Last week, Jasmine’s brief life came to an end.  She may have been around a long time (for a Chihuahua)  but our time with her was far too short.  Her last few days were a struggle, so I was actually relieved to see her go.  But, we will truly miss her gentle nature in our home.

I suspect she’s off to find my sister Rita, to get reacquainted.  Jasmine came to be "our" dog, when Rita asked us to take care of Jasmine after she herself was gone.   I can only hope Jasmine will tell Rita that she was much loved and well cared for.

Now she'll be able to hear Rita’s reply.  You see, Jasmine was totally deaf here on Earth--but, I choose to believe that is no longer the case.

You may see things differently than I do—you might well believe that only humans go to heaven—that dogs simply cease to exist.  As for me, I can’t imagine a heaven without them.

Please put in a good word for me, “Jazzi girl”.

This morning, I googled my old blog, and found it was still there (well, not there, but "here" and now evidently owned by Google).  It has been almost 10 years since I basically abandoned it.

Thinking of the passing of Jasmine (our loyal pet) I decided to see if I could reclaim this blog.  I've no idea if I'll post anything of value to anyone but me.  But, I decided I still liked the name, and that I would like to have ownership once again.

Stay tuned.

You Go Girl!

My daughter has finished college. She graduated magna cum laude and I couldn't be more proud. Since she was our youngest, we now truly face the empty nest. For a while, she's moved back in with us, but I know that is very temporary. If my wife had her way, it would be permanent, but that wouldn't be very much fun for my daughter. She's very independent, and I know she'll not be wanting to hang around us for too much longer. That's as it should be.

Of our three children, she is most passionate thinker. She (a liberal at this point in her life) and I (pretty conservative by now) have some interesting discussions. We disagree on much of the way the world works, but I have the advantage of knowing, while she only has the advantage of "thinking". I hope it stays that way for a while. Maybe she'll make a difference--you know--the bumblebee syndrome (he doesn't know he can't fly, so he does it anyway).

I hope she'll continue to listen to me--then continue to make up her own mind.

Special Story from a Veterinarian

He relates:

Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year- old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife, Lisa, and their little boy, Shane, were all very attached to Belker and they were hoping for a miracle. I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family there were no miracles left for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.

As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for the four-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience. The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away. The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion.

We sat together for a while after Belker's death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, " I know why! " Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation.

He said, " People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life -- like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?" The four-year-old continued, "Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long."

Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply, Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.

Some Thoughts from an email I Received

1. Birds of a feather flock together and aim for your car.

2. There's always a lot to be thankful for if you take time to look for it. For example I am sitting here thinking how nice it is that wrinkles don't hurt.

3. When I'm feeling down, I like to whistle. It makes the neighbor's dog run to the end of his chain and gag himself.

4. When I can't be kind, I try to have the decency to be vague.

5. Don't assume malice for what stupidity can explain.

6. A penny saved is a government oversight.

7. The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing at the right time, but also to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.

8. The older you get, the tougher it is to lose weight, because by then your body and your fat are really good friends.

9. The easiest way to find something lost around the house is to buy a replacement.

10. He who hesitates is probably right.

11. If you think there is good in everybody, you haven't met everybody.

12. If you can smile when things go wrong, you have someone in mind to blame.

13. The sole purpose of a child's middle name is so he can tell when he's really in trouble.

14. Did you ever notice: When you put the 2 words "The" and "IRS" together it spells "THEIRS"

Good Advice I Received from a Friend

Accept that some days you're the pigeon, and some days
you're the statue.

Always keep your words soft and sweet,
just in case you have to eat them.

Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in
the middle of it.

Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be recalled by
their maker.

Eat a live toad in the morning and nothing worse will happen
to you for the rest of the day.

If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.

If you lend someone $20, and never see that person again,
it was probably worth it.

It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a
warning to others.

Never buy a car you can't push.

Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time,
because then you don't have a leg to stand on.

Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.

The early worm gets eaten by the bird, so sleep late.

When everything's coming your way, you're probably in the wrong lane.

Birthdays are good for you; the more you have, the longer you live.

You may not be the only person in the world, but you may also be the
world to one person.

Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.

Don't cry because it's over; smile because it happened.

A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

Happiness comes through doors you didn't even know you left open.

Have an awesome day, and know that someone has thought about you
today..

EVER AFTER.....

When I was 20 years of age, I had been dating my future wife for two and a half years. Arrogant and self-centered couldn't begin to describe me. Ironically, I was so much so that I didn't even have a clue how I was. She was 2 years younger and (I thought) totally in love with me. Why not? I was going to slay all the dragons, and we'd live happily ever after.

Even at that age, I was one driven son of a gun. "Intense" is the word the counselor used 19 years later. But I'm getting ahead of myself. During our dating years, we both seemed to have the same idea of what a life together should mean. I'd get a job, she'd get pregnant, and we'd raise a family. Having both come from broken families ourselves, we thought we knew what not to do.

Our first two years of dating (and engagement) were proceeding just fine, I thought (but ignorance truly is bliss). While I was sharpening my sword, and polishing my armor, she was seeing more and more of my faults (and I do have more than my share of them). At that time, of course, I didn't think I had any. But, as I say, she saw them early on. And one day, out of the blue, she broke things off with me. With no explanation, she said she wanted out of our engagement. And with appropriate injury, I told her I never wanted to see her again. For 9 months, that is exactly what happened. Shortly after she first left, I heard a song by Don McLean that truly hit home--it described exactly how I felt at that time. The lyrics are below.

Empty Chairs
Words & Music by Don McLean
(Album - American Pie)

I feel the trembling tingle of a sleepless night
Creep through my fingers and the moon is bright
Beams of blue come flickering through my window pane
Like gypsy moths that dance around a candle flame

And I wonder if you know
That I never understood
That although you said you'd go
Until you did I never thought you would

Moonlight used to bathe the contours of your face
While chestnut hair fell all around the pillow case
And the fragrance of your flowers rest beneath my head
A sympathy bouquet left with the love that's dead

And I wonder if you know
That I never understood
That although you said you'd go
Until you did I never thought you would

Never thought the words you said were true
Never thought you said just what you meant
Never knew how much I needed you
Never thought you'd leave, until you went

Morning comes and morning goes with no regret
And evening brings the memories I can't forget
Empty rooms that echo as I climb the stairs
And empty clothes that drape and fall on empty chairs

And I wonder if you know
That I never understood
That although you said you'd go
Until you did I never thought you would

Now, 35 years later, I still know why she went. What I really don't understand, is why she returned. After a nine month hole in my life, she simply showed back up. I was so ready to be back together, that I never probed enough into why she left. I hadn't really changed during her absence--I remained driven and intense. To some extent, I still am today. Age, of course, mellows most people, and it's certainly done so to me. But, I've been transparent all my life, so she knew I was what I was.

Seems that during our separation, she had a chance to date other guys and see what else was out there. During that time, she didn't find a real Prince Charming, so she returned to her comfortable frog (who didn't realize that was all he was). And he was good enough, while she was in her "nesting" mode. After the children were here, however, she began seeing me again as I really always was, and started pulling away--slowly at first, then more quickly and completely.

Amazingly, we remained together (with much anguish and fussing). The children were all-important to both of us, so we both tolerated the situation. Hind sight is (as they say) 20/20. I don't think either of us would live through it again. But, that is now a moot point--we did live through it. Now, as the children move on, she is faced once again with the frog--and he still has all his warts. Since he caught and brought her all the flies during their marriage, she has little practice at providing for herself.

Now what? The thought of growing old with a mere frog must be frightening.