Do We Really Want to Change Our Past?

I am sure most you have been asked at one time or another, what in your past would you change if you could, and would you? I have had some very damaging events back in my youth, some horrific exchanges of hate and power thrust upon me, and a family, well, that really wasn’t a family at all.

But to answer my own question of what would I change and would I, my answer is nothing. Honestly, I would not change anything about my past. I firmly believe that every day, hour, or minute of our lives is a building block onto what our next block will come from. Yes some could argue, “why wouldn’t you change the beatings you got every day, or why wouldn’t you change this or that?” My individual opinion is that if I am happy, right now, at this very moment in time, then I have to accept and keep all the decisions, actions, and life’s moments exactly as they occurred or I would not be in this very place I am right now.

It is these very experiences that have shaped our personalities and who we are. Who we have become and how we approach life is all derived from what we remember about our past. All the wonderful traits of who you are today could possibly be altered by ripples forward if you were change even the tiniest thing from your past.

We are humans, we interact each and everyday with millions of others we don‘t come in immediate contact with, no one lives in an isolation bubble. We all effect other people, with our thoughts, decisions, actions, life events, and so on. So to alter just one thing from the past would additionally modify everyone else’s as well.

Clearly no one can change the past and we must accept and live with our choices and the events from the past that have shaped us and all those around us. We all have a mistake or a pain from our past we would love to abolish. Just the mere thought of having an opportunity where we could throw caution to the wind, reject all risks associated with time travel and the unquestionable ripples, take a deep breath, and jump head first onto those time lines.

Then reality surfaces, and with just a flicker of wishful thinking we know in our heart or hearts that we must all keep moving forward; day by day. To do this we must forgive ourselves of past mistakes or actions, because you can’t go back. Accept the past so you can concentrate on your future, we can control the future. But lest you never forget, everything we do affects someone else is some way, however minor. Also go back and ask yourself again how happy you are in life right now...

We don’t need to press Control/ALT/Delete, more often than not, it is just a simple little fix.

Remembering High School

I logged on to that site that lets you reunite with your past school mates from high school and saw that I missed my 28th year reunion, wow bummer. No really, because I remember when I was being a bit…how do I say, rebellious in high school and I was called into my counselor’s office for a chat. He sat me down in a chair across from him and he had all these important papers in front of him and then the speech. “I don’t understand why you are failing in Home Economics?” he said, “from what your mother tells me you love to cook?” I just shrugged my shoulders and said, “Well maybe because they don’t let us cook Italian food.” He looked at me funny and said, “they bake in this class, are you saying you don’t like brownies and cookies and such?” I had to stop myself from laughing and simply said I was not into sweets, if I had answered honestly it would have been more like “Well you see, I have two free periods before my Home Economics class and I leave the grounds with my friends and we smoke a bit, and then we pig out big time on Dunkin Donuts and by the time I get to class I am waaaay to tired to even look at a brownie much less try and pour liquid into a tiny measuring cup and cook one. After a few more exchanges he finally said to me, “now young lady, you need to take high school more seriously, these are the best times of your life.” Whoaaaaa, wait a minute, did he just say this was the best time of my life, what the heck? I live with my parents, I can’t legally drink, my face has more craters than the moon because acne is my middle name, I don’t have a car, I have no money and I’ve never had sex!!! So if this was the best….well then heck, just shoot me now because it can only be down hill from here….

Needless to say my life worked out fine, and I have, much later in life, found the best times of my life with my husband who is the love of life, my 4 legged “children“, and my great friends.

Have a good Sunday everyone….

Happy wagging

A New day

The sun rose today to a glorious spectacle and so did I. You see, we cannot be assured that each day we will awake and be who we are to those that expect us to be, well, who we are to them. Many of my inner circle know that I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis over two years ago. This is not JUST any arthritis as many think when they hear that word. It is forever, The cause of RA is unknown. It is considered an autoimmune disease. The body's immune system normally fights off foreign substances, like viruses. But in an autoimmune disease, the immune system confuses healthy tissue for foreign substances. As a result, the body attacks itself. I have to endure many drugs a day including a chemo drug once a week in a high dose as well as IV once a month called a Biologic drug. These are designed to affect parts of the immune system that play a role in the disease process of rheumatoid arthritis. There is no cure, just medications to help you through the pain, well supposed to help anyhow.

Well, along with this, I seem to have also been losing my memory; is it related, my doctor said it is due to all the medication I am on each day, but my fear is my remembering my grandfather died from Alzheimer’s. So, do I worry about that or the incurable RA…how about neither from this day on. I accidentally took eight Zanax pills Friday night instead of my chemo pills. I knew as soon as I placed them in my mouth as I know the taste of Xanax and the chemo pills have no taste, eight plus my sleeping pill and my muscle relaxer. I told hubby to call poison control and I tired to throw up. My mind was spinning thinking of so many different things all at once.

As it turns out poison control said I would be okay but would sleep a little bit; I slept for 24 hours. But I learned something very important during this “crisis”. I learned that some people I thought I needed in my life I really didn’t. I realized if I had died I had no regrets except for the fact I could not spent more time with my husband who I love more than my own life, I realized I need to concentrate more on some things and less on others. I realized any day can be your last and to not ever take even one day for granted.

I don’t live an exciting life, but I do have a few people that love me and I them. I realized I spend more time with my four dogs than I do my husband, and yet I don’t think I would change a thing right now. God gave me this life almost 47 years ago, and I once (more than once) I asked him to take me home with him as I had had enough, but He didn’t, and I am so glad He kept me here. I may not solve a world crisis, I may create the cure for cancer or even RA, but I did learn Friday night that even if just one person loves you, I mean really loves you, than you are blessed. I have that one person, my husband, and a few more as well so I am very blessed. Never take your life for granted, never take the ones that you love for granted, and always always hug your dogs, they are after all a present from God, and God has blessed with over and over again. Have a great Sunday everyone, and may I soon talk to you again when the sun rises on our newest day. Happy Tail wagging.

Before I Was A Dog Mom

Before I was a Dog Mom:

I made and ate hot meals unmolested.
I had unstained, unfurred clothes.

I had quiet conversations on the phone,

even if the doorbell rang.

Before I was a Dog Mom:

I slept as late as I wanted

and never worried about how late I got to bed

or if I could get into my bed.

Before I was a Dog Mom:

I cleaned my house every day.

I never tripped over toys, stuffies, chewies

or invited the neighbor's dog over to play.

Before I was a Dog Mom:

I didn't worry if my plants, cleansers,

plastic bags, toilet paper, soap or deodorant

were poisonous or dangerous.

Before I was a Dog Mom:
I had never been peed on,
pooped on, drooled on,
chewed on or pinched by puppy teeth.

Before I was a Dog Mom:
I had complete control of my thoughts,
my body and mind.
I slept all night without sharing the covers or pillow.

Before I was a Dog Mom:
I never looked into big, soulful eyes and cried.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
when I couldn't stop a hurt.
I never knew something so furry and four-legged
could affect my heart so deeply.

Before I was a Dog Mom:
I had never held a sleeping puppy
just because I couldn't put it down.
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night
every 10 minutes to make sure all was well.
I didn't know how warm it feels inside
to feed a hungry puppy.
I didn't know that something so small
could make me feel so important.

Before I was a Dog Mom:
I had never known the warmth, the joy,
the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the
satisfaction of being...
A Dog Mom.

Happy Mother's Day to all the Dog Moms like me!!!

“My Life, Uncut and Unedited”

The storm has passed and today the four baby birds in our birdhouse are rejoicing as they wait for momma bird to bring them breakfast in bed. Below their home the fragrant flowers are all standing at attention waving up to the big blue sky in all their glorious colors. Today is a great day; I will make sure it is.

There are so many clichés out in the written world, “life is like a box of chocolate”, “when at first you don’t succeed…”, only the good die young”, “when the world gives you lemons…” and so on. I used to think that life was what was given to you, that it just happened. I was wrong, very wrong.

My life was at one time so horrific with black clouds filling my every scene, I cried through the entire production when others were not looking at me on stage. I was a drifter in my own mind wondering from place to place looking for the escape hatch. I found it one day, it was labeled courage.

I embraced my new found courage and walked out of the scenes that had me in harms way, the fights, the anger, the hate. I looked at myself and realized I was all I had and I was going to make it to the big stage one day, people would know me, respect me, and love me.

I left behind every bit of despair and wondered through the streets not yet knowing where my next gig would be, when I might eat again, even where I might sleep. It didn’t matter as it once did, I had courage now and it was all I needed to keep me walking straight ahead and not looking back.

I did make it one day, many years and many struggles later. It was to say the least, glorious! I found my soul mate, I found my talent, and I found that God never forgot who I was and where I was, I was the one that needed the reminder. I did not belong where I once came from, it was a mistake of epic proportions and although I cannot erase the events completely from my memories, I know they are there only to remind me of how far I have come. I overcame hell on earth to be where I am today and I know now life is not just “what happens” it is all about what you make of it, today, tomorrow, and the day after. I control my life. I not only play the staring role, I am the writer, the director, and the producer of this original screen place called, “My Life, Uncut and Unedited” and as of today, my four dogs will tell you, I am wagging my tail to a happy beat day after day.

If you are not happy, make a change and get happy for we only have precious little time here on earth, make it worth the trip.

Love

When I was a child I used to love to go to the mall with my best friend and just sit and people watch. Granted, I was not always nice in my thoughts and comments in regard to all the people I saw. The words I spoke were not meant to bring harm to the people, it was merely a way for me to take the ugliness I felt about myself and place it somewhere else, if even for just a couple hours.

I was not a loved child, I had an abusive parent, I was fat, I did not like who I was at all. But as I grew up I learned I was who God made me to be and I had better start liking me or my life would be lived in sadness. It was not an easy task, liking myself, my birth mother was constantly telling me what a loser I was, how ugly I was, and that I would amount to nothing at all in my pitiful existence.

I proved her wrong many times over and I still am today. What I have been thinking most about these last few days, is why is she still slandering my name to all she meets and talks to? Why does she get so much delight from being hateful and character assassination? How did I, a kind hearted and loving person ever come from the womb of a evil soul that only wishes to wreck havoc on her on blood for shear pleasure?

Well, to that question I will never have an answer, but I did answer a question about me and my life. I am who God made me to be. I have found my soul mate and married him, I love animals and they love me back 100%, I love to cook and experiment with food, I love hosting children from other countries and having them grow and mature with the guidance of my nurturing and kindness. I love to clean my home and make it a place to snuggle down and find tranquility and love no matter what room you enter. I seek other’s approval, and yet, I don’t need it to feel good about who and what I am.

I matured without a mother’s affection and support and yet I have become a woman whose heart is bigger than the moon, loves those that love me back, and know that I was born from wickedness. But by the grace of God, I have eradicated every last drop of blood within me that contained abhorrence. My life was never perfect, is still not perfect, but I know I am as close to perfect as I can be. I have learned if you cannot share love, create love, or teach love, you will never experience love, and without love, there is nothing but a hollow existence. Start today by loving who you are as a person for you cannot give love away to others if you don't first have love inside you to share.

Farewell again Katharina

As I watched her on the escalator travel up and then up further to a place I could no longer view her waving hand or her beautiful hazel eyes with a hint of moisture, I immediately broke down my tough girl face and cried as if I were forever lost and all alone although standing in a crowded and bustling airport. Saying good-bye to Katharina this morning matched what it must feel like to have a large part of your tender and beating heart ripped out in a flash of a second.

As I drove home in silence, with tears streaming down my freshly washed and make-up face, I realized it was not that she was gone again that hurt so much, it was that my heart was again so full of her smile, her love, her accent speaking to me in a way only she can, for the new memories that we have made, it is this that hurts so much when she leaves. It was just moments ago we were still creating new memories and then, the next she is gone. I suddenly feel we need more, NOW, not in a year or two, right NOW…I want you back by my side and forever hugging my soul as you hug my heart as only you can.

Upon entering my home after the trip back from the airport, I feel as my oldest dog Otis looks, the sad and droopy eyes, the sorrow upon his face, the looking behind me for Katharina who had followed behind me now since Monday. I lower myself to pat his head and to tell him that she is off again on a fantastic journey and smile as I say the words, for she is my journey around the globe as I feel and learn through the captured stills she sends to me, and the words that follow them. So yes, Otis and I will now rest together, both of us I am sure feeling sad, but oh so happy for the hugs and time we have had this week with someone we both love so dearly.

I can not end this blog without saying how extremely swollen with pride I am of her accomplishments over the last six years and the true reason she is back in the states. She is off to represent her country at the United Nations in NYC. My daughter is an example to all, that with determination, little money, and a little help along the way, a big dream can come true if you truly want it to. She is on her way to greatness and to “save the world”, and as funny as it may sound, I know she will.

Remember a daughter does not have had to come from your womb, she only has had to enter your heart. Until next time Katharina, all my love…

The Simple Life

God has altered my life in many ways in the last two years. I have had setbacks in my health and yet my heart is overflowing. My health is not as great as it once was, but it could be much much worse, so I am grateful everyday I wake up and can stand and use my hands. I am blessed with inner strength to compel me to keep seeking and giving kindness, searching for those in need of my help, to introduce myself to new and challenging opportunities, to constantly grow in my belief and for the many blessing of love in my life. I have reunited with family members and I have asked others to stay away. I have made new friends, reconnected with old ones, and yes maybe have lost a few as well. I am blessed with a husband that adores me and blessed with all the four-legged children God had adopt me.

My personality has changed as well, I am still very crazy, but mature when needed. I love to laugh and have fun, but know when to be solemn. I try my best to do a good deed everyday, and yet sometimes they bite me in the butt. I am a child of God just doing the best she can to stay focused on the blessings I have and not ask for things I do not need. God has sent to me another daughter, this time from Brazil. Ana Paula is beautiful, caring, smart and sweet as summer corn. A blessing that I did not ask for but God gave to me knowing I needed her and she needs us.

I used to be all about the amount of materials things and how many more could I own. Now, I wear a plastic paw print bracelet in place of the diamond one. I carry a purse that was made by a group that supports and feed homeless dogs in place of the Gucci. Brand names have been replaced with comfortable and affordable. All these material things are pretty, but so is a child’s smile, a puppy taking a nap, or walking barefoot in the sand.

What is in my heart is what is most important not what I wear on my body. I am a softer person now inside, unlike before when I was full of so much hate and anger. I look for the simple pleasures God gave to all of us for my appreciation and to heighten my spirit; a sprouting new flower, a breathtaking sunrise, the picturesque full moon, the dogs all playing and running, the spider spinning her web, the puffy white clouds obscuring the bright blue sky, the vigorous sound of thunder and the rhythm of the rain. A mother bird bring her open mouthed young provisions for breakfast, and the stars I look up to each night as I thank God for my life, the beauty He gave me, the love He gave me, and the know how for doing things to help myself and the attitude to get it done.

So today, as I celebrate the season of Lent, I again thank God for me, simple old me, for who I am, for what I have, and for the love in my heart that overflows each day.

Not Perfect

My life is not perfect, my life is not just starting, my life is not all about me. My life is a enchanting journey of delight that could not ever be, nor ever was, before my life had Lennie. My life is consumed not with me and what I am doing, but rather sharing it with the love of my life, my small family, my fur-children, and the special people I meet along the path. Never stop smiling, for if you do you will never have those unexpected little chance meetings with people that can change your life.

Glycemic Index Food List Widget

Glycemic Index Food List Widget

Dog Rules:

1. If I like it, it's mine.

2. If its in my mouth, it's mine.

3. If I can take it from you, it's mine.

4. If I had it a little while ago, it's mine.

5. If it's mine, it must never appear to be yours in any way.
6. If I'm chewing something up, all the pieces are mine.

7. If it looks like mine, it's mine.

8. If I saw it first, it's mine.

9. If you are playing with something & you put it down, it automatically beomes mine.

10. If its broken, it's yours.
 
Thank you,
The Dog

Merry Christmas

A very Merry Christmas to all the two and four legged friends out there across the globe that celebrate this glorious day. May your hearts be warm and filled with love, may you be safe and happy, and in no pain. May you share a special touch on this, the celebration of our Savior Jesus’ birth. Merry Christmas to you all, and to all a good night.

The Night Before Dogmas

‘Twas the night before Dogmus, and all through the pound, not a puppy was yelping or playing around. Our leashes were hung by our kennels with care, in hopes that St> Bernard would soon find us there.

Chihuahuas were curled up all snug in their beds, while visions of doggie treats danced in their heads. Max in his collar, dreaming of someone’s lap, had tucked in his tail for a midwinter’s nap.

When outside the room there arose such a clatter, my ears perked right up to hear what was the matter.

Away to the window I scampered with glee, and barked at the shadows that were cast by the tree.

The glow from the moon changed night into day, and started me thinking, “Woof, woof, time to play.”

When what with my puppy-dog eyes did I see, but a splendid dogsled, led my doggies like me!

With a regal furred driver, commanding, not stern; I yelped to the others, “That must be St. Bern!”

As rapid as greyhounds, our saviors they came, so we barked and we howled and called them by name.

“There’s Duchess! There’s King, Fat Chance, and Bare Buffy! On Fido, On Scooter! On Rover, and Scruffy! Go by the red hydrant and run past those trees! Nothing can stop you, not even some fleas!”

As puppies at play chase after a stick, and race to their masters so lovely and quick, So out in the field his canines all flew, catching the Frisbees the good St. Bernard threw.

And then in an instant I heard at the door the scratching and clawing of each little paw. As I pulled in my nose and was turning around, in through the door St. Bernard came with a bound!

He was dressed all in fur from his head to his tail, and his wooden cask was adorned with an icing of hail. A bag of chew toys he had brought in with him, and his mouth was turned up in what looked like a grin.

His eyes, how they twinkled! His ears flopped, how merry! His coat shown like crystal, his nose like a cherry! His big sloppy mouth was drawn up like a bow, and the fur on his chin was as white as the snow.

The stump of a bone he held tight in his teeth, and his collar encircled his neck like a wreath. He had a large face and furry round belly that shook when he barked, like a bowl full of jelly.

He was fluffy and plump, a big cuddly old pooch, and I laughed when I saw him and gave him a smooch! With wink of his eye and a wag of his tail, we knew right away we’d have homes without fail.

He gave not a howl, but went straight to his deed, and took down the leaches that soon we would need. He opened the door and families stood there, with children, all smiling, and much love to spare.

He leaped to his sled, to his team gave a call, and away they all flew as if chasing a ball. But I heard him exclaim, as he chewed on his bone:

“HAPPY DOGMUS TO ALL AND ALL TO A GOOD HOME!”

Rules for Non-Pet Owners Who Visit

TO NON-PET OWNERS who visit my home and complain about my pets.

1) They live here, you don't.

2) If you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. That's why they call it 'Fur'-niture. 3) Chances are, I love my pets more than I like you.

4) To you, my pets are just animals, but to me they are an adopted son/daughter who happen to be hairy, walks on all fours, and who doesn’t speak clearly.

5.) A home without pet hair is not a home at all.

The Cab Ride

I arrived at the address and honked the horn, after waiting a few minutes I walked to the door and knocked... 'Just a minute', answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor.

After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90's stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940's movie. By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets.

There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.

'Would you carry my bag out to the car?' she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, and then returned to assist the woman.

She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb. She kept thanking me for my kindness. 'It's nothing', I told her... 'I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother to be treated.'

'Oh, you're such a good boy, she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address and then asked, 'Could you drive through downtown?' 'It's not the shortest way,' I answered quickly...

'Oh, I don't mind,' she said. 'I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice.

I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. 'I don't have any family left,' she continued in a soft voice... 'The doctor says I don't have very long.' I quietly reached over and shut off the meter.

'What route would you like me to take?' I asked.

For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator. We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.

Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing. As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, 'I'm tired. Let's go now'.

We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico.

Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have been expecting her.

I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.

'How much do I owe you?' She asked, reaching into her purse.

'Nothing,' I said

'You have to make a living,' she answered.

'There are other passengers,' I responded.

Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly.

'You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,' she said.

'Thank you.'

I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light... Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life...

I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk. What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift?

What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?

On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in my life.

We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments.

But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.

PEOPLE MAY NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT YOU DID, OR WHAT YOU SAID ~BUT~
THEY WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER HOW YOU MADE THEM FEEL!

Talking dogs

Nibbles

Just a short update on the baby Abby. She has taken to biting to say hello…she is adorable with her howl and that she moves in for a nibble. Does not matter to her where the nibble is taken from, just along as she gets a few in. Soooo, needless to say this has to end. I have been nibbled on in a few places that hurt more than others if you know what I mean. I will keep you posted on how this goes.

The other characteristic I have noticed of late is she is nocturnal. I get woken up about three times during the night because she is throwing her knotted rope against the walls, or chewing on the throw rug in the bathroom, or just running around and up and down the stairs just for fun. Again, as amusing as this is, it does disrupt my much needed beauty rest.

But all in all, she has become a faithful companion to her “daddy” and she is a joy to have in the home. The three boys have all finally taken to her and have all become one happy family, now if this family could just get some well needed sleep and a few less nibbles on the nipples!

Wet smooches from the pooches!

For the love of a lost child..

I sometimes wonder why thing happen in life when they do. Life at times appears to be so random, and yet, when you look back after sometime has passed, it all seems to have happened in perfect order. When you stop to think about it, we as individuals really don’t make that many actual decisions in our life alone. They are based on life style, commitments, family values, emotions, and so many other outside and internal factors. One decision we make can effect us emotionally for all our days remaining on this earth, and then still remain in the minds and hearts of those left behind to still continue living on; one decision.

I have personally been involved in tragic family situations, more than I care to admit actually, but I somehow by the Grace of God overcame most of the hurt and pain; to somehow grasp that I was not guilty of anything and I had a RIGHT to a good life without the ghosts of my past haunting me forever. Oh, don’t be fooled, they jump from the closet or out from under the bed at times I least expect them to and cause havoc, but for the most part they are at an arms length away.

I am currently watching my loved one cope with the newest words spoken from a daughter he grieves for every day; she has not passed away, she has just been gone in her mind and taken herself from him heart for a decade now. He divorced her mom and they divorced themselves from their dad; and now, she tells her dad that she doesn’t like him because he left and got remarried, not how she refused to see her dad for weekends, or how they spent holiday's in a restaurant, or that she just "loved" the new boyfriend who became step-dad, who then became the ex of mom. How we remember the events of an emotional past is not always with clear renditions; the heart has a way of folding in “false” memories to make the entire event “sway” one way or the other…because as we remember things, we do not ever want to be the one that made the hurt begin, nor be the one that is at fault.

For this chapter, my husband will feel the pain for awhile, and then file this conversation away with the many others. The saddest part is he loves his daughters and always did what he thought was the best for them. They began a false love on their new step-dad less a couple months after the divorce and then when he was gone a year later, it appears that their faith in their mom somehow grew and their hatred for their dad began to strengthen. I truly believe that the parent with custody has the most responsibility to keep the children and the family connected and together in heart though no longer in household, when that parents alienates the other parent instead, then the beginning of the end has begun. It is sad that the one who caused the family breakdown is the one held in high regard and the one with all the love in his heart is left to grieve the loss.

This is a tragic story that is told thousands of times a day all over the world, I ask that anyone that is in a similar situation, about to get divorced with children, please keep the family alive and well as you dissolve the marriage, they are two separate entities and the family is so vital. What happens in these situations last a lifetime and then some, as it is handed down to the next generation…if I really stop to think about it, this may be why humankind is becoming less humane as we clock off the decades and then centuries on the calendar of life. If we lose faith and love in our own parent, whom has only been good and kind, where does that leave us with strangers.

Sorry off topic today and happy tail wagging.

The Lab Report

Today I am just providing some reporting on the Lab breed. Despite the name, the Labrador Retriever originated not in Labrador, but in Newfoundland; the same place one of my favorites, the Newfoundland originates. Many labs were exported to England by fisherman during the 1830's. Eventually, however, the breed died out in Newfoundland because of a tax on dog ownership plus British quarantine laws, which made exporting them less profitable. (Good! don't agree with making profits on dogs, there are to many in need of a forever home).

Hope everyone has a great tail wagging day!

Before I was a Dog Mom:

Before I was a Dog Mom:
I made and ate hot meals unmolested.
I had unstained, unfired clothes.
I had quiet conversations on the phone,
even if the doorbell rang.

Before I was a Dog Mom:
I slept as late as I wanted
And never worried about
How late I got to bed
or if I could get into my bed.

Before I was a Dog Mom:
I cleaned my house every day.
I never tripped over toys,
Stuffies, chewies
Or invited the neighbor's
Dog over to play.

Before I was a Dog Mom:
I didn't worry if my plants,
cleansers, plastic bags,
Toilet paper, soap or deodorant
Were poisonious or dangerous.

Before I was a Dog Mom:
I never had been peed on
Pooped on
Drooled on
Chewed on
Or pinched by puppy teeth.

Before I was a Dog Mom:
I had complete control of
My thoughts,
My body and mind.
I slept all night without
Sharing the covers
Or pillow.

Before I was a Dog Mom:
I never looked into big,
Soulful eyes and cried.
I never flet my heart break
Into a million pieces
When I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew something so
Furry and four-legged
Could affect my heart so deeply.

Before I was a Dog Mom:
I had never held a sleeping
Puppy just because I
Couldn't put it down.
I had never gotten up in the
Middle of the night
Every 10 minutes to make
Sure all was well.
I didn't know how warm it
Feels inside to feed
A hungry puppy.
I didn't know that something
So small could make
Me feel so important.

Before I was a Dog Mom:
I had never known the warmth,
The joy,
The love,
The heartache, The wonderment
Or the satisfaction of being
A Dog Mom.

Happy Mother's Day!
- Unknown