Wednesday, November 16, 2016

Our "Heart" rescuer....




You are the one who makes it a brighter day...
so don't forget to glow. 

  So I just have to take a few minutes and share a story about our
dog:  Saydee.

She was a "rescue dog" gifted to our daughter Starr, 
through a very dear friend.  
She has since been dubbed several different names,
Brown  Suga'
Hershey Squirt
Saydee, Saydee Girl
and most recently...
Heart Rescuer. 




" I owe thee much...far, far beyond what I can ever pay."
~ Robert Blair


So this little bundle of brown, came to us in the winter.
Her JOY is to bound through drifts of
that white stuff.

But if winter has not happened yet, she is just as happy
to romp through the woods, hell bent 
for the nearest puddle of 
rain water
river or lake. 

Her next attraction is to hunt down squirells
and those varmint "Pot guts"!
She will stand on point forever...waiting for the opportune
moment to pounce!
And then dig like a demon to chase them
out of their underground tunnels.

 

I guess if a dog could have a countenance the one word that would describe her is:  JOY!
She is pure determination in action, with a healthy
douse of delight!


God, sees what's in my heart, not the mud between my toes.

Saturday, March 5, 2016

WHERE 'ER THOU ART...ACT THY PART

I like me best when I'm with you~





Sometimes in the change of wind, we find direction.



So we are well into March, and I feel like I just cannot keep up.  I have committed to several projects, and yet when 4:00 pm
rolls around, I can't believe another day has
come and gone, and I am still stuck. 

I have been trying to write down stories for our kids and grands'.
My problem is, I get sidetracked to easily.  If you could see my
working space, you would know
that a very disorganized mind abodes here.  
Sticky notes from
hell to breakfast, and then some!










You may only be one person in the world...
but you may also be THE WORLD to one person,
(or hound dog in this instance).


I want to share a story of Zack, the dog whisperer.
He had a most faithful hound by the name of 
Bison.


Very appropriate for a Golden Lab, that at one
time got up to 110 lbs in weight.
His feet were enormous, and he had a shawl of 
fur around his neck, that you loved to sink your hands or
feet into.  
He benefited in the rub down...
you lavished in a fur that felt like warm mink.  

Anyway, this dog was beloved by all.
At one time when we were managing Mack's Inn Resort,
it was early evening.
The sun was starting to sink, and smearing everything in 
a golden glow of melted butter.
We were making our way back to 
the little cabin we lived in,
#55.  

Bison, had beat us home and was stretched out on the front 
porch.  When we hear a motorcycle approaching 
and then stop in front of our place.

Here comes this guy adorned in leathers, and dark glasses
with a camera slung off his shoulder.
He politely asks if he can
take some pictures of our dog.
His comment,
"He is the perfect poster child for this resort !"
  Well who would deny the request at such a compliment?

 
What you do everyday, matters more than what you do,
once in a while.


But it was true.
He had earned the right to lazily
adorn our porch, in the fading sun.

He was the epitome of faithfulness
and loyalty...and he came
by all of that through the efforts of our son
Zack, who worked tirelessly
in gaining this dogs trust, and obedience.
As his extended family we were blessed in this good work.

Everywhere he went he shone!

One day, Zack had him at Utah Lake.
Working through some commands.
Using the dummies, 
the whistle and eventually having him retrieve
out into the water.

A bird hunter, had hung around for quite some time and finally approached Zack.
"Son, I've been watching you and your dog the whole
time you've been out here today.   I've never witnessed
first hand the control, and trust between the two of you.
I would like to offer you $5,000 on sight
for this hound."

  (This is for a dog that had "no papers" only the obvious ethics displayed).


ZK, in that twinkle only he has,
calmly replied.
"Sir, he's not for sale, he's like my son."
 

And it was true.


I miss them both so much.
Bison, went first.  It was early in the year 2010, and so heartbreaking.  He had been a part of our family over  14 years.

At the time my thought was, "Oh no, they say this kind of loss and heartache usually comes in threes."

Within six months time, 
I lost my Mom, 
a wonderful Brother-in-Law,  Eli,
our son-in-law, Leonard,
and 
Zack.

So grateful I can draw on the great memories to
herd my heart, through the tough ones.




Our greatest glory is not in failing...rather
rising each time we fail.

STAY THE COURSE.

Saturday, February 6, 2016

If the road were easy...



If the road were easy...
you're likely going the wrong way.


I have been through a week of growing again. 
Funny how that happens when we aren't even trying.  :)
Started out getting used to my man being home around the clock.

  Our history was, I hated seeing him
off every Sunday afternoon, and not 
see him again, until early evening Thursday, of that same week.
We have been trying out this arrangement for the past year.
I thought I could handle it...you know just keep
busy, engaged in helping others where it was needed,
working on family projects, reading, going for walks, stacking wood, baking and staying busy in the community.
Because he had traveled a lot with his previous job, I figured
this would be just like that.  A honeymoon everytime 
he returned home. 
And it was, but
dang it all, this guy is my best friend, 
and we are both getting longer in the tooth, and well...
I didn't marry him, to see him, and
be with him, on occasion.  And so I started to dread Saturdays,
because that was the day before he would leave on 
Sunday, after church.
The last few months, I hid it pretty well,
and then everything came to a head, and I told him
that if he was going to keep working out of
state for four days out of every week,
well then we had to move
to where his work was...because being on the road
10 hours every week, was  eventually
going to catch up with him.
It's just the law of averages~
I did not want to get that "knock on the door" like 
we did when we lost our son-in-law
to a head on, a few years back.

***
We would be moving to where our kids and grand
babies are.  Our folks are both getting up
there in age.  It just made sense
to move where
EVERYTHING
is closer.
 
Five days later,
that decision was drastically altered.
His position at his job
was "no longer". 


 


The most beautiful people 
we come to know are those who have
known defeat,
suffering, 
known struggle, know loss
and have found their way out of the depths.
These people have an appreciation 
A sensitivity and an understanding of life
that fills them with compassion, gentleness and 
a deep loving concern.

Beautiful people ...do not just 
happen. 



When we moved to Island Park, over eight years ago,
we felt like we had been led here for a very specific reason.

***
 
We still do.
Even though we were on the verge of 
making a change...life happened.
Bringing that decision to a screeching halt!
We will remain here
in the mountains,
in our 
little cabin,
in the woods...until we can't. 

But I am not going to lie to you.  It has been an adjustment
getting used to having his "stuff" all over the house
again!  :)

It's been the greatest adjustment!
I didn't realize how much I have missed his non-stop
bantering, the surprise kisses on the 
back of my neck, 
his sweet kindnesses, getting my door,
grabbing all the groceries from
the car, before I can
get myself
unloaded.  Praying together, laughing,
sleeping in!  Watching our favorite movies together. 
Sneaking my favorite candy to me,
and setting down together for a light supper...or
no supper, maybe just popcorn!

There has been a couple of instances where
we have circled like querulous
old bears...but that
was just because we are both going deaf
and I got tired of him asking, "Huh?"
And so one time in
exasperation I yelled it out!  



  

So when the world says, 
"Oh just give up!"
Hope whispers..."try one more time."


I just want to assure you, the reader, that life is forever 
changing, throwing challenges in our paths
to see if we have enough grit to 
pick it up, an get 'er done!

Even though our children will be disappointed for 
a while that we are not in the same state.
I hope they will come to accept
the fact, that this little cabin is still a haven of 
peace and love, from the world.
A refuge from what's hurting the heart, or where, they just might need to escape and breathe, to wet a hook, 
to hike the hills, to build campfires, play horse shoes,
harvest wood for the coming winter, where good eats,
a warm fire, laughter and love will always 
be found in abundance...and where they will always, 
always be welcome!