Tag Archives: dog

Paradox ?

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I must admit from the start that this is an unusual post for me. True, I have submitted several posts about Carson over the past two years, but today is different. Obviously, I am (Cheryl is, too) crazy about this canine. At the same time he is a great source of occasional irritation…love him anyway.

The Paradox for which I titled this post may not be so much a paradox, but a simple reality.

We adopted Carson after he was a breeder dog in a puppy mill in Nebraska. There are these wonderful people who keep distressed dogs until they find a new owner. And, there are organizations which give folks like us the opportunity to see such dogs who need a home. In our case it is called Little White Rescue (we were interviewed before acceptance to bringing Carson home). So it should be.

We were told he was about three or so years old, but time has shown us that he was more likely six years old. Today, Carson is close to ten years…not a big deal for most dogs. However, he is 95% deaf, is developing cataracts so he cannot see that well, and has a terrible hacking cough as a result of an attack by a pit bull several years earlier. His trachea is collapsing so he has to take steroids more often than we like.

Now, for what I entitled as a paradox may simply be a matter of the circle of life, so-to-speak. Our two grandchildren are spending the night with us! Elliot is almost three and half years and Audrie seventeen months young. How fun, is right! I might add, exhausting, too. They are pure joy.

So, I walked today with an aging pupdog (as I call him) who may not be around much longer, and will engage with two very special children for the next twenty-four hours or so. The wonderful thing is that Carson has accepted the kiddos while they have learned to like and interact with a mammal of a different species. They really seem to like him. To watch their encounters together is priceless.

Well, there it is…my paradox of sorts (but not really). I simply love them all and want them to remain with us forever. We have had other animals we wish the same for, as well.

I am comforted by the words I read in my Bible which go like this, ” The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them.” Isaiah 11:6.

So, I am encouraged that there shall be a reunion in Heaven with man and his beloved animals. This is not meant to be a theology lesson, but a point of hope for future blessings to abound. Thank you for reading and contemplating that which may be.

Contentment

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Contentment: “A state of happiness or satisfaction”.  As one dictionary defines the word.

 

Please spend a few minutes studying this photograph of Carson, our Westie (West Highland Terrier).

 

What word would you use to describe him at this moment? Actually, it is usually for many moments per day, and they occur quite often!

 

Now, consider if you feel this way occasionally, often, always or never.

 

Is there a change in your life which needs to take place to equal this state of tranquility?

 

I need to study Carson more often. Actually, I would like to be him. Ha!

 

Color

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In physics, white and black are not colors because they have no specific wavelength. In art, white is the absence of color while black is the presence of all color. Yet, in science (other than physics) white is color and black is not. Henceforth, color is defined in various ways, depending on perspective and criteria.

Carson is white with black eyes and nose. And, when he digs in the mud he looks something like an Oreo cookie. In this photo, the grass is green, the flower barrow a rusty brown, the trees shades of brown-gray and green, and the sky blue and white due to clouds.

Would it make any difference if Carson were black and the grass white? What if his eyes and nose were blue and the sky yellow? Imagine the trees being shades of red and orange, and the sky purple. Actually, the later actually occurs at different times of the year and in various regions of the world. It is a beautiful thing.

Does it really matter what color objects are, whether they be animals, nature or people? No. Then why do we get so bent out of shape when colors and people are concerned? Should we? No. Is this post too simplistic as we are faced with issues of color which are millennia old? No. No. No. What is too simplistic is all the complex rhetoric and reasoning behind the issue with color. People say it is complicated, but at the very core of this issue, the problem with color is not complex. It is just ugly. Too many people’s hearts are tainted with prejudice and hate. Simple, but tragic.

Into the Light

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20140329_140215Carson is recovering well from his CCL surgery. It is a slow process, especially since he is feeling his old self and wants to run and jump and rough house…all of which he can’t. I think it is harder on us than him. We have to hold him back and repress that which comes natural to a terrier. When I am with Carson, I talk to him like he can understand me. I say things like, “It’s for your own good buddy”. “It won’t be that much longer before you can do all the things you used to do”. “I know it’s tough, but just a little while longer and the wait will be worth it”. “You can’t damage that knee again or you may not recover next time, and that would be tragic, so we have got to be strong and show restraint”. All the while I am fighting letting go of the leash so he can sprint off or play tug of war. It is hopeless-I am a sucker for the little guy. So is Cheryl. We carry him around like he is a bag of groceries! We know his routines almost as well as he does which endears him to us more than ever. I never thought I would say this, but I think I may miss the 5 am walks in the cold darkness of every morning. What? Am I crazy?! Photograph taken with my Samsung Galaxy 3 cell phone. Post is dedicated to David Patterson…hang in there.