No Walls, No Ceilings, No Floors

He ain’t heavy; He’s My Brother…

My favorite quote.  Just this morning, around 9:20 am, I was chatting with a dear friend about life and how we dearly value it especially when we fought hard for it. Makes me think of all those experiences I underwent, and still undergoing. He told me about how, as a young boy of thirteen, he had to work for his family, and how this has taught him the value of work and honest living. I cannot say more. He is a wonderful philanthropist who believes that a good turn deserves another. To him, anyone in need isn’t heavy; and he will help until it hurts. Honestly, I am inspired!

The Lord is my shepherd. I have felt the hand of the Lord in my life through people I have known, worked with, laughed with, chatted with, shared light and sad moments with. Life is never easy but knowing that God is on your side surely lightens up your load! When the going gets rough, the tough gets going ( the name of  the author of the book with the same title escapes me now). But toughening up is one tough job. And like any recipe with a secret ingredient, it’s putting in a lot of trust, a dash of patience, and a whole lot of love from the Lord that completes it.

And then, there are my friends who I cannot thank  enough, who through thick and thin, are here for me.You know who you are. Just having been given the chance to be your friend  is a wonderful blessing!

Meet Hermes, my Puppy!

Actually she is no puppy anymore. She came to us in 2003 no bigger than my fist. This newborn suffered from a heart condition that deterred her growth. But with tender loving care, she bustled her way into our hearts. it didn’t take her a day to warm up to us. Right away she longed for human warmth and of course she got more than that!  You should see her tap at our bedroom door in the morning, wanting to have a space on our bed.  Training her wasn’t a problem at all. She loved to be trained.  A bustling, loving, carefree doggie that looks at you with her puppy eyes begging to be cuddled! How could you say no!

Actually, I have had other dogs in my life who have joined dog heaven. There was Douglas,  Sly, and Jackie among my favorites. I cried a tubful when they passed away but consoled myself into thinking they’d be in dog heaven.

I have friends who own dogs and are just as crazy over them as I am. There’s Jean Lara from DLS-CSB who loves her dog to bits. When her Ping passed away, she took her pup and to this day they are inseparable. In De La Salle University-Manila, Pauline owns a playful dog who is adored by his son. Rubie S. just would not part with her dogs too, even if it means living away from her sister’s family. Luckily, an arrangement was reached and she has the dogs. Eden also  owns a big dog, I think a Labrador, which is family to them.

In Ibri, Sultanate of Oman where I taught as an English lecturer, I have colleagues who are passionately *in love* with their dogs and pet cats. There’s Laura, Tanya, and Alla. Once Laura and I were about to adopt a lovable dog whose owner was bound for Tanzania and could not leave their dogs behind. An English couple they were, but since we were going home for vacation, we could not take the dogs. We also left two cats in our flat to the care of our Omani friend, Said. Sally, Nida,James and William, colleagues also, are fond of other pets.

KVK,  Ram, a good friend from Muscat, owns three dogs, a Labrador, a golden Retriever and a German sheppie named Sandie, Betty, and the other name escaped me now. Would you believe he  personally sees to their care, house, bath food etc despite his hectic sched. Wow! Ram, do post your dogs’ pics here,  please!

To my friends who own dogs, they do add meaning to our lives, right! Please feel free to post your opinion, your take on any thing under the sun, even your dog’s pics here. Remember, this portion has no walls, no ceilings, no floors!