The pure love of a pet is truly a special thing. Dogs, in particular, seem to wear their hearts on their tails – the happier they are, the faster their tails wag. They don’t really hold their affection back – if they feel it, they show it. Hmmm….maybe we should be more like that.
The dogs in this video are definitely showing their true feelings as they welcome home their buddies from deployment. Warning: if you’re an animal lover – and in particular, a dog lover – this one’s going to bring a tear (or two or three or forty) to your eyes.
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Tell me your eyes didn’t at least water a little! Well, if they didn’t you are obviously made of steel. :)
Treatment #8 went very well on Friday. I had planned to ask Dr. D if he would re-do my CMP and CBC to check my kidney function again since it was abnormal when tested eight weeks ago, but then normal when tested five days later. The nervous side of me wanted to make sure the numbers truly were still fine. :) But I didn’t have to ask because he had already ordered they be re-done before I even saw him. (Smart guy that he is.) And I was thrilled to see they were all normal!
The video, below, was all over the news this weekend. If you didn’t get a chance to see it, be sure to watch it here. You will be glad you did. I promise.
Jack Hoffman is a 7 year old cancer patient with a brain tumor. He is a huge Nebraska Cornhusker’s football fan. During Nebraska’s scrimmage on Saturday, Jack got to not only go on the field, but take the ball and run it 67 yards for a touchdown!
This first video is of the coach and quarterback going over the play with him.
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This second video is where you might get a little choked up. I did.
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Yes, friends. There is still good in this world. Even though we are surrounded by cynicism, pummeled with problems, and overwhelmed by ornery, cranky people (at times) – moments like this remind us that good people do still exist and things like this big-little act of making a dream come true are what truly matter.
I have two warm-your-heart-and-make-you-smile videos for you today. I found both of these to be so encouraging and inspiring – glimpses into the goodness of mankind.
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J.J. Watt’s Remarkable Friendship
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Faith in Humanity Restored
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We are not all famous football players, but all have influence. We do not all have an opportunity on a basketball court to bring joy to a young man’s life, but we all have a platform that we can use to love others. That platform is our life.
Every day, we come in contact with people who could use more of our smile and less of our scowl. Every week, we cross paths with people who could use more of our kindness and less of our grumpiness. Sometimes, these people are in our own homes – they are our very own families. They are also our work families, the people we encounter in stores or at church, and while attending events or participating in activities each and every week.
Is there a mom who sits alone at your child’s soccer game every Saturday? I wonder if she might need a friend, or at the very least – a hello from you. Look at the faces in the waiting room at your doctor’s office. Some of them are so filled with fear they can barely breath. Others are exhausted from the physical pain of their illnesses. Would your smile and a kind word make a difference to them? I’m certain it would.
Nothing we do or say in this lifetime will matter as much as the way we loved each other. Reinhold Niebuhr
Let’s promise each other that we will keep our eyes open for opportunities to do good, be kind, and just plain ‘ole love on those around us. Some opportunities may be slightly inconvenient or might require sacrifice and time investment, but don’t shy away from them because of that. Those may be the people who need you most and those opportunities may be where you find your greatest blessings!
Stop what you are doing and watch this video. I’m begging you. It is worth every single second of the 3:28 it will take to watch it and you will be so glad you did. Kid President will make your day.
{If you are reading this in email, you may need to click over to the blog to watch the video.}
I don’t like to boss you guys around. I mean, I don’t mind bossing people around in general {grin}, but I really try not to be bossy with you sweet, wonderful people who stop by here and visit with me. That would just be wrong.
But I’m going to boss you today. And it’s for your own good.
When was the last time you laughed – the kind of laugh that you couldn’t stop from bubbling up in you? If it’s been a while, today may be your day!
This video is precious. The baby’s laughter is contagious. And if you’re not someone who’s into baby laughter (and who’s NOT into baby laughter???), this may convert you.
I dare you not to laugh.
{If you’re reading this in email, you may need to click over to the blog to watch the video.}
Would you like to be able to see into your future, to know how everything is going to turn out? Not me! I prefer ignorant bliss. {grin} Well. Not really. Maybe about some things, but when it comes to most things I just want to KNOW.
There have been numerous times since my cancer diagnosis when I wished I knew the results of the CT scan or the biopsy without having to wait. And then there’s the persistent question of when will I relapse and the cancer show back up?
You likely have similar worries and anxieties. Some of them trouble you so much they keep you up at night wondering what will happen and when will it happen.
When we worry, we think knowing the outcome would cause us to worry less, but that’s just not true. Knowing the outcome would cause us to worry in anticipation of what we now know is going to happen. It’s a vicious cycle.
I heard a song in the car the other day and the words of it spoke to my heart so strongly that it brought tears to my eyes. It’s Already There by Casting Crowns. As I let the words sink in and thought about the truth in them, I took a deep breath and relaxed.
When I’m lost in the mystery To You my future is a memory Cause You’re already there You’re already there Standing at the end of my life Waiting on the other side And You’re already there You’re already there
God’s already there. No matter what we go through, how hard the struggles are or terrifying the news is – He’s there. There is nothing that will happen to you today, tomorrow, or in 30 years that God does not already know about. He is not surprised by anything, no matter how horrific or earth-shattering it is to you.
He’s already in the midst of every good and bad day you will have for the rest of your life.
We can worry about anything and everything if we choose. Or we can relax in the knowledge that we aren’t going to have to walk through any valleys alone.
You can listen to the song, below. I pray if you are feeling anxious or worried today that these words help to calm your spirit and fill your heart with hope.
{If you are reading this in email, you may need to click over to the blog to watch the video.}
I’ve got two – count ‘em, TWO – pieces of Feel Good Friday material for you today. Bonus! {grin}
First up is the Cancer Statistics, 2013 report released by the American Cancer Society yesterday stating the rate of people dying from cancer has declined 20% overall (24% for men; 16% for women) from its highest point in 1991. Amen and amen!
This is not to say there still are not too many people dying from cancer because one cancer death is one too many, but this is progress and that’s what we need. The American Cancer Society estimates there will be 1,660,290 new cancer cases and 580,350 deaths from cancer in the United States in 2013. Way too many, but significantly less than 20 years ago and that is definitely something to feel good about. More details about the report can be found here.
Secondly, I’ve got a video for you that my sister sent to me this week. A musician was performing New Year’s Eve and his toddler son decided to join him on stage. This little guy has some serious moves! {I have no rhythm, so it’s pretty impressive to me that he can shake his little diaper-clad booty this well.} What a cutie!
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There is almost more cuteness in this video that I can stand! This little bulldog, whose name is Tebow (how cute is that??), is learning to walk and discovering that his head is a pretty heavy object at times. It’s a little long, but I know my dog-lover friends won’t mind. :)
{If you are reading this in email, you may need to click over to the blog to watch the video.}
I’m taking a little blog break, but instead of leaving you with nothing today, I thought I would share this fantastic video of a Alabama fan-dad getting a Christmas surprise – tickets to the BCS Championship game from his son! It really made me smile. Hope it does you, too.
— As an Auburn fan, it takes a lot for me to enjoy this man’s excitement about going to watch Alabama play in the National Championship. {grin} I think the best part is that he was pretty excited about getting the hat! Too cute. :)
I was hoping to be able to say by the time I wrote this that I was feeling 1,000% percent better than yesterday . . . but . . . that is not the case. I know it’s only a matter of time until these antibiotics do their trick and I am feeling spry as 10 Lords-a-Leaping! Until then, I impatiently wait. :)
Today’s reading is so short and sweet (just two verses), I’ll just post it here for you:
Paul, speaking to the Ephesian elders says, “And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” – Acts 20:35
In a letter written by the apostle, John, he states, “This is real love – not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.” – 1 John 4:10
If you’ve missed any of our readings, here are links to what we’ve read so far. Each link will take you to that passage at BibleGateway.com.
And for your listening enjoyment, here’s a fantastically beautiful video of The Piano Guys doing O Come, Emmanuel. The video is beautiful and the sound is so soothing. I love it and I hope you do, too.
{If you are reading this in email,
you may need to click over the blog to watch the video.}
RT @LisaRWhittle: People need us to journey with them through the valleys, not look down on them from the mountains. Hierarchy in humans is… 1 week ago
