Feed Your Good Dog

Positive Thoughts | Positive Actions | Positive Results

TGIFYGDF…Thank Goodness It’s Feed Your Good Dog Friday!

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In Memory of Frances Elizabeth Hurley (1924 – 2009)

Frances is remembered, in part, for her many “sayings” one of which is “Give them the flowers now.” This saying is from a poem entitled Give Them The Flowers Now written by Leigh Mitchell Hodges (1876 – 1954). The poem illustrates how Frances viewed life should be lived, and that is to appreciate and share the goodness of life every moment, every day.

Following is an excerpt from the poem:

Just a kind word or a greeting,
Just a warm grasp or a smile –
These are the flowers that will lighten
The burdens for many a mile.
After the journey is over
What is the use of them; how
Can they carry them who must be carried?
Oh, give them the flowers now!

Blooms from the happy heart’s garden
Plucked in the spirit of love,
Blooms that are earthly reflections
Of flowers that blossom above –
Words cannot tell what a measure
Of blessing such gifts will allow
To dwell in the lives of many,
So give them the flowers now!

You may read the entire poem at Ask Avalonne

And, remember…Feed Your Good Dog, so your good dog always wins!
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Wednesday Wide Smile

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OTHERS ARE WORKING HARD TO MAKE IT FUN FOR US TO IMPROVE OURSELVES AND IMPROVE THE WORLD!

We believe that the easiest way to change people’s behaviour for the better is by making it fun to do. We call it The fun theory. ~ Rolighetsteorin YouTube October 07, 2009

And, remember…Feed Your Good Dog, so your good dog always wins!
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TGIFYGDF…Thank Goodness It’s Feed Your Good Dog Friday!

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EVERYONE LOVES BAXTER, a 19-1/2 year old therapy dog who is no longer able to walk.  Watch this video from YouTube and find out why…and how he goes about bringing love and comfort to patients and their families at the San Diego Hospice even though he can not walk.

 

BAXTER is a 19-1/2 year old certified therapy dog who brings comfort and love to hospice patients and their families even though he himself can no longer walk.  He rides in a little red wagon pulled by his owner, Melissa Joseph. 

 

Melissa and Baxter volunteer at the San Diego Hospice, in San Diego, California.  He was spotted by hospice trainers as a special dog while with his owners, who were training to become hospice volunteers.  Baxter became a certified therapy dog at the trainers urging.  During the last six years, Baxter has helped hundreds of patients ease out of their lives with dignity and peace. His uncanny intuition and almost human responsiveness demonstrates the unique and inextricable bond between human and dog. 

 

Melissa has written a book called Moments with Baxter.  It is a collection of touching, true stories about the poignant connection between Baxter, and the hospice patients and their families to whom he brings comfort and love.

 

You can read Baxter’s story on the About Us page on the Moments with Baxter website and find out about:

 

Therapy Dogs on the Therapy Dogs page on the MWB website

 

Geriatric Dogs on the Geriatric Dogs page also on the MWB website.

 

And, you can read more about Hospice at Hospice Foundation of America

You can help support charitable causes that support hospice and therapy dog training by buying a copy of Moments With Baxter. Please see the Products Page on the MWB website.

 

And, remember…Feed Your Good Dog, so your good dog always wins!
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Wednesday Wide Smile

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OCTOBER IS BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH, AND THIS WEDNESDAY WIDE SMILE IS DEDICATED TO ANY WOMAN WHOSE LIFE HAS BEEN TOUCHED IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER BY BREAST CANCER.

Perseverance, Determination, Triumph and Hope are represented in the women of a watercolor entitled “Waiting for the Train”, created by artist Carla Cook Smith. A picture of Carla’s work is shown below and is accompanied by her narrative of what it represents. Together, they are powerful and inspriing and exemplify women’s inherent strength. So powerful and inspiring in fact that when you get to the end of the story you will want a print of this painting hanging somewhere prominently so as to be reminded regularly of the power of the human spirit.

CARLA’S NARRATIVE BEGINS HERE…My friend, Pam is represented as the only blonde in the painting. Pam purchased the first print of “Waiting for the Train” and commented to me that women with cancer are like women waiting for the train. Pam does not have breast cancer. She shares the umbrella and waits for the train with her best friend, Linda. A former marine, Linda holds firmly to her identity as exemplified by the purse she holds close to her. Recently, Linda was in the grocery store when she noticed a young woman staring at her. “May I help you?” she asked. The young woman answered by

Carla Cook Smith Watercolor - Waiting for the Train
Waiting For The Train
created by Carla Cook Smith
© 2006

moving her cart away and traveling down another aisle. A little while later, Linda found herself again in the vicinity of the young woman who continued to stare. “May I help you?” Linda asked more firmly. “I was just thinking how young you are to be so sick,” the woman commented. Seizing the moment, Linda pulled off her scarf in the middle of the store, revealing her newly bald head. (Semper Fi!) “I have lost my hair due to chemo treatments. This is part of what I have to do to get well.” Pam and Linda represent PERSEVERANCE.

The mother of a dear friend, Nancy (personified in red for the vibrant woman she is) is a recent widow. Just six short months after burying the love of her life, Nancy learned she had breast cancer. Chemo took away her hair but not her spirit. Her grace and poise remained in tact as she refused a wig and discovered a love for hats. Nancy is a talented painter and it saddened me to learn that she could not paint because the chemo made her hands shake. The unstoppable “Miss Nancy” wasted no time worrying about what she couldn’t do. Rather, she embraced sculpture and discovered a new talent within herself. Nancy represents DETERMINATION.

I first became acquainted with breast cancer when it interrupted the life of my neighbor and friend, Pat. A busy realtor and the mother of a severely handicapped child, Pat listened to the doctor pronounce her with cancer. “Okay. What is the next step?” she asked. To which the doctor said, “I don’t believe you understand, you have Stage 4 Inflammatory Breast Cancer.” Pat made it clear that she understood and she started asking more questions. The prognosis was grim (as evidenced by the baggage surrounding her), but she never wavered. She had a child who needed her. Death was not an option. She just got on the train. Chemo stop. Radiation stop. T-cells replaced stop. Mastectomy stop. This June marks the 10th year of Pat’s survival. Against all odds, she lives and her daughter thrives. Pat represents TRIUMPH over adversity.

The woman in blue is someone I don’t know. It’s someone’s mother, sister, neighbor, friend. The news is so fresh that she holds her baggage close to her as she waits for the train. Fortunately, for her when she boards the train, she will find a supportive network of caring people. Women are not merely surviving cancer. Women are living and thriving beyond disease and adversity. The woman in blue represents HOPE.

“Waiting for the Train” exemplifies choices beyond the harsh reality of illness.

You can own a print of “Waiting for the Train” and support breast cancer awareness as a portion of the proceeds is donated to a breast cancer awareness charity. Each print is beautifully matted and is $75. You may order directly by sending an email request to the artisit, Carla Cook Smith

And, remember…Feed Your Good Dog, so your good dog always wins!
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