24 April 2022 Why Do You Help Others?

April 24, 2022 by saymber, posted in Art and Poetry, drawing, Health, Leading Life by Example, Mental Health, Native American Culture, Nature, photography, Social media, Spirituality and Religion, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

Hello to you. It’s Sunday morning as I write to you. I’m sitting here with some coffee, two sweet boy doggies and my thoughts….a question for myself and you. Why do you help others? After reading Matthew 6 yesterday I am reminded to not blow my own horn when it comes to service and helping others which is hard to do in a modern world. So much of social media is “see what I did?” I guess it just comes down to making sure our motives are pure when we do things. It’s not about what’s in it for me or what am I going to get by doing things. No strings must be attached and that can be hard with how valuable time is to most people. Like my deciding to help set up church is my way of showing I care about the church I’m going to. It’s a small way I share with God and other people who care too. I’m not looking for praise or thanks:

Matthew 6 as you can see I have been to these messages a few times!

Matthew 6New International Version

Giving to the Needy

6 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them.^(A) If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

²“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. ³But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.^(B)

Yesterday I kind of scaled back the walks a bit as I was real sore and grumpy lol. The boys and I did manage to find a few things to share with you. Something beautiful I saw was a woman in a scooter out with her daughter. She couldn’t walk but at least she made an effort to go with her daughter and enjoy the beautiful day! I love seeing parents sharing time with their children like that. I thought of the phrase I say to myself when I saw the woman in the scooter, “it’s not what I can’t do, it’s what I can do.”

Let’s go for a short walk together:

Lots of poofy and healthy clouds yesterday!

Everywhere flowers are peeking out to be noticed

I love seeing all the bees doing bee stuff!

I saw this and had to share it! What a beautiful gift to share with passerby’s like me.

A furry arborist up on high. This little guy jumped like a flying squirrel from a tree next to it. The woman in the scooter, her daughter and I took notice!

Stay positive even if you are hurting – message for me and may be you too?

22 April 2022 Earth Day

April 22, 2022 by saymber, posted in animals, books, Home, human rights, Leading Life by Example, Mental Health, Nature, photography, Social media, Spirituality and Religion, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

Hello! How are you today? It’s Friday here and Earth Day. I kind of think about holidays of this sort like this: “Why just a day?” For me every day belongs to the earth….without the earth there are no days. This morning I am thinking about the first garden and the first trees:

In Genesis 2:9 we learn about the tree of life and it’s purpose

Genesis 2:9New International Version

⁹The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees^(A) that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life^(B) and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.^(C)

When I’m out walking around, as I’ve mentioned, I feel like I’m in a garden. Each tree is doing unique things to make it’s leaves. There is a tree that captured my attention and I shared with you that is now making tiny little red buds all over it even after making leaves. Some trees are still in the process of waking up of have no leaf buds at all yet. The purple flowers I’ve shared with you have spread to several yards….the two little wild pansies have become a whole cluster of them! In ever nook of earth “things are doing things!”

Last night before bed I was talking with God and as I spoke I realized I sound a lot like my Grandma Schmidt! I began to remember and think of her with so much love. She and my Grandpa taught me early on about nature and the connection of nature to knowing and loving God. She loved her garden and grew such amazing flowers! Big white Kennedy roses. I loved going camping with them. My Grandma Becker and I shared a love of trees. When we walked together she would show me her favorite trees who she thought of as friends. Each one expressing itself in a unique special way. I’m so grateful that the early people in my life taught me what a precious gift this earth is.

Everywhere I look I see intelligence….the wisdom of the master gardener of all creation. For me, each day I get to draw breath is earths day:

Every time I see these I think of the blue bonnets in Texas….I think of Sam. He was my little bumblebee. One time after he walked through a yard of blue bonnets, I later found one in our backyard!

I counted the rings, this one was about 8 years old before it was cut down….a baby in tree years

I mentioned to God that we hadn’t seen any blue flowers yet and the next day….blue!

This is howGod works with me lol – I thought there were just two wild pansies and God will say how about a whole bunch of them?!

Lots of tulips right now in various yards growing in many different spots

We got a little bit of rain again – I love seeing the sun peeking through the clouds

Smokey getting some time out on a walk – he goes a lot faster than Link does so not much time for pictures lol!

A Eden in our times – all the elements to life here

This part of our walk makes me think of where I used to go play as a child

Link is so patient with me and I with him. He likes to stroll which is great for when I want to get pictures

A couple messages from todays A Woman’s Spirit book:

In celebrating the good in me that was always there, I will continue to flourish. – Jill Clark

Improving a small part of me at a time isn’t too much work. Cultivating my assets in this way promises that today will be good.

Did you know:

The oldest LIVING tree is called “Methuselah” and is 4,765 years old. This tree is nearly 1,000 years older than any other bristlecone alive today. It lives in a secret location in the White Mountain range of eastern California. The oldest known tree named “Prometheus” was cut down in 1964 by a doctoral student.Feb 24, 2015

https://www.nps.gov › learn › nature

Great Basin Bristlecone Pine – Bryce Canyon – National Park Service

16 April 2022 Saturday Request

April 16, 2022 by saymber, posted in animals, Bipolar life, books, history, Home, human rights, In the News, Leading Life by Example, Mental Health, Nature, photography, Politics and Government, Spirituality and Religion, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

Hello to you. How are you? My thoughts this morning are all over the place to be honest! There is just so much going on in this world. The news isn’t good but I am trying to remain conscious that good things are happening. There are so many good people. For all of the awful we are being bombarded with at every turn, there is good. I remind myself that even though I am powerless to stop and change so much of what is going on, God is not. There will be justice….there is justice we can’t see with our eyes but know with our spirits. My request is God’s justice for atrocities such as this:

https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-zelenskyy-kyiv-business-black-sea-22d7279f32c15d4a7037a2195113fb57 – 900 souls

Philippians 4:6-7New International Version

⁶Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Todays message from A Woman’s Spirit is a great reminder about the power of time….it passes. Whatever the trial or tribulation we are experiencing we can trust it won’t last. We wish we could hold on to the good stuff that happens as much as we want to let go and forget the bad stuff….the length either stays is where we are empowered outside the rules of time:

Everything passes, as I flow with this river of highs and lows, I become calm. I trust my experience and the life force guiding me. – Ruthie Albert

Everything passes. There is perhaps no greater comfort when we’re caught in the throes of trauma than the knowledge that this too shall pass. We lived many years without this knowledge as we struggled to change the i changeable. Unfortunately, the only thing that changed was our level of frustration: it got higher. Now we know that we can patiently wait for a situation to pass. Nothing lasts forever.

The good times pass too, of course. We hope to hold on to them, but the same principle applies. The minutes tick by, carrying is to new experiences. What we need to learn will become known to us through both the good times and the struggles. They all will pass, having prepared us for the high and lows that wait to serve us.

I am at peace with the knowledge that everything passes. My needs will be met today.

————————-

Here are pictures from yesterday’s adventures:

Morning light trying to happen- “dwell in me Lord, be strong when I am weak…”

Setting up for Good Friday service at Millcreek Elementary School

I took this going in to help set up. In the evening one of our parishioners children handed me a flower just like this from the same tree. Children and trees…….

Lots of extra chairs in anticipation of Easter. The Good Friday service really meant a lot to me. There was a good turn out.

Something that reminds us of the pain Jesus endured

When I saw this moment I wanted to capture it for their Mom. I also thought of my Grandpa and what it must have been like for my Mom and her family to help Grandpa prepare for such occasions. These moments are so fleeting, thank goodness for cameras!

Gorgeous flower on our walk that I hadn’t seen before

Sweet beautiful boy we encountered on the walk. He wanted to come to me so bad but Link wasn’t having it! I hope he is home safe and loved.

My little bear Link getting my attention!

Found out yesterday that my brother Jerry is a Grandpa again!

This is one of the red tulips I shared the other day. More of them have appeared and I was able to get a closer look! I love the fringes on the edges!

Vanity….you would laugh at how many tries it took me to get this! Sometimes it’s nice to see a face that goes with words. I hope the best for you – no matter what things seem like now it’s all going to keep moving on. Stay focused on the helpers….do what you can to be a helper. Remember that no act of kindness is too small for God.

15 April 2022 A Different Kind of Friday

April 15, 2022 by saymber, posted in books, history, Home, human rights, In the News, Leading Life by Example, Movies, Music, Nature, photography, Spirituality and Religion, Television, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

Hello to you. How are you today? In a little bit I will be going to join some others to help set up church for tonight’s Good Friday observance. In light of what is being remembered, I’ve always had a hard time thinking of this day as good. A good man was tortured, he suffered and died on a cross with criminals. What could possibly be good about that?’ What I’m reminded is good about today is he went through all that for us….so we wouldn’t have to. He took all of the world on himself out of love for both his father and each of us. It’s truly a beautiful thing to think about someone loving me that much to go through everything he did.

Good Fri·day

/ˈˌɡo͝od ˈfrīˌdā/

Learn to pronounce

noun

the Friday before Easter Sunday, on which the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ is commemorated in the Christian Church. It is traditionally a day of fasting and penance.

Last night I was restless and wanted to watch something. I was pleased to find and watch (finally! My cousin and his wife recommended this to me over a year ago!) The Case For Christ. It was the story of author Lee Strobel an atheist who after a journey of discovery and love found his way to believing in Jesus Christ. The movie did a really good job of showing what having a believer and an unbeliever living in the same house with children can really cause disruption….division. Test a marriage. My ex-husband and I went through some of that strife. If you haven’t seen it and are curious, I saw it on You tube.

https://youtu.be/pBcNvSA1kNo – The Case For Christ (full movie)

As you can see by my note and the date I’ve struggled with sleep for a long time. This is another scripture of comfort. You can talk to God about anything you need help with!

Todays message from A Woman’s Spirit is a good one for what we are remembering today….forgiveness:

Work for justice. Struggle for forgiveness. Choose love. -Patricia Benson

Justice, forgiveness, and love sound far loftier than they are. Developing these qualities requires only that we live as we think God wants us to live. It’s as simple as that. Admittedly, when we have wanted to punish a significant person in our lives, we have often preferred “justifiable” anger or resentment over love. However, the emotional hangover that has followed the expression of our outrage has diminished any pleasure we might have gained.

Our inclination to forgive other people and ourselves, coupled with our decision to love rather than punish those who irritate us, seems to grow daily. Our changed perspective comes from our willingness to grow in recovery. We can be as peace-filled and as loving as we want. We’re in charge!

I will stay in control of who I am today. I can fulfill God’s wishes.

In all the mysteries of mysteries there is light both seen and unseen. Matthew 5:16
New International Version

¹⁶In the same way, let your light shine before others,^(A) that they may see your good deeds^(B)and glorify^(C) your Father in heaven.

https://youtu.be/y4CY3nf1Mvw – Phil Wickham Great Things (song)

14 April 2022 Comfort

April 14, 2022 by saymber, posted in animals, Bipolar life, books, history, Home, human rights, In the News, Leading Life by Example, Mental Health, Nature, photography, Social media, Spirituality and Religion, Television, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1455782752

Was this the mother of the baby I found? She was climbing all over the Willow tree like she was looking for something.

This passage helped me after my encounter with the squirrel. Tomorrow is Good Friday…I think of Jesus’s mother Mary – where is my son? Can you imagine her torment seeing what happened to Jesus? I think of Parents all over the world who have lost their children for one reason or another – especially suicide. I think at the core of what ails our children and us is how disconnected so many are from Spirit. It’s not just going to church or scripture…words! It’s action – intangible things as simple as a smile or hugs! There are alot of starving spirits in our world!

Hello to you. How are you? I hope this finds you well. As you can see from the picture of the squirrel that I had another experience at my favorite willow tree. I feel most certain that a squirrel can experience what we know as loss and grief. I could go home to my Bible but that squirrel has to find her own way to be comforted. There have been times in my life that I couldn’t find comfort or consolation. Nothing of this world….anything of the flesh could fill the void in me. Only time and things of the spirit could give me peace. The “stuff” of this world is meaningless if you don’t have the certainty of a relationship with the Spirit. Any comfort we find in material things is fleeting – it never lasts.

Matthew 6:19-21New International Version

Treasures in Heaven^(A)

¹⁹“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth,^(B) where moths and vermin destroy,^(C) and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven,^(D) where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.^(E) ²¹For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

As I see more and more about the mental health crisis going on I have come to believe it’s not just mental….at the core it is a spiritual crisis…..an emotional crisis. The crisis is an “inside crisis.” Start healing at the core of a person and the rest will gradually heal too….at least that’s been my own experience.

The message in A Woman’s Spirit today talks about letting go of our painful pasts to make room for joy:

Letting go of old hurts makes room for new joys. -Sefra Kobrin Pitzele

Dwelling on the painful past gets tiresome eventually, but some of us hang on to it longer than others do. However, seeing women move from the bondage of the past to the freedom of living in the present gives us hope. Once we let go of the pain, we discover far more joy in even ordinary experiences. That’s the real surprise.

We have heard sponsors say that when old doors close, new doors open. Letting go of old hurts in order to appreciate new joys falls into the same category. Why not fill our voids with joys rather than recollections of pain?

None of us know how long a life we’ll be blessed with. Accepting how tentative life is helps us decide to seek more joy and less pain. The decision is only the first step, however. Taking control of how we think is the necessary action.

I will experience more joy if I give less thought to old hurts today. The decision is mine, and I can make it and remake it if necessary.

———————-

Some pictures from the walks yesterday:

I didn’t do this justice but seeing the little tricycle near a sapling just seemed to go together in my mind!

13 April 2022 Keep It Simple and Letting Go

April 13, 2022 by saymber, posted in animals, Art and Poetry, Bipolar life, books, drawing, Health, history, Home, human rights, In the News, Leading Life by Example, Mental Health, Nature, photography, Politics and Government, Science (Keshe Foundation and other innovations), Social media, Spirituality and Religion, technology, Television, trust, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1454828924

Reminder to myself today and from my therapist too…too many mind!

Hello to you. How are you today? I hope this finds you well. These past couple of days, months….years have been so surreal. I was watching the news yesterday about the shooting in the subway in New York and what popped into my head was this, “look for the helpers.” When I did that I regained my personal power. I went from powerlessness to being empowered. I want to adopt this lesson with all the chaos I see in the world. Who is helping? Who’s trying to restore peace…order. Focus attention and prayer on them not those responsible for instigating the chaos. I pray for the instigators but have to let God work on them beyond a prayer.

The message from A Woman’s Spirit today is about the difficulty but importance of being able to let go. When we are overly attached to stuff of this world we suffer when things change….when we are forced to let go. We’ve all had a favorite “something” in our lives and the mere thought of letting that something go may have brought about negative emotions…pain. Just one object can symbolize such powerful emotions and trigger so many memories. Think about what happens to you when you hear a favorite song? It’s like we become time travelers going back to the moment we first heard that song – smells, sights, people, what we were eating and drinking….what we were doing. To let go is the fear we will forget. Hopefully this message is for you today:

The child in me says “Hold on”; the adult in me says “Let go.” – Harriet Hodgkin

Learning to let go is growing up. Whether we’re twenty-five or sixty-five, we have to learn to let go. We don’t do it automatically . The principles of this program can serve as a guide.

Perhaps we learned in childhood that if we didn’t want to lose our toys, we had to hold on to them. A pattern was set; we began hanging on to everything. But now it’s time for new training , for learning to let go of everything: possessions, people, attitudes, opinions. Patience and practice accomplish the growth we seek.

We must be prepared for backsliding. Some situations cry for us to hold on rather than let go. We have to be vigilant and forgive ourselves when we give in to the old urge to control. Being adult takes desire and consistent effort. The child in us doesn’t give in easily.

I have a choice today. I can handle all circumstances as an adult and feel free, or my “child” can trigger a confrontation. What will I do?

————————-

It was cold, windy and overcast yesterday but we did get our walks in:

Tulips have been appearing in the neighborhood

Hey – I hope you are doing good. When everything is ruff and confusing look for what’s good. Don’t focus on what’s bad.

Article talking about what they are figuring out about memories and the brain:

https://www.technologynetworks.com/neuroscience/news/many-brain-regions-store-a-single-memory-360560

A new study by scientists at The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT provides the most comprehensive and rigorous evidence yet that the mammalian brain stores a single memory across a widely distributed, functionally connected complex spanning many brain regions, rather than in just one or even a few places.

11 April 2022 Getting Well

April 11, 2022 by saymber, posted in Art and Poetry, books, drawing, Health, human rights, In the News, Leading Life by Example, Nature, photography, Spirituality and Religion, Television, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1452938371

Hello to you today. How are you? I hope this finds you well. Ever since I saw this exchange portrayed on The Chosen I’ve been thinking about it:

John 5:6

⁶When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”

In the Chosen they added dialogue to the exchange. When the paralytic started to complain, Jesus was like look I asked you a question. I didn’t ask who was or wasn’t helping you. Do you want to be healed? In my Twitch stream today I talk about this. In our world the answer to healing isn’t instantaneous or lasting like it was between Jesus and those he healed. No matter what modality of trying to heal you turn to in our world today healing requires you to do something….to buy something. In our hearts we desire the healing power of someone like Jesus. There have been miracles in our times but for most there is always something they must actively do to get well, to be healed. When I was doing Quantum Touch healing a lot of times it worked but what was interesting is the healing usually wasn’t of what the person wanted healed – at least not right away. The healing usually began inside – it was an emotional healing first. A lot of what ails us does have origins in intangible things that manifest into reality. That’s been my personal experience both as a person trying to help others heal and trying to heal myself.

Some pictures from the walks yesterday:

I found this bee on the pavement and moved it to the grass. I think the cold snap we’ve been having is a shock to everyone’s system!

These little flowers are out now – so delicate

Sign of the coming weather. When Aunt Ruth and I left church yesterday little pellets of snow were falling!

Every time I see this on walks I think of a burning bush like with God and Moses. So pretty.

I love seeing the creativity people have with their yards

There are many ways to interpret my experiences today. I will be flexible and occasionally look from another’s vantage point. – A Woman’s Spirit

http://www.thechosen.tv/app

6 April 2022 A Tangible World

April 6, 2022 by saymber, posted in Bipolar life, books, Food, Home, Leading Life by Example, Nature, photography, Social media, Spirituality and Religion, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

Check out 6 April 2022 Wednesday chat https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1448162389

Hello to you. How are you? I hope you are well. Today I got out of my comfort zone and went to a Middleton Woman’s Group. They had their first meeting at our local bakery called The Rustic Oven. All of the ladies were recent transplants from various parts of California like the Bay Area. It was interesting to hear the different reasons they left California. For some it was the politics and others stuff like the fires. It was a nice first meeting. I went from interacting purely in the digital world to interacting in the tangible world. I got out of my comfort zone!

I had an orange roll here was really yummy. Got a chance to meet some nice ladies!

Today there was a good message in A Woman’s Spirit:

We can say yes to life even at its darkest moments if we can see it as part of the greater reality. – Mary Norton Gordon

We glimpse only the opportunities that bear our name during any experience. We have heard many times in this program that we are never given more than we can handle. We can trust that this is true. We have also heard that God tells us only what we need to know right now; the rest will come to us when we are ready, when the time is right. That too we can count on as truth.

It goes without saying, then, that every moments experience is part of the bigger design for our lives, a design that always has a positive outcome. If we feel scared or confused by the changes in our lives, it’s only because we have forgotten that God is in charge of the plan for our lives. We can say yes and be at peace.

I know that what comes to me today is a tiny part of God’s big plan for my life. I am not alone.

———————-

Some pictures from my walks yesterday and this morning:

Matthew 19:14New International Version

¹⁴Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs^(A) to such as these.”^(B)

5 April 2022 Feeling Peace

April 5, 2022April 5, 2022 by saymber, posted in animals, Art and Poetry, Bipolar life, books, drawing, history, human rights, In the News, Leading Life by Example, Mental Health, Movies, Music, Nature, photography, Social media, Spirituality and Religion, Television, trust, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

Check out 5 April 2022 Tuesday chat https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1447098869

Hello to you today. I hope this finds you well. To be honest I’m struggling a bit today. The more it seems that I seek what’s good in the world the more the opposite extreme seems to try to get in my view.

I decided to watch The Chosen yesterday and I am enjoying it so far. The scene when Jesus heals “Lilith” real name Mary really touched me. When he puts his hands on her head and brought her peace she could feel I thought of that scene from the Davinci Code when Sophie touches Robert Langdons head. I thought of all the times Kyle used to do that to me when I was thinking too much. A simple and beautiful gesture…..feeling peace….relief from too many mind. If your curious You can get the Chosen app from the Apple Store. Here is a link: http://www.thechosen.tv/app or search “The Chosen”

Yesterday we got a little bit of rain but it was weird. Our cars all looked like they had been washed in mud! https://idahonews.com/amp/weather/adventure-starts-with-weather/milky-rain-nope-but-cars-in-the-treasure-valley-will-be-especially-dirty-monday –

“Are your cars dirty after the rain? The culprit is strong winds blowing lakebed dust near Summer Lake OR toward the Boise, Nampa, Meridian area,” the NWS wrote on social media.

Message from A Woman’s Spirit today:

My life is filled with the evidence that I am lovable. God has not forgotten me. Everywhere I look today, I’ll see a gift.

I know times are ruff right now but it’s going to be ok! Do what I do and be happy right now. Stop worrying about all that stuff you can’t or won’t do anything about. Be good ok?

John 14:15-31New International Version

Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit

¹⁵“If you love me, keep my commands.^(A)¹⁶And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate^(B) to help you and be with you forever— ¹⁷the Spirit of truth.^(C) The world cannot accept him,^(D) because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be^[a] in you. ¹⁸I will not leave you as orphans;^(E) I will come to you.^(F)¹⁹Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me.^(G) Because I live, you also will live.^(H) ²⁰On that day^(I) you will realize that I am in my Father,^(J) and you are in me, and I am in you.^(K) ²¹Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me.^(L) The one who loves me will be loved by my Father,^(M) and I too will love them and show myself to them.”

I Look To You – just the voice in song I needed to hear today. Beautiful Whitney.

4 April 2022 What Do You Want?

April 4, 2022 by saymber, posted in Animal Rights, animals, Art and Poetry, Bipolar life, drawing, history, Home, human rights, In the News, Leading Life by Example, Mental Health, Nature, photography, Social media, Spirituality and Religion, trust, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

Check out 4 April 2022 Monday chat https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1446211091

Hello to you. How are you today? I hope this finds you well….rested? Are you getting enough rest? I myself am struggling with that. What’s frustrating is as I am getting older I have to rest more frequently than I used to! I don’t know how it is for you but sometimes it feels like the body betrays us leaving us feeling powerless!

My thoughts today are about the question I ask myself and others, “what do you want?” The context of the question is about the world we live in. Your immediate world that you experience each day. Who and what are you giving your personal power to?

What do you want to see more of in the world you live in? Where do you focus most of your mind, body and souls energy? Who and what gets most of your personal power?

Lately I’ve been seeing a lot of videos on You tube from animal shelters and rescue agencies. They are finding and rescuing dogs that have been shot and left to die. One dog was shot while she was pregnant. Other dogs covered in oil, left in landfills and dumpsters…old dogs abandoned on a street, sick dogs left to wander. For a time I have been wondering if focusing my attention on such things is giving power to that stuff happening in the first place! I have asked God before if there were no rescue agencies and shelters would this horrible stuff still be happening? The answer is most likely yes and these animals would just suffer.

People take their powerlessness out on each other through horrific abuse and they take it out on animals. Where do people learn to be and do such horrible things? A lot of times they themselves were victims….they were taught and learned that acts of violence were the way to deal with difficult emotions and situations. The chain of this behavior has to be broken. Is that possible? Are we like some breeds of dogs born with a predisposition for certain behaviors? Is it in our DNA? If the right things happen that those violent tendencies in our code get activated?

What do I want? I want to see less activation of the genetic codes in people that make some aspects of this existence so horrible. We need to teach people at a very early age how to deal with difficult emotions and situations so that they don’t take all of that ugly out on the world around them…innocent animals and children.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emotional_intelligence – I think this subject should be taught in school

Emotional intelligence (EI) is most often defined as the ability to perceive, use, understand, manage, and handle emotions. People with high emotional intelligence can recognize their own emotions and those of others, use emotional information to guide thinking and behavior, discern between different feelings and label them appropriately, and adjust emotions to adapt to environments.^[1] Although the term first appeared in 1964,^[2] it gained popularity in the 1995 best-selling book Emotional Intelligence, written by science journalist Daniel Goleman. Goleman defined EI as the array of skills and characteristics that drive leadership performance.^[3]