Today is my beloved dog Tanner's birthday. It's a nice time to reflect on how special he is, and how grateful I am to have him as an important part of my life. It's also a good excuse to "brag" about him and share some favorite pictures: This is when we first met. I can hardly believe it has been three years already! Tanner won my heart right away He can be quite silly! Tanner loves to play... But he does his job when I need him - a very talented dog indeed! He closes the door Tanner turns on and off lights And we have even had the opportunity to teach children about service dogs. Tanner is excellent at many th...
Sometimes we need someone to be truly present with us. It is indeed a gift to have people in our life who are caring and attentive. This morning I was feeling a bit under the weather so I stayed in bed longer than usual. Despite the fact that Tanner’s needs had been met because a kind friend came over early to let him outside and feed him, my very sociable service dog didn’t seem to like the idea that I was resting and not interacting with him. Tanner repeatedly nudged me and tapped me with his paw. He seemed discontent until I got up and could focus more on him. It was not sufficient that we were in the same room because I was not alert. This incident caused me to consider that occupying the same space is inadequate for someone to feel connected. In addition, as I thought about what it means to be genuinely present, I realized that present is another one of those words with more than one meaning. (I mention the obvious because in previous posts I had discussed homonyms.) Accordi...
Proverbs 7:14 (New American Standard Bible) "I was due to offer peace offerings; Today I have paid my vows. When we postpone doing what we should be doing, we can create difficulties for ourselves. Putting things off can indeed cause problems. If we do not pay bills on time usually additional fees are charged. When library books are overdue we must pay fines. Delay in maintaining equipment may result in breakdown and expensive repair costs. Neglecting to schedule that medical checkup might worsen health concerns. My present personal problem caused by procrastination is pounds. The tendency to repeatedly say that I will get back on a healthy eating program on Monday, or the beginning of the month, or after this holiday, or that special event has delayed my determination to eat properly, and prevented me from shedding excess weight. By not doing what I should now, I have made things more difficult and sadly may have even missed some opportunities. There are the mundane things ...
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