DAILY GRATITUDE

#1. PETS
#2. MY FRIENDS: STEPHEN, COLLEEN, PEGGY, MONA, MICKEY ( ANY ONE ELSE I DIDN'T MENTION, YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE)
#3. MY PARENTS
#4. MY HOME
#5. RECOVERY
#6. ALL FAMILY
#7. DREAMS/GOALS
#8. BLOGGING
#9 MY MANY TALENTS
#10. OPEN MIND, FREE SPIRIT
I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN AN ANIMAL LOVER AND ADVOCATE, WHICH IS BY NO MEANS A BAD THING, AND I ATTRIBUTE THIS TO MY LOVING PARENTS. IN FACT, THE OPPOSITE OF BEING A BAD THING, I BELIEVE, IS TRUE. DON'T GET ME WRONG. I DO LOVE PEOPLE; HOWEVER, I PREFER DOGS AND CATS MUCH MORE. AT FIRST THIS REALIZATION WAS A LITTLE TROUBLESOME FOR ME." WHY? " YOU MAY ASK. WELL, IT LED ME TO DO A GREAT DEAL OF SOUL -SEARCHING, AND THIS IS WHAT I HAVE COME UP WITH. YES, I DO LOVE THEM A LOT, AND ONE MIGHT THINK OF IT AS OBSESSIVE. HOWEVER, I AM NOT ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO PUT MY CATS' PICTURES ALL OVER, AND HATS WITH SCARVES ON MY DOG, ALL THE WHILE TELLING YOU TO PLEASE GET OUT OF HER CHAIR. IN MY SOUL-SEARCHING I CAME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT GOD, MY CREATOR ( YOURS MAY BE SOMETHING ELSE), THOUGHT IT AN INSIGHTFUL THING TO PUT CREATURES ON THIS EARTH, WITH HUMAN PARTS. HE THOUGHT THAT PERHAPS THEY WOULD BE A USEFUL TOOL IN TEACHING HIS HUMAN BEINGS A THING OR TWO. SO, HE DESIGNED THESE CREATURES VERY SPECIAL IN ALL SIZES, SHAPES, AND EVEN UNIQUE PERSONALITIES TO SEND TO EARTH. HE GAVE THEM HEARTS THAT COULD MOVE MOUNTAINS, AND ALSO SHOW HIS NOT- ALWAYS -WISE HUMANS JUST WHAT THE TRUE MEANING OF REAL UNCONDITIONAL LOVE WAS ALL ABOUT. HE GAVE THEM WISDOM TO TRUST THOSE INSTINCTS THAT, ONCE AGAIN, HUMANS SEEM TO FORGET, AS WE DON'T ALWAYS PAY ATTENTION. THE ONE THING THAT HE HELD BACK FROM THEM WAS A VOICE, AS WE KNOW IT. THE EYES ARE THE WINDOW OF THE SOUL, HOWEVER, SO IF YOU LOOK YOU WILL HEAR THEIR VOICE. WHEN I HAVE A QUESTION, I JUST ASK MY DOG AND LOOK DEEP INTO HER TRUSTING EYES, WITH AN OPEN MIND, AND I SOMEHOW KNOW HER ANSWER. I BELIEVE THE VOICE ISSUE WAS WITHHELD FOR THE SIMPLE REASON THAT OUR PETS COULD NOT TELL US OUTRIGHT THE SECRETS TO THE UNIVERSE, AND THE ELUSIVE AND MUCH- SOUGHT MEANING OF LIFE. I AM ALSO OF THE TRUE BELIEF THAT US HUMANS WOULD BE A BETTER RACE IF WE PAID ATTENTION AND LEARNED FROM OUR ANIMAL COUNTERPARTS. JUST THINK ABOUT ALL THE THINGS THAT THEY COULD TEACH US, THE JOY OF LOVING, JUST FOR LOVING, MAYBE A SIMPLE PAT ON THE HEAD. THEY TEACH US RESPONSIBILITY: YOU MUST FEED,WALK, TRAIN, AND CLEAN UP AFTER A DOG. ALTHOUGH THESE ARE ALL JUST THE NECESSARY THINGS, THERE IS STILL THE LOVE, AFFECTION, FAITH, RESPECT THAT YOU WILL GET ON A CONTINUED BASIS FROM ALL OF THE ABOVE. SO, I'VE COME TO A VERY SIMPLE SOLUTION FOR THE WORLDS ISSUES, MAYBE NOT EVERYTHING, BUT A START. HOW ABOUT A MANDATORY ORDER THAT ALL CHILDREN SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO HAVE A PET, AT LEAST FOR A LIMITED TIME. I REALIZE THAT TIMES BEING WHAT THEY ARE, IT SEEMS THAT THIS MIGHT BE AN ADDED FINANCIAL BURDEN. I ASK YOU, HOWEVER, WHAT PRICE IS SELF- ESTEEM? LEARNING RESPONSIBILITY? A CONTINUED COMPANION? WHAT BETTER WAY TO EXPLAIN THE CYCLE OF LIFE? WE ALL LIVE, AND WE ALL DIE. CHILDREN COULD LEARN A LOT ABOUT BEING CONTENT WITH SIMPLE THINGS, LIKE A PIECE OF STRING AND A SHINY OBJECT. GIVE THOSE TO A TEN -YEAR- OLD TODAY AND MOST LIKELY THEY WOULD NOT EVEN HAVE A CLUE. ANIMALS HAVE A KEEN SENSE OF TRUST, THEY ACCEPT ONE ANOTHER FOR JUST WHAT THEY ARE. WHY CAN'T WE DO THAT? WE JUDGE BY RACE, AGE, RELIGION, SIZE, ETC. WITH DOGS AND CATS IT'S JUST THEM, MAYBE THE COLLAR THEY ARE WEARING, NO FANCY JEWELRY, CARS OR EXPENSIVE HOMES. PLEASE DON'T GET ME WRONG. I LOVE MODERN TECHNOLOGY. WE HAVE JUST GOTTEN THE LINES CROSSED SOMEWHERE. MY 25 -YEAR- OLD CAT LOVES ALL CATS. OH, BELIEVE THAT SHE LETS THEM KNOW WHO THE BOSS IS, BUT THEY DON'T LOOK AT HER COLLAR AND STICK THEIR NOSES UP. MY LITTLE LOVEBUG "BRANDILYNN" DOG NOT ONLY INSPIRES ME, BUT IN HER WAY SHE ALSO TELLS ME DAILY HOW MUCH SHE LOVES ME AND THAT I AM A GREAT PERSON, BEAUTIFUL IN HER EYES. SHE FORGIVES ALL MY PAST SHORTCOMINGS AND ACCEPTS ME FOR THE WOMAN I AM TODAY. THE UNIQUE PERSONALITIES IN MY HOME ARE A GENUINE JOY TO LIVE WITH, EVEN WHEN SOMEONE IS IN A BAD MOOD. I TAKE IT IN STRIDE FOR I KNOW THAT IT IS NOT PERSONAL, AND VERY SOON THEY WILL GET OVER IT. WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD WE COULD HAVE IF WE JUST USED HALF OF THE EXAMPLES OF OUR FINE FURRY ONES. ALMOST ALL OF MY PETS HAVE SOMEHOW COME TO ME THROUGH DIVINE INTERVENTION, AND MOST ARE JUST HERE ON A TEMP BASIS. HOWEVER, THEY EACH HAVE ENRICHED MY LIFE SO, AND ALSO HAVE A TRULY UNIQUE STORY. THIS IS MY SMALL WAY OF GIVING BACK TO THE UNIVERSE, AND EVEN THOUGH I AM ON A VERY LIMITED INCOME, I ALWAYS SEEM TO FIND A
WAY. BESIDES, I AM THE ONE THAT IS GETTING ALL THE LOVE. LOOK FOR THEIR UNIQUE STORIES IN FUTURE BLOGS....