Monday, July 25, 2011

They ARE Family

We all Love our pets...right?  And most of us have experienced the loss of at least one pet. It never ceases to amaze me how much our pets can change our lives. When I got home today, my brother Dale was there to bury his long time pet Max. They had to put him down because of a tumor that was surrounding his bladder. Max was a Beagle, springer spaniel mix. What a terrific mix of breeds. He was so gentle and loving and obedient. Whenever you fed him he would ever so gently take it out of your fingers. (as opposed to my dog that will take the food and your fingers in one gulp). Max would go to his bed when he was told. He could even rest a piece of food on his nose until Dale told him to get it (I mean he would not move at all) I'm talking for like...3 minutes if Dale waited that long before telling him to "Get it". What more could you possibly want from a Pet?  Pets change us somehow. They make us a more loving and fun people. Pets should make us realize that being trusting, Loving, and obedient is really not just a dog trait...it also a Godly trait  too. If we can trust in God, obey God, and Love the way he loves...I mean....That's all he asks isn't it?     :)
 
In my household we cherish our pets as much as we cherish each other. And in case you didn't know....that's a whole lot of cherishing. We now have 2 dogs, 4 cats, and now 1 bird (Thanks to Taylor)...but we could not love any of them more than we already do. I have had to bury 2 of our Pets. My first dog Levi who lived 16 wonderful years and blessed us with a whole lot of barking and blessed 2 people with bites to their ankles. (Yorkie mixes are a little snippy sometimes) And also our first cat named Moses. He was a very LARGE cat....which was a little ironic to how he actually died. And when I tell you this... try not to laugh..OK? Here goes ...he was closed in the hide away bed in our basement sofa....I know...I know....your asking how in the heck did that happen? Right? Didn't the cat screech or anything? Truth is...no it didn't.We didn't hear anything and it was under a blanket that was spread out and we never saw him when we closed the bed up. We thought the cat ran away for like a week. That is.....until Kim and I were laying down on the sofa watching TV and I said....what the heck is that smell....yeah... I think you know what happens next...I unfold the couch and I saw him...and immediately I told Kim to leave...and at that point she knew too. So....although the way the cat died was nothing short of unique...and yes even a little funny...(allot of jokes have come from it since then)....but at the time it was  still very difficult to lose our pet especially knowing that we are the ones who killed it.

We cry and mourn whenever we lose pets(no matter how they pass) because they are (as we all say) "They are like family" and the reality of it is...They are Family!!  They live in the same household as us, they love us, argue with us, they eat with us, and they also sleep with us. the only difference from our family is ....we choose our pets...and that means we choose to love them too. That means taking care of them even when they cant take care of themselves. (just like we do with Family) So as we say goodbye to our longtime furry or feathered friends...we also say thank you for enriching our lives and teaching us what is really important to life....Love !!!!!




Wednesday, July 20, 2011

I Had a Dream

So lately , I have been having a hard time sleeping, and I cant understand why. I have been working alot longer than I really should....I have been watching TV later than normal....and I even finished one book and started another and I still have a hard time sleeping. And as annoying as not getting enough sleep is.....something very exciting happened to me the other night......I had a dream !!


When I say "I had a Dream"....imagine me saying it like MLK saying his "I have a Dream" speech....because it was just as historical !!
You see, I rarely ever dream...and I am not exgarratting when I say that...I just dont do it that often. If I do it subconsciencely...I never ever remember them...ever. When I do dream they are usually vivid dreams and I can usually remember them well. This dream is no exception. And this is why it is so special:

I have only had one dream of Timberly since she passed. Now...its two!!  As most dreams are...some of the details are a bit fuzzy..and it wasnt a long dream...just a good one. I remember dancing around in some sort of circle dance. ( Thats when I first knew it was a dream...cuz I do not Dance ...let alone it a circle in some sort of Hokey Pokey go round) But as I came around the circle one time...I saw Timber sitting in (of all things) a highchair (yeah like the kid kind) She was smaller than her normal size and she looked to be about 11 or 12 years old (body wise)  But her face seemed normal except for the fact that she had food around her mouth(it looked like dried baby food...lol) But it was still cute as hell. And when I saw her...I reached out my arms and she reached out her arms  and I remember saying...Have I told you how much I Love you? And I gave her the Biggest hug I have ever gave anyone. (I think at that moment...I thought I was in heaven) But just then...some man with black hair (I didnt see his face) grabbed Timbers shoulder and I remember the scared look on her face. At that moment...I asked her...Has that man ever touched you? (meaning unappropriately) And then I woke up. I soooo did not want to....but with good dreams you never want to wake up. :(  I did not understand the whole thing with the guy...but all I could think about was the beautiful Hug that I gave my baby girl. It was so surreal that I couldnt believe that it happened...I could have held on to her forever. I have thought about the day when I will see her again and be able to hug her and tell her how much I missed and Love her. And to be able to hug her even in a dream...it was seriously a dream come true!!

The next day....it was all I could think about. I HUGGED TIMBER !! And I still hang on to that memory today....its a memory that I hope I hang on to till the day I die. Which might not be for long if I dont start getting some darn sleep :)

Saturday, July 2, 2011

Birds and Babies

So I had this Bird who was laying on a nest at the end of my driveway earlier this year. I went out to get the mail one day  and saw this Killdeer (Not sure of the spelling) and she ran from her nest and started to dance frantically in the middle of the road and I was in awe of what this bird would do in order to keep my attention on her instead of the eggs that she was laying on. She would spin in circles and spread one of her wings out as far as it would span and she would squeal as loud as she could. It was really quite a show. But being the inquisitive man that I am...I wanted to see the eggs. And to no surprise, the mother really didn't want me within the city limits to her eggs. She came darting at me with that sharp beak and then run away when I would move toward her (maybe it was away from her....I do have a tendency to exaggerate my manhood). However...after many many times of checking up on the nest and getting the mail and taking the garbage out...she learned that I was not going harm her or her eggs. She actually let me get pretty close (5 -6 feet) before she would run and do her broken wing dance.


Day after day she would sit on her eggs. Only leaving to get a bite to eat and then returning. Day and night, rain or shine she would sit there keeping her eggs at just the right temperature. I remember looking out the window one day when it was just pouring down rain and I was amazed that she was still there.



It reminded me of what mothers go through for nine months. I have always had this cringe that comes over me when I think of a mother giving birth. I know its a natural blessing that God gave the women to endure. However....to me....its just doesn't seem possible that such a BIG thing should come out of such a small opening. I am so thankful that Kim was such a trooper in the delivery room when both our daughter were born. And I am even more happy I didn't look until the head popped out and my brain only allowed my eyes to focused on the head and not the opening. I remember thinking...OMG shes got a hugh head when Taylor popped out. But at that moment.... my eyes welled up with tears. I was filled with joy and could not have been more prouder at that moment. When  we decided to have another child...I was all for it... for two reasons...one...I wanted a son (did it REALLY matter?...NO) but I did want a boy...and I was so convinced that Kim was going to have a boy...I had boy names picked out and was all set on that aspect.In fact I didn't even think about picking out a girls name. And the second reason, was that I was tired of using protection. (Rubbers suck) And the pull out method always ended in a small disappointment. :( So when it came time for the baby to come out...doctor pulls Timberly out and says...Its a Girl !!!  At that moment I cried....I wasn't sure if I was crying because its such a emotional moment or because of the words the doctor said. I think it was a little of both....but both children being born were the two most memorable moments of my life. And the fact that their mother nurtured and cared for these babies for nine months each time so that they are healthy and ready for birth....simply puts me in awe of any mother. Just like the bird who sat on her eggs for 49 days straight...the mother is willing to do anything so that their children can be born.  So to all you Mothers out there...I bow to your unselfish, heroic ability to birth children. Even though I cringe at the very thought of all that Pain ....
OUCH (what can I say....I'm a man)