Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! This year of 2009 has seen a lot of somber things with the rise in unemployment, loss of homes, and loss of retirement savings. I am among the ranks of the unemployed; and some days I find that I am feeling sorry for myself; however today I will put that negative energy away and remember all that I have. God has been very good to me. Even with my lack of employment I still have a roof over my head and food to eat. I have a loving family and friends. I am active in St. Vincent de Paul where I am able to help others in need. I have to say that belonging to St. Vincent de Paul is a true blessing for me. Being able to help others helps me to remember that we are all brothers and sisters in God's family, so at those times when I feel alone, I know that I am not.

Today join with me in thanking God for our families, our friends, and our country; and as we thank Him for these blessings, let us also pray for peace and economic health. May God our Father bless each and everyone of us. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Shophia and me

She is such a ray of sunshine in my life. This little Norwegian Lundehund mix is a pup full of energy and mischief. I love her dearly. I cannot imagine someone simply abandoning this animal, but they did. I had lost my Jack Russel Terrier a week or so before. His name was Norman, I only had him for four years, he was five years old when my grandchildren gave him to me. As you can see in the picture of him and I (he is giving me a kiss) were very close too. I was sad to have to put Norman down, we struggled with his epilepsy for the entire time he was with us, he had a severe allergy problems and last summer we nearly lost him to pancretitis; he was never the same after that. Then August 18 he had what appeared to be a mild stroke. He was miserable. He wanted me to let him go. Putting him down was one of the hardest things I ever had to do. The emptiness in my heart was nearly overwhelming; we went to the Humane Society to get another Jack Russel, but there was no chemistry. I was standing by Sophia's cage and she came over to me brushing up against her cage for me to pet her. When the attendants took her out of the cage it was love at first sight. I filled out the eight pages of paper work and waited to be approved. Sophia has been a ray of sunshine ever since. She was only seven months old when we got her, so there is still a lot of puppy behavior to deal with, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Dogs, God's little gifts of love to us. Thank you God for loving us so much!

The Berlin Wall Anniversary

It was November 9, 1989; a day that I will never forget; the Berlin Wall was being hacked away by the citizens of East and West Germany. The horror of the Berlin Wall loomed over my childhood like a dark cloud. I grew up during the cold war, always in the back of our minds there remained a fear of total annihilation. Not a raging fear, just a small voice to remind us of our mortality. Perhaps that is why to this day I do not take anything for granted. As I was growing up I read countless stories of the brave men and women that risked or gave their lives trying to cross over from Soviet occupied East Germany into West Germany and freedom. The Soviet Union finally broke apart and the Wall was coming down. Unless you have lived during the shadow of the Wall you cannot know how much a miracle we saw taking place. The Soviets took over Russia in 1917 and spread their communist propaganda as far as they could, swallowing in it's wake all of Eastern Europe. Now it was over and all rejoiced at seeing the reunion of families torn apart by this Wall for nearly thirty years!

I have attached some photos of the wall taken in 1961. The LH picture at the top, is of the Church of the Reconciliation that was closed by the building of the Berlin Wall. The picture under it is a picture of the wall and the RH picture is of West Berliners trying to see their friends and relatives living in the East. Imagine that kind of heartbreak! I got the pictures from Berlin Wall on line. If you get a chance you may want to take a look at that web site. Very interesting. As you do, thank God that we live in the USA and thank Him too for the freedom we so richly enjoy.

The beautiful moon

I have been fascinated by the moon since I was a little girl. The full moon is my favorite, especially when it is rising or setting. I am awed at the large mysterious disc in the sky. I always call the moon at that stage a harvest moon. Usually I notice it in the fall season of the year; but I believe I have noticed it in the spring as well. I remember one beautiful trip to work crossing Sundusky Bay. Dawn hadn't come yet, and as I was crossing the bay the reflection of the moon on the water caught my eyes, it was so beautiful.

I no longer work in Sandusky, so I hold it as a picturesque memory. I see God in nature. It is His beauty that illuminates the night sky and I am privileged to be be able to see the wonders of His creation.