Wing Man & Gracie  Stormy

Many of us have the JOYful privilege of a pet in our home or at some point in life, cared for an animal. Dog, cat, bird, rabbit, sheep, hamster, or horse, animals have a way of being part of the family from day one.

Many of us have the JOYful privilege of a pet in our home or at some point in life, cared for an animal. Dog, cat, bird, rabbit, sheep, hamster, or horse, animals have a way of being part of the family from day one.

Our two cocker spaniels, Wing Man and Gracie, rule the roost in our home. Stormy, gone now across the Rainbow Bridge, kept me accountable for many years.

When pets move in, they bring many attributes to our homes. We become vulnerable as the companionship and unconditional love grow—in us and the animal. They work their way into our hearts and stay forever. We find it easy to accept most elements of our pets, but the negative ones might be difficult to swallow at times.

I enJOY the unique personalities of my dogs when they play. I tend to stay out of their way and smile in wonderment as this part of my family play with one another for fun. You can almost see their thought process. Wing Man is verbal as he charges Gracie. His tail wags a mile-a-minute. Gracie turns her sweet head, smiles at him, and tears through the house. I believe she laughs when he pounces on her but can’t catch her. They’ll continue on this way for a few minutes before she stops her teases, lies down on her bed, and pants to catch her breath. They are full of JOY and delightful to observe.

One day when a friend came by for a visit, we sat at the kitchen table. My cat, Stormy, jumped up on the back of the lady’s chair and began to bat her hair. We lost our train of thought and laughed at the distraction.

Once in a while, dogs and cats can get the best of us. Gracie forgets to use the facilities in the yard and leaves me little puddles on the carpet every now and then. Wing Man uses the outside facilities but insists his mark belongs upon the fence posts, patio furniture, and corner of the pond.

Stormy, whom I nicknamed Itty Bitty Kitty because of her petite frame and four-pound body, used to flick litter a foot out of the cat box. She loved to annoy me when I sat at my desk busy at work. Just like a small child, she did everything in her power to get my undivided attention. She batted the desk lamp, stood on my computer (while I typed), or slept across the papers which lay on my desk.

But what JOY I experienced when Itty Bitty’s meows turned into words. Now cats don’t speak – we all know that. She meowed and meowed while she tried to get my attention. Then, as clear as a cloudless day, her meows turned into a holler which sounded like the word “Mama”.  Who said animals don’t speak?

I scold my dogs as I would my children. I rant and rave and send them outside, to get them out of my hair. But a few minutes later, when I let them in the house, their tails wag with JOY as if I’m their best friend—and I am. I melt.

I often hollered at my kitty when I cleaned up her litter or when she interrupted my train of thought because she wanted my attention. She didn’t let my anger get to her. She would plop on my lap and purr, purr, and purr.

I am unable to resist these unusual creatures from God.

~~

Each pet, throughout the years, has become a dear friend and part of the family. They accept my faults and flaws with JOY, as well as my kindness and love. When I find myself annoyed by my animals, they approach as if nothing has happened—happy to be with me as they snuggle up and put their heads on my lap.

Just like humans, pets smile, frown, and cry. They love me whether I feed them or ignore them. When I take the time to play with my animals, or caress their furry coats, they make me forget my trials, tribulations, loneliness, or bad moods.

When they’re gone, we mourn and go thru grief because we loved these precious members of our family. After we mend our hearts a bit, we can continue to be JOYful as we reminisce about their quirks, cuteness, love, and everything they’ve given us. To this day, when I see a black and white cat, my heart warms with JOYous memories of Itty Bitty. I still miss her, but like my dogs, she gave me something no human has given me. She sat by my side and just existed—just for me, she lived. Wing Man and Gracie continue to give unconditional love, acceptance, and JOY.

During the process of grief for my cat, two of my daughters each shared a story with me. My youngest daughter told me her dad buried some old trout from the freezer a short distance from the waterfall and pond—near the spot where my kitty rests. She expressed, “Stormy is chasing fish by the waterfall. She’s in the perfect place.” The middle daughter told me something my granddaughter, six years old at the time, shared with her. “Grammy put a flower on top of where Stormy is planted.” Precious examples of the way our pets continue to live on within our spirits. My heart flutters with JOY.

May you be blessed as you enJOY your unique pet to the fullest, my friend. When they cross over the Rainbow Bridge, I pray you reach a point in time where you reminisce with JOY.

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For your reading pleasure: 

The Rainbow Bridge

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.

There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor;                                 those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again,                                               just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.

The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing;                                                     they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet,                                     you cling together in JOYous reunion, never to be parted again.

The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head,                     and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet,                                                                so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together.

Author unknown

(Some say the poem was inspired by Norse Mythology.)

Laughter is the invisible armor to protect us from the stresses of life.  ~Barbara Johnson

If we couldn’t laugh, we’d all go insane.  ~Robert Frost

We have a pleasant  place to take walks in my little corner of the world. Paths circle the perimeter of seven lakes filled with a variety of fountains and waterfowl. As I walked around these lakes deep in thought about a current upheaval in my life, I heard the sound of women’s laughter. Imagine my surprise when I looked toward the JOYful noise and saw nuns, in full habits. I stopped and watched the sisters, enchanted by their complete abandonment of the seriousness I would expect from nuns. The eleven women lifted their long, cumbersome skirts while they chased a soccer ball through the grass. Their veiled heads bobbed up and down as they ran. They seemed oblivious to the world around them as they giggled, laughed, and frolicked like children. This sight turned my upside-down smile around. I laughed in delight for the first time that day.

A dear friend of mine challenged me a few years ago to make myself laugh. While we discussed my current drama, she told me about an exercise where you giggle, even if you can’t think of one thing funny. You make noises that sound like laughter until happiness erupts from deep within and you begin to laugh. I looked at her and said, “You’ve got to be kidding me. Are you nuts?”

Then, right there before God and everyone, she began to laugh. At first, a slight smile changed to a lopsided grin. The grin stimulated a chuckle. My eyes must have shown how crazy I thought she acted because she began to giggle. The cute giggle turned into a boisterous cackle and before long, she laughed hysterically.  The merriment erupted full-force from her stomach. The comical sound must have continued for a full minute.

My friend’s infectious noise struck a chord within me. I could not control myself once her glee hit full force. My cheeks became wet with tears from my relentless laughter. I tried to stop but only snorted, which caused a deeper laugh to explode from within. The exercise turned into a slapstick comedy that would not stop.

Her experiment and my nuns prove a point—laughter is contagious.

~~

Regardless of how my brain has been programmed, I made a decision to investigate happy versus sad. A number of reasons encouraged me to change my lifelong thought pattern.

Insight on laughter:

• It’s catchy. The sound of someone’s glee activates areas in the brain which help move facial muscles to link with noises. This process prepares us to join in the laughter.

• If you have tight, painful muscles, laugh to relax. Great idea for those of us who spend many hours at the computer each day.

• Heart rate and energy usage will increase somewhere between 10-20 percent when you laugh, which might help burn some calories. Maybe not many, but every little bit helps.

• Couples who laugh together stay together longer. Imagine what a lifetime of giggles would do for a relationship.

• It’s a positive, active tool that might help with short-term memory loss.

• Happy people enJOY life more and have less stress since laughter can lessen the cortisol in the body. Cortisol is a hormone that causes stress. This reason alone encourages me to give a little more time to laughter.

• An improvement in digestion, blood pressure, immune function, oxygen intake, pain, and sleep might take place in the body. I feel healthier already.

• Your well-being and general attitude might improve.

I choose to live my life with JOY. Laughter will help me become a healthier, happier, and JOYous person. I need to accept the responsibility to do what it takes to experience as many smiles, grins, chuckles, giggles, snickers, and cackles I can muster up. I want to be moved to tears of JOY as I laugh my way through life.

Be filled with JOY, my friend, as you treasure humor and laugh your day away.

Some of the above tidbits of information came from the following link:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/11/13/10-fascinating-facts-laughter.aspx

The other day while on the phone with my elderly mother, I found myself irritated by her tone of voice. My initial reaction to her words left a little to be desired.  My instinct almost led me down the not-so-nice path. But, when I opened my mouth to reflect the annoyance of the moment, I stopped mid-word and took a deep breath.

Although I found it hard to turn my unkind thoughts into words of JOY, I forced myself to choose an alternative route. When I spoke, the words that left my mouth made a positive impact on our discussion. I didn’t want to blow the conversation out of proportion, so made a choice to neutralize the situation. I gave my mom a bit of JOY instead of strife.

I’m amazed at how a word or facial expression can irritate or frustrate, and turn us into crazy people. Our feathers ruffle when we hear certain words, tones, or connotations. The horns come out when the face of another person appears angry or disgusted. Our body-language changes at the blink of an eye when somebody upsets us. Our features transform into those of dreadful monsters and denote anger, frustration, and impatience. In a split second, something rubs us the wrong way, and we try to one-up the other person. We want to give them a little of their own medicine and a piece of our mind. A competition forms to see who can be nastier than the other.

~~

I’m sure you can relate. Human beings disagree with one another. Some would say a certain amount of conflict belongs in life. Granted, at times we need to step up to the plate and disagree with someone about a situation; even Jesus expressed anger.  How we act and communicate during these discussions has an impact; not just on us, but the other person as well. Every time we experience conflict, we have a choice of the direction we take.  We can snap like a turtle or be gentle as a dove. When someone gets our goat, what would happen if we expressed Godly words instead of those of discord?  The improvement in our little corner of the world would be incredible.

Maybe we should eliminate vocabulary that has the potential to manipulate, discourage, or anger another person. We could reject the use of words that cause hurt, insecurity, defeat, or resentment.  When we open our mouths to speak, perhaps we should lift up other people, not tear them down. We don’t intend to burden, sadden, or cause fear. I doubt any one of us feels good about ourselves when we take part in the destruction of another’s spirit.

We live in a beautiful world but imagine a magnificent and exquisite earth. Heartfelt words of love not only bless others but encourage, motivate, and inspire. Visualize a world of appreciation, happiness, and JOY.  We could even love the unlovable if we spoke merciful, kind words. Wouldn’t it be nice if we helped chip away the hardened edges of the diamonds-in-the-rough we meet along the way?

I’ll be the first to affirm it’s not always easy to be kind and loving. Trials, temptations, favoritism, and impatience surround us. But take a moment to envision a better habitat—one full of people who lift the spirits of others with forgiveness and thanks. Control of the tongue might be the first step towards a hopeful, peaceful planet. A JOYful, optimistic, and serene world would bless us indeed.

During my youth, my mother often said, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.” Let’s build each other up with words of JOY, love, and appreciation. Respect goes a long way. With an intentional effort to change our actions and what comes out of our mouths, we can become better people.

Contemplate your words before you speak. If you need to count to ten, so be it. You will see a change in the people around you. Kind thoughts, words, and deeds can be contagious. A gentle demeanor will make a difference in an otherwise chaotic world.

Be JOYful and blessed in 2015, my friend, as you shower others with encouragement, loving words, and expressions of JOY.

My walk along the beach today left me overJOYed.  I watched the water in the Pacific as it swelled and formed full-on waves that dissipated at my feet. The coolness of the splash caused an involuntary shudder, but I continued my stroll along the shore.

I glanced beyond the crashing surf and noticed movement. Dolphins swam just outside the swells. They frolicked through the aqua marine water and disappeared as fast as they materialized. A wave began to form, and I watched in awe as the swell grew in size. I laughed out loud when the sleek mammals caught the swollen wave as if they were body surfers. But as soon as the crest of the swell began to disperse, the dolphins vanished.

My body turned to face the sea and I continued to stand in the shore’s foam. The brightness of the sun caused my eyes to squint as I scanned the busy water for action. My new friends did not disappoint me. I watched the five of them continue to ride the rushing wave like the young body surfers I had passed on the beach. They moved along the swell with their mouths open in mischievous grins. Needless to say, the five dolphins made quite a sight.

A number of beach combers meandered along the shore, oblivious of the activity in the ocean. I pointed to the dolphins and before long, six of us stood in the wet sand watching the mammals’ performance. We shared the incredible view and bonded in conversation and laughter. We observed our dolphins and marveled with enJOYment. Once they swam away, I continued my walk along the shore.

As I strolled along the ocean’s edge, it struck me—the dolphins do not just swim and surf in the sea. They play together in their water wonderland. Never alone, the mammals amused and entertained one another in groups of three to five. They seemed to enJOY each other while they frolicked in their playground.

~~

I contemplate my life. How often do I play? I’m quite a serious person, and most of the time I go through the motions of my day without a thought about enJOYment. I do the things that need to be accomplished, and at the end of the day, I wish I’d done something fun. Much of what I do in a twenty-four hour period seems important. But, the dolphins got my attention, and I need to look at playtime a little more seriously.

Play and relationships are vital to my health and well-being. I was created for many things–employee, maid, shopper, chef, babysitter, errand runner, family member, and friend. Do I enJOY my world as I perform the tasks expected of me? Is there a spark of fun deep within; a spark that wants to laugh, and play? Will my family and friends enJOY the playful side of me? Am I passionate enough, like the dolphins, to grasp the JOY around me?

Yes, I long for fun and JOY in my life. I intend to discover the playful side of me and take my family and friends along for the ride.

Will you accept my challenge and set aside a few hours of fun each week in the New Year? Even if it’s only thirty minutes a day, you will find the JOY in play. Accept the challenge and enJOY life along the way. Reconnect with friends and loved ones – even those who live within your home. Like the dolphins, we can play together, enJOY our surroundings, and surf and frolic through the waves of life.

Be JOYfully blessed, my friend, as you play like the dolphins and enJOY your world.

The Magic of Christmas JOY continued from yesterday……

Christmas Eve: The awaited night arrives, and the first thing on my list is to clean the house. I’m a neat freak and like everything in its place and a place for everything. I know the house will get dirty; yet, I clean it from top to bottom.

By the time I complete my task, I’m utterly exhausted and need a shower. While getting myself ready for the evening, I ask God for a beautiful celebration in our home, one free of stress and full of love. Later in the afternoon, when I attend a church service, the sound of Christmas music relaxes my soul. I enjoy the message of Christmas and hurry home to our family party.

At six o’clock, our youngest daughter and her family walk in the door. I set out the munchies and drinks, and we dig in. By seven, all the stragglers have arrived at the home-front. We sit down to Christmas dinner, spreading out in three rooms of the house. Even though we don’t sit at one table, we are still together. Christmas Eve is the one time each year the entire family comes collectively under one roof. This priceless time is a BIG deal. For some of us, it’s a time for catching up on a loved-one’s life.

After dinner, we gather in the family room. The grandchildren sit on the floor and wait to open presents. The oldest granddaughter has the voice of an angel and, per Grammy’s request, sings a Christmas song for us. The anticipation of opening presents is taking a toll on the children. But there’s one more thing ….

I ask, “Why do we have Christmas?”

“For presents!” They shout as if I’m next door.

With a grin I shake my head. “Christmas is not just about presents. We celebrate a birthday tonight, a very special one. Is it your birthday?” I point to one of the older children.

“No!” shout her twin brothers in unison.

“Then who has a birthday today?”

Two of the youngest grandchildren answer, “Baby Jesus.”

I smile and say, “That’s right. Let’s sing to baby Jesus.” I sing with the children. “Now you can open your presents!”

For many years, the children tore open their presents in frenzy and didn’t know who gave them what. The opened presents lay strewn on the floor, and no one had a clue whose was whose. So Grammy, in her infinite wisdom, makes them take turns this Christmas, which last all of two presents.

The beautiful wrapping paper, complete with ribbons and bows, lies scattered all over the floor of the family room. A smile crosses my face as I throw a couple of trash bags in the middle of the floor and say, “Dessert after you pick up the mess.” I have never seen so many children, from babies to 40ish, scramble to pick up the wrappings. One of my daughters follows me into the kitchen, and dessert is served.

After everybody devours a piece of each of the three desserts, the little ones are taken home so they can get to bed and listen for Santa’s boots on the roof. By eleven o’clock, the house is once again quiet, and Don and I smile in delight.

Christmas morning:  I snuggle in bed not wanting to remember or see the mess I left the night before. The aroma of coffee permeates my nose and instinct takes over my body. I spring from the bed, throw on my soft burgundy robe, and sprint down the stairs.

My eyes involuntarily close at the sight of my messy home. I smile at the memory of last night’s JOYful celebration and open my eyes. The house will take me days to clean, but I don’t mind. My family came together, loved on each other, and disappeared back into the folds of their homes. I am a content woman.

~~

A reflection of the real reason for the season:

The hustle and bustle of this time of the year can wear us down as we prepare for the Christmas celebration. Between cleaning, shopping, decorating, and wrapping, it’s easy to lose sight of the real reason for the season. While we race through our errands for the special day, we may run into difficult people, long lines, and a few traffic jams.

But, some of us are hurt, depressed, alone, or don’t have a dollar to our name. Our spirits may be broken. We may be the only member of our family who knows the real reason for the season. Or worse, we don’t understand the meaning of Christmas. JOY may seem far away and impossible to find.

There’s more to the season than the stress we put ourselves through. There’s more to Christmas than presents for one and all. By centering on the real reason for the season, peace and JOY will have a way of entering our hearts. We give gifts to others to show them we care. But what about the gifts we receive from our Heavenly Father?

In the town of Bethlehem that first Christmas so long ago, a tiny baby was born. Jesus was sent into the world by God to give us gifts—JOY, peace, truth, hope, love, and ultimately, eternal life.

Be blessed with the JOY of His presence, my friend.