Golden Retrievers and their GOLDEN MOMENTS.

From Detroit, St Louis, Chicago to Seabrook Island we have experienced those called

"Golden Moments."

                                   A righteous man regards the life of his animal.
                                                            Proverbs 12:10

There is a pounce that shakes the bed; a wet kiss is freely offered; and I am aroused into reality that my lovable eighty-five pound Golden Retriever Moses has issued my wake-up call. He is my happy-go-lucky guy whose fun-loving personality is contagious, as people always want to stop and give him pat or a scratch behind the ear as he leans into their affectionate touch.  This is the personality of a Golden Retriever that I have loved through the years while raising four of them.  As puppies, they are irresistible fluffy rag mops always ready for cuddling and eventually growing into obedient and mellow adult dogs that are faithful to his or her master to the end. Wait a minute, did I say obedient and mellow?  Hold on a minute, what about those moments when their happy–go-lucky persona over rides their thought process? Or when their sassy attitude will torment you to point of just wanting to scream?  These are occasions that I affectionately call “those golden moments.”

     Our present Golden Moses has provided a few moments of his own.  He is a lover boy but frustration can abound when this “Big Guy” acts as if he is a defiant frat boy.  He loves to roll in anything from the sandy beach covering his whole body with sand to the unspeakable animal poops and is proud to wear the scent.  As a puppy his big game was rolling in mud holes in the yard to the point of being incognito. Asserting his happy-go-lucky personality, one day he decided to prove his manly physique by moving the woodpile one by one across the yard. Only problem he forgot to restack the wood. Of course, he continues to provide “golden moments,” as he tries to live up to his frat boy rank.

     I cannot fail to mention the moment of complete frustration when 15 minutes before a Christmas party our Golden decides to run around the yard like a bat out of Hades dashing through the decorated bushes and comes out wearing the Christmas lights. There I stood in my silk party dress and high-heeled shoes trying to decide whether to cry or laugh, I chose the latter.

    Finally, there are poignant  “golden moments” that touch deep into the soul. Such a moment happened with our dog Sunshine. She was my daughter’s so called dog and we got her when Laura was ten years old. At that time Laura asked, “How long will Sunny Live?” I promised she would see her graduate from college and Sunshine did. Laura had a love/hate relationship with her. Sunshine loved to torment her by stealing her clothes and running rings around her or jumping on her as Laura screamed, “Mommy get her off, I don’t like this dog!”  As they both grew older, Sunshine mellowed becoming a constant comfort and loyal buddy to Laura particularly through Laura’s kidney cancer and recovery. Sunny spent her time attentively by my daughter’s side as if this dog knew it was her personal mission to see Laura through this awful period. Sunshine often placed her head on Laura’s lap giving her a smile that only a Golden can offer saying “ Please get well and will you forgive me for all the times I tormented you?” --- a peace offering that quickly makes those “Golden Moments” melt away.

TOTT

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for our opportunity to care and to oversee  the beasts and animals of the earth. Our pets bring great joy into our hearts and it is our hope we can care for these wonderful companions  to the best of our ability.

Amen.

Commitment Today:

If you don't have a dog or cat, donate time, money or energy to a animal shelter.

Little did they know the power and the spunk that this simple bucket-style red hat has just given this elderly woman---it is her symbol.

The Red Hat

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you were ever you go.

Joshua 1: 9

NKJV

Her knees are so feeble and her hips not squarely fitting her body causing her gait to be slow and even laborious. She knows the challenge it will be to walk down the wooden steps for a beach walk. The undertaking of this walk will cause every muscle and bone in her body to ache as she completes the mission at hand. It is a task that will take much fortitude but she wants so much to stroll the beach one more time. So they flop her “red hat” upon her head for protection from the sun; carefully she places her body into the convertible; and the crew speeds towards the beach.  Little did they know the power and the spunk that this simple bucket-style red hat has just given this elderly woman---it is her symbol.

God is with us where ever we go. He knows your needs and will work in you and through you. He sees our weaknesses and gives reassurance to us to get through the challenge.  He feels our fears and offers to empower us. The God of All will give us strength to climb any mountain, ford any stream or even the task of ambling down the stairs of the boardwalk. There may be obstacles to keep us from clearly seeing the pathway but the Almighty expects us to be strong and of good courage.

The beach walk is accomplished and the old lady returns to the cottage with a smile on her face and the satisfaction that she has walked the beach, stairs and all. She knows where her strength always come from---The Almighty! The woman places her red hat on the hat rack, never again to wear it but leaving it behind as a symbol of determination, true grit, and courage --- This is how my mother has lived her whole life. TOTT

Dear Heavenly Father,

I want to thank you for my mother. Please bless my mother filling her with your Divine Grace.  I pray for all the mothers in my life asking you to guide and bless them. I praise You for my motherhood.  It is a blessing to be a mother. Amen

Commitment for Today: Mothers are such a blessing, pray for your mother and tell her how much you love her on this special Mother’s Day

I am back with a dog Adventure---Ears Just a Floppin"

                                                       Ross Parry HRPets Best.

Ears Just a Floppin’

Hebrew 11: 1

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

NIV Bible

His ears were flopping in the gentle wind as the old red pickup truck sped by me. Don’t know if he had been on an adventure or going to one, but it made me laugh to see that big red bloodhound positioned perfectly in the bed of the truck sniffing the marsh air like he was the “Top Dog of the Marsh.” His snout pointed upwards baying at the sky---here I am. He definitely did not have a care in the world just faith that wherever his master was going, he was going too.

We too are on a journey that is directed by our faith.  Faith sometimes is the hardest concept to grasp on to. Where does it come from? How do I see it? How can I have faith going through the misery of life?  As in the scripture suggests with our faith comes hope and the certainty that God will provide our pathway. As Christians we are taught to have faith, as it becomes our passageway to our eternal life. Faith may be blind to the unbeliever, but to the believer it is knowing that Our Master will bring us a peace of mind as we travel the broken road of life.

Just as that ol’ bloodhound had complete trust in his master to get him to his next destination so must we have faith that Our Master will deliver us to our eternal home. Let us grow our faith in God and remember the ultimate sacrifice Jesus gave for us.  And as for that dog in the red pickup truck, I hope his ears are still a floppin’ in the gentle wind. TOTT

O Forgiving and Loving Father,

  We all want to be believers that Faith alone will achieve our finally destination of eternal life.  Our prayer today is one for hope and peace as we continue to try erasing our doubts about our faith. Continue to guide and direct our lives.

Amen

Commitment for today: Read the Bible to expand your faith and belief in God and Jesus.

On Palm Sunday the children sang praises as well as the adults as Jesus rode into town on the donkey colt.

The Toddler Prays

     Proverb 22:6 (RSV)

Train up a child in the way she should go, and when she is old she will not depart from it.

       Matthew 19:14 (RSV)

Jesus said “Let the children come to me and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”

My three-year-old grand daughter, Ainsley loves to pray before eating. Her parents have taught her our family dinner prayer---“God is great…thank him for our food.” As we gather around the table and hold hands, she immediately nods her head and says, “pay pease”, in the way only a toddler can tug at you heart, and we pray. But she has the idea that we must pray throughout the meal. So during the meal she announces, “Pay pease” and we comply. How can the adults deny this child’s act of praying as she is learning about her prayer life?

In Gospel of Matthew, Jesus instructs to allow the children to come to Him and in no way hinder them from following Christ and His ways. We as parents and grandparents have a responsibility to our children to see that they seek Jesus even at a young age. Just like my grand daughter’s fascination with praying we must “train up a child in the way she should go.”  How else will they learn how to live a Christian life? Or develop a life filled with praying? I believe Ainsley feels the tugging and power of the Holy Spirit growing within her.

Yes, I am sure at the Easter table this spring, the dinner will be interrupted many times as Miss Ainsley reaches out her precious hands and says “Pay Pease.”  It is my hope and prayer that throughout her life, she will turn to pray not only in blessing the food, but also in time of need, for understanding, and to praise God. 

And may she continue throughout her life to pray over and over. TOTT

Prayer:

Praise God, Oh my soul, for He hath brought me to see another day --- Heavenly Father, help me to live as thy child and to walk in thy ways. Teach me to speak the truth, to shun what is evil and to do what is good. In all my thoughts, words and deeds. May I bear in mind that thou God, sees me.

   Bless my dear parents and all people, pardon my sins and hear my prayer, for Jesus Christ’s sake.

Amen

Written by Mrs. N.R. Blay, 1909 (It is said she prayed this prayer over and over)

Commitment for the day: Remember to pray and give thanks for your blessings.

TOTT Today: God gives us strength to pull ourselves out of the...

TOTT Today: God gives us strength to pull ourselves out of the...:                                                                                                                 The Pluff Mud      ...

God gives us strength to pull ourselves out of the “pluff mud" in life. Dedicated to my sister and family as they pull themselves out of the devastation of their house fire.

                                          

                                                                    The Pluff Mud

                                   

                                                                         

        Psalm 40:1-2

RSV

I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the desolate pit. Out of the miry bog and set my feet upon a rock, making my step secure.

Yep, there she went walking lickety-split right through the pluff mud. She had been warned by the locals not to do it, BUT oh no, she didn’t heed the warning.  At first she was only ankle deep in the silky muck but as she wiggled and tried to release her feet she just sank deeper to her knees. She cried out  “Please someone help me! I am sinking into the earth.”  Some suggested to leave her to teach her a lesson; others knew that the high tide was coming in and that offered new problems only leaving her to sink, sink sink…

Our Lord is there at all times to help us when we get stuck in so called in the “pluff mud of life.” He hears our cries in the middle of the night when no one else is there.  He understands our prayers when crisis abounds, He gives us strength to pull ourselves out of the “miry bog of life.” Our weakness is God’s Opportunity to demonstrate to us His Strength, Power and Redemption. He is our rock where we can firmly place our lives on solid ground. The Creator does not promise to always prevent crisis but the promise is He will always be there for guidance through our vulnerability and exposed wounds.

The muck releases her from its grip. Slowly she gathers her strength and leaves the oozy sediment just in the nick of time before the high tide roars in. Her boots---Well, the pluff mud will forever own

them.

Dear Lord,

Please be patient with me as I get stuck in the crises of life. I ask you to guide me and protect me from my vulnerability and expose wounds. Bless me on this day.

Amen

* Pluff mud is gooey mud found in marshy areas of the Lowcountry. It contains lots of organic matter and produces its own distinctive aroma. If you step in it up to your knees and pull out your foot, chances are the resulting sound will be similar to “pluff.”

Commitment for Today: Please pray for my sister and family as they try to rebuild their lives after the devastation of losing their home to a fire. Pray for someone who seems to be stuck in the “pluff mud of life" including yourself.          

The scriptures explain that no man (or woman) knows when the day of our death will happen.

The Man and the Ocean

No man has power to retain the spirit, or authority over the day of death…

Ecclesiastes 8:7

RSV

This is the reason we don’t give up.

Our human body is wearing out. But our spirits are getting stronger every day.

2 Corinthians 4:16

NLV

The ocean winds called to him every summer. So he packed his beautiful wife and his precious little girls into the ol’ Chevy and off they went to the beach. Oh, but it wasn’t just a vacation it was an adventure filled with historical site visits, practical jokes, games, sand castles, laughter and of course ice cream cones.  Life lessons were learned in the most inconspicuous ways.  The highlights of each day was the early morning beach walks to say “Hello” to the sun and ending the day with a trek to the top of Jockey Ridge Sand Dunes to bid the world a “Goodnight.” It was a serendipitous time filled with wonder and happiness for all.  Grievously the laughter fell silent; the practical jokes subsided; and the vacations ended as the man fell into terminal sleep at very early age. But the yearning for the ocean was deeply imbedded in the heart and soul of the living.

Ecclesiastes and 2 Corinthians speak to the power of death. The scriptures explain that no man (or woman) knows when the day of our death will happen.  Our human power cannot and will not reign over The Almighty’s Power. Even when a person is too young for death, the power of illness and sickness may weaken the worn out body but in Christ we are promise an everlasting life.  Within us, the Spirit will provide solace and understanding as we mourn.  The living will embrace the lessons taught and the love given--- those beliefs will live on.

And so it is with my father who passed away forty-five years ago on this date. The legend of this hard workingman lives on in his town, county, but most importantly among his family. A man whose God-given talents were embodied in his character and was an unpretentious leader practicing much wisdom, integrity and Faith in his everyday living. And oh my, how he loved the ocean and it saddens me that he will never know that I returned to the ocean to live my finals days. Then again, when I look up at the stars and one seems to blink, it just might be he sees my life at the beach and that is just fine with him. TOTT

 Dear Heavenly Father,

On this day I want to thank and  praise You for my father. Even though he was with me such a short time in my life, he taught great life lessons that have inspired me to follow You. Bless my family as we remember a wonderful father, husband and friend.

Commitment for Today: Remember to tell your father that you love him.