to all who are open and willing to take it in. Loving without condition, they give depth and dimension to an often obtuse world.

Happy Easter Monday, and Tuesday and Wednesday…

“God loves each of us as if there were only one of us. “ – Saint Augustine

“God loves each of us as if there were only one of us. “ – Saint Augustine

Mar 14

The Light of a Smile

“Be thou the rainbow in the storms of life. The evening beam that smiles the clouds away, and tints tomorrow with prophetic ray.” – Lord Byron

Should you forget your blessings, pause for a moment;
Should you lose your way, pause for a moment;
Should you be tossed about by the winds, pause for a moment;

For in the quiet moments of repose, we shall be gently reminded of the abundance abound, the path will rise to meet us and we shall discover the depth of our roots and the freedom and light of a smile, both given and received.

“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.” – Nhat Hanh

“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.” – Nhat Hanh

An Old Irish Blessing
“May love and laughter light your days,
and warm your heart and home.
May good and faithful friends be yours,
wherever you may roam.
May peace and plenty bless your world
with joy that long endures.
May all life’s passing seasons
bring the best to you and yours!”
– Source: islandireland.com

Mar 8

7 Comments

2190 Days

“There are two great days in a person’s life – the day we are born and the day we discover why.” – William Barclay

It’s Lily’s 6th birthday today. Lily wakes up around 5:00 am every day (yes, even the weekends) with a boundless enthusiasm, boisterous curiosity and a smile that won’t quit. And she demands that Molly and I join in. A paw to the shoulder, her butt up in the air, head down and then the famous flop on top of me, she’s ready to start the day and she needs her pack to join in. Every morning, she wipes the slate clean, starts anew in the hunt for delight.

Lily’s life is measured in moments and days. A lesson she teaches and reteaches me when I forget and go astray. And for the past 2190 days of her life, she has made my life and Molly’s more fun, rich and meaningful. The strut in her walk with her ear flipped back when she was a puppy remains strong and intact today. She’s loving life and it’s loving her right back.

“Today you are you! That is truer than true! There is no one alive who is you-er than you!” Dr. Seuss

“Today you are you! That is truer than true! There is no one alive who is you-er than you!” Dr. Seuss

So Happy 6th Birthday or 2190 Days Celebration of Really Living Life Lily. May we all be so wise, kind and generous in sharing wonder and awe by living each and every moment on purpose and with purpose.

“It takes a long time to become young.” – Pablo Picasso

“It takes a long time to become young.” – Pablo Picasso

Feb 10

A Soft Place to Land

“It is still breathtaking to me to watch people bring love, preciousness and kindness to their inner world, allowing the light of God to shine through their eyes so that the beauty of their soul can come forth.” – Debbie Ford

We all need a soft place to land. May you find yours today. May you be one in return.

“Be true to yourself. Make each day a masterpiece. Help others. Drink deeply from good books. Make friendship a fine art. Build a shelter against a rainy day.” – John Wooden

“Be true to yourself. Make each day a masterpiece. Help others. Drink deeply from good books. Make friendship a fine art. Build a shelter against a rainy day.” – John Wooden

Jan 24

What’s Real and True

“To know yourself as the Being underneath the thinker, the stillness underneath the mental noise, the love and joy underneath the pain, is freedom, salvation, enlightenment.” – Eckhart Tolle

While the world measures “success” by distance, speed and status, our life is truly lived and measured by depth, connection and substance found in simple moments. Foster joy, depth and meaning each day. What’s real and true is right in front of you, right now.

“Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony.” – Thomas Merton

“Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony.” – Thomas Merton

Dec 29

6 Comments

The Walk

“We’re all just walking each other home.” – Rumi

On our daily journey, it’s good to know deep in our heart and bones that we are not alone. And we have the opportunity, the obligation, to remind each other that we are all on this walk together. Being present, quietly listening, holding a hand, a phone call or text can turn a day around.

While we each have our own purpose, blessings and burdens, our journey is meant to be shared. And in the sharing, our loads are lightened and blessings multiplied.

“For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.” – Audrey Hepburn

“For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.” – Audrey Hepburn

Dec 27

9 Comments

Off Leash

“All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on.” – Havelock Ellis

To explore unhindered
To release the longing spirit
To wander into wonder
To discover adventure where you’ve walked before
To find what has always been in reach

Off leash of what binds and holds you back

Free from self-imposed limitations
Free from expectations
Free from the past and future
Free from maps, plans and time
Free to embrace and be embraced

Go off leash today and take it all in.

“The ground we walk on, the plants and creatures, the clouds above constantly dissolving into new formations - each gift of nature possessing its own radiant energy, bound together by cosmic harmony.” – Ruth Bernhard

“The ground we walk on, the plants and creatures, the clouds above constantly dissolving into new formations – each gift of nature possessing its own radiant energy, bound together by cosmic harmony.” – Ruth Bernhard

Dec 18

2 Comments

Stuck in the Mud

“There is an eagle in me that wants to soar, and there is a hippopotamus in me that wants to wallow in the mud.” – Carl Sandburg

We often get stuck in the mud of moments of turmoil and the dailyness of living, losing the 360 degree view. Whether longing for the past, worried about the future or thinking what’s happening now will last forever.

Surface over depth.

Being present in the moment gives us acute awareness of and appreciation for all that is, the entire three dimensional picture of blessings and challenges, vivid color and hues of gray, faith and doubt, light and dark.

Abundance over scarcity.

When stuck in the mud, keep moving, digging your way out so your world can come back into full height, width and depth of all that is in the now and the promise of all that is to come, little by little, step by step.

Delight over delusion.

“I made all my generals out of mud.” – Napoleon Bonaparte

“I made all my generals out of mud.” – Napoleon Bonaparte

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »