The Leash Craze

Whenever I leave one of my pet therapy sites, I always have a few residents who ask if they can hold my leash and walk me to my car.

Whoever thought a leash could be so popular.

But, my mom tells me they are not really interested in the leash itself, but rather what is on the end of the leash (me!).

It is so interesting how a little piece of rope can bring about such a connection.

As soon as someone grabs onto my leash I can see a change in the way they hold their head and heart. Something seems to open up inside and a calming energy flows back and forth from the person to me.

My leash has become so popular that I am making all sorts of friends. Even statues of tigers!

Hopefully someday we’ll get to meet and you can have a turn too at holding my leash!

In My Dreams

When I went to visit Sister Edith Alice on one of my regular pet therapy visits, she wasn’t there.

I was confused and began to sniff around hurriedly searching for her scent.

Where could she be?

One of the staff members came over and told me that Sister Edith Alice had passed last week.

My heart sunk to the floor and tears uncontrollably burst from my eyes. The kind of tears that leave little burn tracks around your eyes because the pain hurts so much.

I wanted to stop crying but my heart just wouldn’t agree.

One of the residents came over to console me. After some hugs and rubs on my back, we started to share our favorite memories of Sister Edith Alice.

The spirit of Sister Edith Alice will forever live in my heart and although I won’t see her on my routine pet therapy rounds, I promise to continue to visit her in my dreams.

Keep on Paddling

Some might say life is a journey.

This weekend my journey began in a kayak.

As I prepared for my trip I tried to think of all the things I might need: an energy drink, a life preserver, a paddle, sunscreen and my GPS watch.

That morning the sea appeared so peaceful and tranquil.

About half way into my journey, out of nowhere, the water started to get rough and my kayak was spinning out of control.

Waves crashed all around me without warning.

As I gripped my paddle with my paws and calculated the quickest route home with my GPS watch, I closed my eyes and hoped someone would save me.

Although I was vigorously paddling, the current kept pulling me farther and farther from my destination.

I was ready to give up, but I realized that if I stopped and didn’t fight back I’d never return home.

I took a swig of my energy drink and determinedly fixed my eyes in the direction of home.

Even though I couldn’t see anything in the thick fog, I had faith that if I kept paddling eventually I would get there.

Little by little my home came into focus.

As I approached the inlet in front of my house, the storm seemed to subside and a beautiful rainbow appeared.

Again, the sea was tranquil and I was thankful to be home.

A Salute

My family and I recently took a short vacation to Gettysburg.

One can’t help but learn a little history along the way.

As many of you know the main attraction in Gettysburg is the battlefields.

The vast grassy green fields extend for miles and are covered with monuments and tributes to all who valiantly lost their lives in battle.

On one of the battlefield tours our guide asked us to imagine what it would have been like to be a soldier at that time.

First thing that came to my mind was, scary!

Thinking about it further, it made me more deeply appreciate the selflessness that those soldiers exhibited.

To sacrifice their lives for the sake of our country is something we will never be able to repay them.

The closest we can come to a form of repayment is by being thankful and respectful of each other and honoring the spirit of our country.

So here is a salute from me to all of our troops both near and far. Thank you for making us proud!

The Puzzle

Many of you know my heart was broken a few days ago.

Not to fret though, my heart is on the mend.

A broken heart is sort of like a jigsaw puzzle. Some puzzles only have a few pieces while others have many.

I have a feeling this is one of the puzzles with a lot of pieces. Little by little, though, the pieces are coming together and a beautiful picture is surfacing.

The picture is full of the love from my family and friends – how lucky I am to have you all.