~Influence~ (Five Minute Friday)

Influence

My parents’ love and care for animals when I was growing up, has influenced me to value them and see them as an important part of creation. My dad was a gentle man who was always kind to animals. He never kicked a dog or was rough with any animals (or people). My mom has the softest spot for animals. I’m sure she gives them human qualities without even thinking about it!

This past week my husband and I were away for a week, visiting my elderly mother and other family and friends in Alberta, about an 8 hour drive from where we live. I had asked a good friend in my semi-rural neighbourhood if she would watch our little chihuahua Enzo. She happily agreed. She is a kind and caring person, so I had no qualms. In fact, this isn't the first time she’s helped me out in this way. As everyone in my family knows, Enzo is a big part of our family. He was a rescue dog at one point. It’s a long story, but let’s just say, we love him to bits and he’s a little coddled, haha!

Midweek, my girlfriend called me on my cell.  I knew something was up. “Enzo is lost!”, she said, obviously quite upset. Enzo is not an outdoor dog by any stretch. He wouldn’t survive long in our Canadian winter. “He bolted when my son let him outside, after I left to go to yoga”. She had scoured the neighbourhood.

Now, Enzo has never bolted before. He was obviously distressed at my friend leaving without him, I surmised.  I gave her the name of our vet clinic (which was on the dog tag), and asked her to call them.

My mom was with me when I heard the news. “Oh no!” she gasped. I felt sick.  My first response was to quietly pray and then text other family members as well, via WhatsApp (they all know Enzo). Her first response was to pray audibly, right then.

Happy Ending! Within minutes, my friend texted me back and said that she had called my vet. A kind soul in our neighbourhood had found Enzo and taken him to the clinic, where he was waiting to be picked up.

My mom and I hugged (and I may have shed a few tears).

My mom’s influence in my formative years has given me a firm foundation that God is interested in all that goes on in our lives, including the ‘little things’ like little lost pets, lost keys, or an available parking spot.

a loved dog

a tiny dog! 

This post is part of the Five Minute Friday community.   (I'm a day late, I know!) You are welcome to join in, too!

~Share~ (Five Minute Friday Freewrite)

I’ve  joined the 31 Days of Five Minute Freewrites. Read more about it here.

Today's prompt was a bit of a challenge. It's been a busy day and I haven't had time to sit down for too long! Hopefully it makes sense! ;)

Day 5 Share 

Learning to share is one of the first lessons we want to teach our children. We want them to be socialized and that means they must learn how to let others use or borrow what belongs to them. Recently I overheard a conversation on a podcast regarding sharing. One mom would always ask her young child whether there was one special toy that she didn’t feel comfortable sharing that day and put it out of sight before her friend arrived, so that her visiting playmate wouldn’t be tempted to play with it. As I pondered this, I thought that it was a wise move and respectful of the child. 

 How many of us want to share EVERYTHNG we own with others all the time? How many of us have ever purchased a dark chocolate bar and hidden it behind the pickle jar in the fridge, so that we could enjoy it on our own, because we really didn’t want to share it with anyone? I have! Of course, if this becomes a pattern, there may be other issues at play (chocaholic!)

Seriously, as a rule, the key is to live a lifestyle of generosity. These could be with things, time, money, and even ourselves and our thoughts.  But sometimes our belongings are too special to share with others. We have to respect how we feel. 

Sitting in a circle with others, being asked to go around clockwise and share one after the other, is an example of forced sharing. That really doesn’t work for me, with my personality. Sharing, to come from the heart, must be volunteered, not forced. Give me freedom to respect and be myself and I’ll be happy to share.

What do you think?

Photo by Jelleke Vanooteghem on Unsplash

~ Rain ~ (Five Minute Friday)

Rain. All of us experience rain in our lives, metaphorically speaking. When the storm clouds threaten, we might even see the ominous sheets of rain from a distance, knowing that they're moving our way and soon we will be in the middle of the mess, soaking wet. Or perhaps, we find some sort of shelter that keeps us from experiencing the worst of it. 

Rain. It is a gift as well. Who doesn't love to watch seeds sprout and grow into plants? Who doesn't love to walk  barefoot on a thick, green, healthy lawn? Who doesn't love the fragrance after the rain? Without rain, none of this would happen. 

I love to camp, and it's funny that we always hope it won't rain when we go on a holiday. But, you know, there's nothing better than seeing the sun break out after a downpour, and inhaling deeply of the fresh air after the rain. 

I've decided to join the Five Minute Friday link up, and this post is my contribution. :)

The Journal Inward

I've been enjoying an online  'Journaling for Creative Growth' course  these past few weeks. I've journaled quite a bit over the years, and for a while kept Morning Pages (which I have picked up again). These exercises were along the same line as that, but more varied and focused, with the goal of gaining personal insights. Interesting stuff! This course is just a first step into serious writing for creative growth,  but it's rekindled my interest in journaling with a purpose. And maybe even memoir writing (my daughter would be happy to hear that!)

One of the exercises we completed was The Unsent Letter. Yes, I've written letters over the years to people I was angry with, and then promptly tore the letters up. Yes, that felt good and it helped to get thoughts on paper and mind uncluttered. So it wasn't all new to me.

For this particular exercise,  we were encouraged to choose a person, an entity, an event, or even our younger selves - something that's been weighing heavy in our thoughts recently -  and to write for 20 minutes without stopping, an 'emotional download' of sorts, uncensored. I had someone in mind and had no trouble spending 20 minutes writing. This really allowed me to clean up my poor ol' brain. Sometimes thoughts are much like a tangled mess of yarn! Then, when that was done, we were encouraged to write a letter back to ourselves from the one we had written to. Now THAT was interesting. How was I to know how this person would respond to my letter? But, I set my preconceived ideas aside (as much as I could) and began writing. Interestingly, I found it helpful. I was able to see a little more clearly from their point of view.

Have you ever written an unsent letter, uncensored?

Do you journal? Do you use writing prompts to help you grow creatively? Got any book recommendations?

A few of my faves:

December Blogging

I came across this on one of the blogs I read and thought it would be great inspiration to blog through the month of December. No pressure to blog every day, but hopefully more often than not. Anyone care to join me?

I can feel the pressure building up of all the things I have to and want to accomplish before Christmas arrives. Hopefully in the next day or so I will make up some sort of schedule or guide to help me be realistic in what will and won't get done.

Today we put up our Christmas lights! :)