Tag Archives: Pets

Your Pet Might be Speaking the Love that No Human Can

1 Apr

Walking by Faith, Not by Sight

Janet Perez Eckles

Reblogged 4/1/23

The Bible is sprinkled with animals used for unique purpose: a serpent tempted, a donkey warned, bulls and goats were sacrificed, a dove became a messenger, a colt served as transportation, lions compared to the devil, an eagle symbolized power and strength, and sheep were compared to man.

Here’s a modern-day sweet story of a horse that showed human-like compassion.

My friend Patty writes:

Daddy entered my room, smiled, and lifted a shining saddle in the air. “Do you like it?”

He knew a gift for my four-legged friend, Scout, delighted my 10-year-old heart.

I giggled as he bounced the empty saddle on the bed, mimicking a bucking horse.

“Scout will love this,” I said to myself as I carried the treasure the next day.

I entered the barn and found Scout in the back stall, hiding in a shadowed corner. As soon as I drew close, I quickened my steps. The soft dirt pressed under my feet. And the smell of wet hay filled the barn.

But eagerness filled my heart. “Hey boy,” I said, “look what I have for you!” I swung the saddle up and positioned it on his back. I took a step back and observed his reaction. His wiry legs seemed stronger. He held his head higher and turned from side to side with pride. The colors of the saddle accented his shiny, dark brown hide.

No longer a scrawny, skinny, and scared horse; he was now a strong, radiant warrior ready to defend and conquer in any battle.

And soon, Scout became my warrior, defender, and my confidant. Together we rode over and over across familiar paths. He grew to know me better than I knew myself.

And as we bonded, the passing years faded some of the radiance of that new saddle, but our relationship continued to smooth and deepen just like its beautiful leather. Even at seventeen, I shared my fears and joy only with Scout. No one else listened as he did.

He proved that one afternoon.

Scout grazed peacefully, sun rays stroked his hide and a soft breeze lifted his mane, What a profound contrast to my world. It shook violently in a whirlwind of emotions. The ophthalmologist announced, “There is no cure for this retinal disease.”

I sank in the chair, hoping he would offer some words of hope, but he followed his diagnosis with more dark news instead. “I’m afraid it will eventually take her sight. It’s only a matter of time.” He spoke to Daddy while I listened in horror.

We rode home in silence. Daddy offered his loving comments, but this time none of them drew a smile from me.

Instead, each passing day brought painful evidence of my diminishing peripheral vision. The retinal condition dimmed the light around me and darkened my world

As my eyesight diminished, so did my desire to enjoy the activities I had loved before.

“Do you need any help picking out your clothes?” Daddy asked in a soft voice one day.

“No, I can do it myself!” I shouted back, unfairly venting my frustration at him. After he quietly walked out, I threw my clothes down, flung myself on the bed, and sobbed. I could no longer distinguish colors or shapes. Coordinating my clothes, a task I used to perform with ease, was now impossible.

“Anytime you need to go anywhere, just let us know,” friends offered. “You know we’re here for you.”

In spite of their support, no one knew the turmoil that shook inside.

But in the midst of that storm, I shared my fear, anguish, and frustration with Scout. When I cried into his neck, he nickered softly and nuzzled my shoulder with his velvet nose.

I sensed his tenderness when I offered up my deepest pain and desperate longing as my life sank into a dark tunnel. I’ll be here for you. I’ll be your eyes, he seemed to say.

Scout was protective of his sightless rider as he galloped more cautiously.

Unable to direct his path, I couldn’t guide him around dangerous obstacles. But I trusted him. And he proved more than capable, not only at carrying me around physical dangers, but also at easing me through my sadness.

His protective nature emerged against anyone or anything that threatened to harm me. No one else seemed to know how to take away the sting of living a sightless life.

With each ride he gave me joy, helping me forget my heart’s burdens for a while.

When my friends made plans to see a movie, they added, “You can go too if you want.”

“No, that’s okay, I’ll just go home,” I spoke.

Holding back hot tears, I made my way across the grass, following the sounds coming from the barn. With careful steps, I found the stall where my loyal friend waited and hugged his muscular neck, feeling the warmth of his body.

Scout stood still, listening to my sobbing whispers. He understood more than just my words. With a long sigh, I stroked his face with palms wet from my tears. He seemed to cry with me, You’re not alone, I’m hurting too.

Day after day, he listened like no one else. Until the time I left for college. The trunk of the car was packed with my belongings. And my heart was filled with a blend of excitement but also a bit of fear about the unknown.

I turned toward daddy at the driver’s seat. “Can we go by the fence so I can say good-bye to Scout?”

Daddy parked the car alongside the fence. Moments later, Scout put his head through the car window beside me. As I hugged his neck, I felt his tears on my cheek. My own tears mingled with his just like they had done so many times before. We never needed words to express our quiet love.

Similar to the beautiful saddle I had once placed on his scrawny back, he placed a shining glow of compassion and love on my broken world. Our hearts were forever braided together in a rope of unconditional love. He became my eyes, allowing me to see what sighted people could not. Even when I was unable to express my darkest feelings, he read my heart, sensed my pain, and now, he seemed to cry my tears.

A note from Janet

God’s comfort comes in many ways, through His Word, through friends and often He uses His creation to speak to our aching heart, our lonely moments and soothes our sadness with quiet comfort. You can learn more about the healing power of pets in our lives here. https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2018/02/power-pets

Let’s Pray

Father, thank You for Your love so intense that You would use all forms to dry our tears.

Will you be open to what God might use to turn your sadness into a smile?

Janet

It’s my joy to have you as part of my inspirational family. Please feel free to share today’s post with others.

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You and I are only a click away. Hop on over to this CONTACT FORM.  Once there you can leave your prayer request, make a comment, ask a question, or invite me to speak to your group.

I also invite you to visit my WEBSITE. You’ll find more inspirational blogs along with my story, books, and videos. You’ll also learn the passion and mission of JC Empowerment ministries.

Janet Eckles Perez

Some say she should be the last person to be dancing. Her life is summarized in this 3-minute video: http://bit.ly/1a8wGJR

Janet Perez Eckles’ story of triumph is marked by her work as an international speaker, #1 best-selling author, radio host, personal success coach and master interpreter. Although blind since 31, her passion is to help you see the best of life.

www.janetperezeckles.com

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Animals at the Train Station Depot

30 Jul

My Take

DiVoran Bowers Lites

 

 

Brownie look alike from Pixabay

 

Animals have been important to our family for as far back as I know.  When we first moved to Westcliffe (the town’s spelling has an e on it, but the school’s does not.) Dad learned by the grapevine that one of the ranchers had some part Border collie pups. He may have offered one to Dad, I don’t know about that.

“Get your money and let’s go, Dad told us.” He believed in paying for what he got and he drove us out to the ranch to pick out a pup. In the barn,we held some soft, wiggly puppies trying to get closer to us. I don’t know how we decided which one to take, but whichever one it was, we ended up calling him Brownie. We’d brought all our earnings from working in the restaurant and around the house. We had killed flies with a swatter to keep the café clean, washed dishes, cleaned off tables, and taken out crates of empty pop bottles to send back to the bottling factory next time the delivery truck came up from Canon City.  We had thirty-five cents. Dad was satisfied and so was the rancher.

 

Clover (Pixabay)

 

A few years later Dad bought each of us a calf so we could get started in the cattle business. My calf’s name was Clover and she was a sweet and pretty little thing. David named his calf, Red,because as a Hereford, that was his color. One morning when I went out to the shed to feed Clover, she was sprawled in the straw not moving or breathing. It was the saddest day of my young life so far. If I ever needed to call up tears for any reason, all I had to do was to remember Clover. Red, however, grew up thinking he was human.

 

Goose (Pixabay)

 

Another time Dad bought a white goose we knew was for Thanksgiving. I suppose Dad meant to take it, all nicely dressed, or undressed, so to speak, so Grandmother could cook it for us. The goose was majestic and tame. We loved her and decided we couldn’t let her become a cooked goose. We opened the shed door and let her out. When Dad noticed that she was gone, he made us go out to look for her. Thinking goose-swan what’s the difference, we ambled down to Grape Creek where the willow bushes grew. We ducked and pushed our way through them until we came to a small woven hut. Inside we saw a pallet, an empty whiskey bottle, and the picture of a lady from another time…but no goose. Dad was cross, but apparently,our misdeed didn’t warrant a spanking.

 

Trail Horses, Pixabay

 

Dad was a restaurateur, a builder, a flyer, and a budding cattleman. He also kept trail horses for the tourists he took up into the mountains to fish in the lakes. We kids also had a horse we kept in the feedlot. I think Dad got him cheap. His name was Yankee and Dad said judging by his teeth he was elderly. Part Shetland pony, he was also small, no match for the quarter horses most people kept. At first, Yankee and I had a hard time getting used to each other. I’d get on and he immediately trotted to the feedlot where he stopped on a dime and looked up to see me sail over his head. Dad only allowed that to happen a couple of times before he taught me to let Yankee know who was boss.

 

Tiger Kitty, Pixabay

 

Mouse (Pixabay)

We had a tiger kitty to keep the mice down, and he mostly lived outside because that was where the mice mostly stayed. Dad seemed like a tough guy, but he hated mice. In a small mining town in Nevada, he worked in Safeway as a meat cutter. For some reason,mice in the back room loved climbing up inside the worker’s pants. Dad shuddered even at the thought of mice. On the other hand, Mother thought they were adorable as long as they stayed out of the restaurant pantry. She told me that when I was a baby, we were delighted to sit and watch a nest full of baby mice romp and play with their mama invisible, but nearby. I like mice, too, but I’ve never been thoroughly tested by them.

Sometimes on the inside, I still feel like the little girl I was decades ago. My peers say they feel that way, too. For a lot of us, good memories like these are silver and gold and unfortunately for our poor families, we tell them a lot.

 

 

 

 

Author, Poet and Artist

DiVoran has been writing for most of her life. Her first attempt at a story was when she was seven years old and her mother got a new typewriter. DiVoran got to use it and when her dad saw her writing he asked what she was writing about. DiVoran answered that she was writing the story of her life. Her dad’s only comment was, “Well, it’s going to be a very short story.” After most of a lifetime of writing and helping other writers, DiVoran finally launched her own dream which was to write a novel of her own. She now has her Florida Springs trilogy and her novel, a Christian Western Romance, Go West available on Amazon. When speaking about her road to publication, she gives thanks to the Lord for all the people who helped her grow and learn.  She says, “I could never have done it by myself, but when I got going everything fell beautifully into place, and I was glad I had started on my dream.”

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There’s a Squirrel in the House!

30 Aug

Judy is on a blogging break and I’m enjoying going through Judy’s older post and choosing favorites to share. I hope you enjoy this one. I did-Onisha

Sunday Memories

Judy Willis

JUDY

I love to watch squirrels.  They are such fun to see – digging in the grass for buried treasures; chasing each other around the tree; sitting on their haunches, tail up and curled, eating some delightful morsel….

For some time, I had been feeding pecans to the squirrels in the back yard.  I would stand in the doorway and place the pecan closer and closer to my foot, just to see how close they would come to me.

Why is the dog, Maxie, running through the house?  Is she chasing something?  Then why isn’t she barking?  As I looked down over the bannister….who/what belonged to that gray tail?  Then I understood, and….FRED!  THERE’S A SQUIRREL IN THE HOUSE!!

As Fred ran to get a broom, I ran down the stairs and grabbed Maxie.  I took her to the front door and opened it and the screen door.  I crouched down, holding her wiggling body by her collar, next to me.  Fred ran into the living room.  Then I heard him scream a word that I had never heard him say before!

Next thing I know, the squirrel is racing for the open door.  And I just let go of Maxie and let her chase that squirrel to her heart’s content!  She didn’t catch it, of course, but not for lack of trying.

Seems the squirrel had jumped up on top of one of the picture frames over the couch.  As Fred swung the broom at it – it jumped at his face!  Hence the “word.”  But he was after that squirrel as fast as possible.

From then on, any time Maxie saw a squirrel outside the house, she went crazy, trying to get to it.  She never barked, but boy! did she race back and forth in front of the windows.

I shall never feed a pecan to a squirrel again!

John 10:10

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She Didn’t Deserve to Die

10 Apr

From the Heart

Louise Gibson

Louise Gibson

Charlene had a sweet disposition.

She was the first to greet me when I opened the door.

One of five of my outdoor cats,

I have to confess, I adore.

 

They were born during ” Hurricane Charley”

“Charley’s Angels” to me.

Bonded in love from the start,

They were a very close family.

 

When I looked out of my kitchen window last Friday,

my heart was disturbed to no end.

Charlene was crying out in pain,

seeking help from a friend.

 

I went out to comfort her,

unaware of the nature of it all.

My son helped take her to the Animal Clinic

where I leraned, to my appall,

 

She had been poisoned,

By who, or what is a mystery-

but my heart has been saddened

by such a catastrophe..

 

She is buried in my back yard,

under the shade of a tree-

always to be remembered

for the joy she gave to me.

 

P.S.  It would be hard to forget that she died on Good Friday.

,

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Angels Unaware

1 Jan

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

I'm a winner

When my beloved dog, Max died,  I decided to not adopt another dog. One reason was that it just hurt too much to lose him.

Max

When we moved to North Carolina I was delighted to discover our new home came complete with a porch dog. At first we didn’t know his name so the grandchildren named him Oreo, so named due to his black and white markings. We later learned his name is Gus. We call him our porch dog because he comes to sit with us on our porch, he is always polite never begging for food or jumping( he does occasionally try to be a lap dog). He just wants to share his love with us. On days my husband works in his wood working shop, Gus is there to guard the door and keep him company and is always ready for a walk to the mailbox. In return we share juicy tidbits of meat scraps. His owners don’t mind.

One day last week Gus did the sweetest thing. It was a very chilly morning and Mike was in the garage, changing the oil in our car  Even though he laid some blankets on the concrete he was still  freezing. As he lay there, shivering, Gus found Mike and crawled under the car. He laid down next to him, then sensing how cold Mike was, he snuggled closer, molding his body to Mike, sharing his warmth with him.

The Bible speaks of entertaining angels unaware, I wonder if Gus might be ours.

Gus JPEG copy

 

Hebrews 13:2  Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

Wishing each of our readers a year full of blessings in  2015. In the words of Corrie Ten Boom, one of the most inspiring women I know of, the best is yet to come.

CORRIE The best is yet to come

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Behold How Good and Pleasant

9 Jun

My Take

DiVoran Lites

On my way home from my walk I met one of the neighbors, Chuck, who had helped another neighbor remove the tree that fell on our house during Hurricane Charlie. Chuck was walking very slowly

Author, Poet and Artistallowing his ancient dog to saunter and sniff all he wanted. We spoke as we passed. When I got to the curve in the trail where I leave it, I stopped to make a note of something. There I heard a forlorn meowing from the bushes. It had to be a lost domestic cat. It was. Chuck’s cat big male tiger kitty.

“Your cat is here.” I yelled. He started back and I went back on the trail to meet him. He wasn’t going anywhere and I was on my way home so we turned around and sauntered back toward the neighborhood. The cat came out and twined around Chuck’s ankles.

“He follows us out here, but he doesn’t like to go too far.” Chuck said. We started slowly making our way back into the neighborhood. I told him I’d been walking past his house since his kids were small. The first time I ever saw them they had run out of the house with no clothes on—just little kids being free and happy. Chuck now had all the time in the world to talk to me. His major kid rearing days were about over. They’re off to college next year. He and his wife have been excellent parents. I’ve heard swimming parties from behind their privacy fence, I’ve seen the family coming home from camping, and watched as boy scouts gathered for projects.

When we got to Chuck’s house right off the trail. I said goodbye and Chuck took his dog over to greet a weenie dog they knew and his master.

I felt so blessed to walk with him, pet the cat, greet the dog, and hear about the kids. How wonderful to have watched a family rear good, happy kids who will become ordinary fine Americans and hopefully rear theirs kids the same. How great that this young man, who probably is quite busy during the week, had all the time in the world for an old dog, an old lady, and a cat who clearly adores him.

Behold how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in one neighborhood where people get along and kids can grow up in safety and in love. Paraphrase of Psalm 133.1

 

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Asparagus and the Cat

21 Apr

My Take

DiVoran Lites

 

Author, Poet and ArtistI just got home from the grocery store. Even though Bill’s not here, I just had to buy some asparagus. Have you seen the email that says asparagus cures cancer? The smell you get jn the bathroom after eating it is actually its detoxification properties. Bill knows a man who was at death’s door and had all kinds of chemotherapies who was healed by it. I haven’t believed it before, but now for some unfathomable reason I do. I got the email again this week and printed it out for a friend.

Miracle foods abound. Some, like coconut oil, we may not have thought about. But now it too, is the talk of the town. Our internist who was a locally famous doctor told us to start using coconut oil, but I didn’t know how to use it. I bought a book by a woman who used it to slow her husband’s Alzheimer’s. She was a doc and she documented the whole thing. She could tell by his memory when she had given it to him and when she hadn’t. But she fed him large amounts I didn’t think I could handle. Lately I’ve been scrambling an egg in about a teaspoon of it every morning, which is, I understand, is not nearly enough coconut oil.

So anyhow, on his trip, Bill likes to go to Marie Callender’s for breakfast. He’s been telling me over the phone about their Eggs Benedict and how much he loves to order the dish for breakfast. They have soft buns that don’t get soggy, tomatoes, avocados, eggs, and of course hollandaise sauce. I’ve heard about hollandaise sauce for years, but I’ve never known what was in it.

Well, here are some synchronicities. Today I got an email about over a hundred things coconut oil can do for you and what you can do with it. It’s good for skin and for healing on the inside. The site has delicious sounding recipes, like chocolate coconut clusters that are actually good for you. So here’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to make for my cat, Jasmine, some soup. I’ll call it allergy soup because she suffers from terrible skin problems. The soup will have asparagus, coconut oil, and beef broth. I’ll use canned asparagus for her, which is perfectly acceptable. I’ll put in her arnica Montana (that’s a homeopathic for pain) and her skin irritation homeopathic, and her animal probiotic. I think she’ll love it and it will have a healing effect on her. For me, it’s hollandaise on asparagus and dark cocoa coconut clusters. You can find those and a whole lot of other good things on www.wellnessmama.com. I get my homeopathics from www.1800homeopathic. That’s good stuff!

Thrive

“Dear Friend-I hope all is well with you and that you are as healthy in body as you are strong in spirit.” 3 John 1-2 (New Living Translation)

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The Cat Who Predicted Seizures

27 Dec

From the Heart

Louise Gibson

author of Window Wonders

                           Tee Cee

Animals are such remarkable creatures-
often misunderstood.
Were it not for their independent personalities,
Cats might be naturals for all sorts of jobs.
“Service Cats”, if you would.

So far, however, they’ve firmly rejected
any such callings.

All save for one.

The cat in question is named Tee Cee,
who has earned International fame
for his uncanny ability to predict
epileptic seizures of his owner.
Modestly, he answers to his name.

Ironically, the English feline had endured
quite a bit at the hands of a human who
stuffed Tee Cee and his littermates in a
box and tossed it in a river.

He was rescued and taken to an adoption center
where he became the pet of Michael Edmunds.
a man who suffers from an extremely dangerous
and unpredictable form of epilepsy..
The disorder causes sudden violent seizures
that strike without warning.

The problem is so serious that Edmonds can’t leave
home unescorted for fear of having an attack at
some unexpected time or place.
Edmunds’ new cat provided almost providential
help.

Tee Cee took a great deal of interest in his new owner-
particularly when he was about to seize.

This was remarkable, because Edmonds displays
no symptoms prior to attacks…or, at least, none
detectable by humans.

“We noticed that Tee Cee began staring at my stepfather\
prior to a seizure and then ran to my mother to let her know all
is not well, acting as an early warning system.”

Edmund’s stepdaughter, Samantha Laidler, told the BBC.,
“Once assistance arrives, Tee Cee doesn’t leave Michael’s
side until he regains consciousness, and his warnings have
proved invaluable to the family.”

The behavior was so unexpected that it took a while for
family members to make the connection between the cat’s
staring sessions and Edmonds’ epileptic fits. But once the link
was established the fame of the former stray spread far and wide.

In 2006 he was nominated for a prestigious
“Rescue Cat of the Year Award”-
quite an accomplishment for a feline who was once thrown
away as garbage.

P.S. Corky and Angel, my little feline friends, are holding their headsup higher, too. They may never receive public recognition for their loyalty or rescue service, but they definitely deserve recognition from me. There is nothing that will bring one’s blood pressure down like a purring cat against your legs or lying peacefully on your lap  They look up at me with eyes that seem to say “Thank you.  I love you, too”  

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The Army of the Kind

22 Nov 
From the Heart

Louise  Gibson

author of Window Wonders
                    

If you have compassion for the homeless,
and charity is on your mind-
You are enrolled in God's army,
called "The Army of the Kind".

To an animal lover
a homeless animal is a cause of great concern.
All animals need our loving care,
our affection they want to earn.


At the moment, I feel like a recruiter-
Won't you please "step up to the plate?"
Do your best to fill a need, my friend,
before it is too late.


Join the army of people who care-
Open your heart to the homeless everywhere.
A kitten's purr will touch your soul
Let rescuing God's creatures be your goal.

             Animal facts:
Cats have overtaken dogs as the Number One pet in
the United States.

Cats do a better job of lowering stress and blood pressure-and purring may have a lot to do with that.
All from a simple stroke of a feline fur.

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Feeding the Neighbor’s Cat

30 Sep

My Take

DiVoran Lites

We’re feeding our neighbor’s cats.

They live next to the woods,

Three black cats with yellow eyes,

Now, doesn’t that sound good?

 

The other stays indoors,

A brown Abyssinian girl,

She purrs and rubs against our legs,

And gives her tail a whirl.

We give her little tidbits,

Put treats down in her bowl,

She lies upon on her back,

And takes a little a roll.

 

If we could catch the feral ones,

they’d hiss and scratch and bite.

And when they got a chance

they would run away in fright

 

Too bad they cannot trust us,

Those cats with yellow eyes.

If they were not so terrified,

They’d  get a nice surprise.

 

Author, Poet and Artist

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