A CHILL in APRIL

Even though allergy-induced stuffiness has planted itself firmly in my sinuses I am managing to get out and about, walking dogs and running errands. Admittedly I slept away half of yesterday but it was the day all the demons moved in and took over!

Well, today I returned SECRETS OF EDEN to the library and was reminded I'd not blogged in a bit.
True.

Fact is, early this a.m., while traipsing along on a jaunt, I thought, hmmm, put the blog on hold. Then this encouragement is delivered firsthand. So, on I go. Good or bad.

But where are my topics? I've strayed from animals/pets and shall try to re-incorporate them in stories.

Actually, the shelter, where I spent so much time in the last 4 years that I don't dare try to total the hours, will soon be out of my life entirely. At least, directly out of my life. The emails and FB postings will still flow. I have 2 or 3 more weeks of Paws 2 Read with the 4th graders and then will not be at the shelter. It's my decision.

Funny how one can become so entrenched in chaos and still remain optimistic. Then all it takes is a moment of awakening and understanding. Things will not change. Over the past 6 months I have divorced myself from all activities there, giving plenty of notice that I won't be doing a particular aspect of the work. It's a shame and it hurt a great deal at first.

But, there comes a time, and in my case it came quickly, of realizing departing was the right thing to do. When it was obvious to me then I accepted it. And, I'm glad I did for the turmoil now resides atop the chaos which is burying the frustration and underneath it all is a lot of SH_T.

We all know that a person can offer help to another soul but unless there is receptivity the offer hits a closed door. For an awful lot of long time volunteers this has happened, repeatedly.

It can be said the animals suffer. I do not find that to be factual. The animals suffer before they get to the shelter. There they are taken care of and know nothing of the political drama and ineptness. There's "day to day" staff handling them. And, fresh, new enthusiastic volunteers who should choose to remain ignorant of the trappings.

You're right, this isn't a cheerful tune. And, I'm dancing around pointing out issues - no blog could hold them and what good would it do?

The observation and lesson, in hindsight are simple: Don't get involved beyond what you can do and leave behind at the end of your work time. The people who stay as volunteers are clueless. They go. They do something. They leave. They think nothing of improvement or change. Had many of us taken that approach we'd still be on hand.

Helen Reddy Got It Right

There are a few blogs I read regularly. At least one disturbs me and one other inspires me. I like being inspired. Isn't it nice? There's a Goethe quote about knowing someone somewhere who makes of this world a garden. That's how this person is. I've never met her. She plants flowers in my garden that otherwise would never grow because we are in different growing regions! But whenever I read her entries I want to write.
I have a friend in MN who brings out the same connectivity even though we haven't seen each other in years. Really. Years. There is another in MO who does so many quirky things I look like a toad sitting still. There are the workers and volunteers at the animal shelter - devotion and sacrifice are their trademarks. And, a cousin in CA who is surrounded by her offspring and their offspring and loves it. These are females. I'm a male-centric female who was surrounded by males in a male-dominated industry so these women are really special. They broke through and reached me.
I moan about and mourn lost friends, gone for a variety of reasons.
Tonight I realize how tied I am to these new and old relationships and how grateful I am for them, how surprised I am by them, what a fool I have been for underestimating them, and how I love them.
I hope everyone is blooming!javascript:void(0)
Thank you. It is time to ROAR!

School Has Started

Our team of volunteers went back to school today to begin the SIT STAY READ program. Each of us takes a dog or puppy from the shelter. Once there we spend an hour having 4th graders read to us. We change readers every 12 minutes.

And, we love it.

The students get to interact with a critter. They work on reading skills; the dogs never critter-cize them! The dogs get some socialization.

Our school has many students who have unfortunate home settings. This is one chance for them to have two breathing souls focus only on them.

I mean in a positive way.

One of my readers today is in a foster home because her biological mother beat the crap out of her. She came to school this year and told her teacher, "This year I'm going to be normal."

Let's hope so.

Angels Among Us

My mom is in a nursing home.
What a way to reach the end. I have said that.
We visited today. Mornings are best.
We were wheeling her from therapy to her room, for a visit, when we passed a small gathering room with 3 residents and 3 visitors in it. One person had a guitar and was singing. We chose to go there instead.
It was nothing less than a miraculous experience. The guitar player had an easy-listening folksy voice. She knew the 3 residents well. Clearly they were a long and well-established group. One of the other "outsiders" was with her and one with a resident.
We were welcomed without question.
We stayed an hour and hated to leave.
Jan, the musician, showed us not only that she has the makings of an angel in her voice, but also in her life.
One man, whose age is undetermined, had brain damage, probably from birth. He spoke well enough that she understood him. They joked a lot.
Another man, between 35-40, is now paralyzed from the chin down, doing all movements of his chair with his chin. She acknowledged his intellectual level honorably.
The third, Bubba, was also of an unknown age. He's probably younger than we'd think and we'd probably think that is unfortunate. He weighs 50 lbs. perhaps and is curled up - no speech, no communication capability that we observed. That is until we experience the jam session.
Jan told him long stories within a song she knew he'd recall, strumming her guitar all the time. Everyone else learned from her interaction with him as she reminded him of his friends, other song fests, visits in the room that is now for therapy.
We sang, "In The Garden" twice because my mom didn't remember the first time. We heard "Be Still" - I cried. We played kids' instruments to "Old MacDonald Had a Band", and so much more.
We came away realizing that God continues to amaze us. He took us into this room to be with people we pitied previously and He showed us how whole they are in His eyes by letting us see how whole they are in Jan's eyes.
There are angels among us.
Being in this home has been a blessing, whether my mom knows it or not. They are good to her. And, we believe God takes you home when your work is done. Her presence there may be nothing more than to open our eyes and hearts more. This may be her final gift. This may be how she is an angel among the other residents.
She may be leading us to really see all the others.
It was a humbling and memorable day.
Next time we go we an say "Hey Kenny", "Hi Gary" and "Howdy Bubba" with fresh eyes. People we thought were not whole truly are. People we felt sorry for really don't want us to feel that way.
There are angels. They are among us. Look for yourself. See.