Don't try to "fix things". Just stand there with me.

Why is this so hard to understand? You can't fix it, just like I can't stop your pain. All we can do is stand beside one another with love.

One Day

One day.....I will look at my phone and see texts and messages received, without me having reached out first.

One day, the people I so faithfully check in on will do the same, without prompting or me checking on them first.

 

Halloween Cats, Kittens, and Fun Felines

A collection of festive images for October and Halloween ~ to save, click on any image to open a new window with a larger version. 

  

Welcome, October

May the month to come bring joy and beauty to your life ~ hello, October. Thirty-one fresh, sparkling opportunities lie ahead of us in chapter ten of this year - what are you most excited for this month?

So Long, Month Nine.... goodbye, September

I won't ever sugarcoat my journey, skip over the tough stuff, or make it appear that my life is something better than it is. September. Was. A. Struggle. An epic challenge-battle that exhausted everything I had in me in so many ways.

It's FREE To Make A Difference

To anyone wanting to make a difference..... please know, no matter what your circumstances, you CAN do it. I got up at 430 to take care of our own dogs, walked a couple of miles, and was tired by 9am. Been a rough couple of weeks and I DID NOT want to go to the shelter today, at all, but I felt I owed it to help the Monday crew that's been holding everything down the last few weeks, the folks that show up faithfully no matter what, so I went.

I Asked for the Same Respect I Gave To You

....and you disappeared, took a "time out", gave me the cold shoulder. All because I said "I'd like to feel that my needs/requests are important too".

Adopting and Rescue: Can Dogs and Cats Coexist Peacefully Together?

Cats and dogs, dogs and cats.... I've had a lot of questions about that over the past week as we took a little dog from the shelter to foster. "Lucky Charms" was a delight; we loved having him here as a guest, and it gave us chance to get to know him better and see more of his personality. No matter what they appear to be like in the shelter, animals in a facility, nine times out of ten, will act different than when in a normal home environment, so gaining extra knowledge to pass on to prospective adopters is a great help.

Letting Go and Saying Goodbye.....

One of the most difficult weeks this year....brought clarity and acceptance. On Tuesday I found a way to say goodbye to some of the things that have haunted me and hurt my heart and spirit; it's not all better, and some pieces of brokenness will remain with me forever.

Groovy/Retro Style Wallpaper Art

A collection of some of my altered images, wacky wallpapers, and retro/groovy style backgrounds. They are free to download and use, however kindly do not alter or remove our logo/name. Thank you, and enjoy! 

Let's Make This September Something Special

Let's make this a month to remember; encourage one another, uplift, inspire, listen, and care. The way our world has been progressing.... often it seems so full of criticism and tearing one another down, when we could all be each other's biggest support system instead.

Awesome August

This year has been about breaking the curse of a downward spiral....

 

Eastern Shore Threshermen's Show | Federalsburg, MD

There is something so powerful about spending time with simplicity; getting a close-up reminder of life in the past, along with spending time with the people who lived history.

 

Chapter 7, Day 31: Goodbye, July

It has been a time!! 31 days of hilariousness, frustration, fixing my mindset, laughter (not quite enough of that), being HOT, learning, listening, trying desperately to get back in shape, catching up with treasured friends (not enough of that either), and trying to remember that nothing worth having is easy.

It's Just A Convenience Store, But..... B&J Market (Salisbury, MD)

Sometimes the best places are the most unpretentious, simple, down to earth establishments. Have you ever noticed that? It's the simple things in life such as courtesy, great food served with a smile, and friendly faces that - as I get older - seem to be what I crave and delight in finding.

Empty Rite Aid Stores; Changing Retail

It wasn't that long ago that the Rite Aid stores began their move out of shopping centers and into massive free-standing stores; maybe in the early 2000's I'm thinking. Is that partly what triggered their unbalanced financial picture and led to the closure of so many locations?

When Your Progress Stalls

I hit a wall this week. A series of obstacles just started adding up; beginning as small things, multiplying, piling up, shoving me down, making me doubt everything I'd been pushing forward through the last seven months.

In the Process of Helping Others, We Find Ourselves

As I read (and re-read) this quote today, it reminds me of one of the greatest lies we have come to believe about helping. Whether it's helping people in need after a disaster, volunteering on crisis phone lines, lending a hand Friday mornings at a food bank, "helping others" is one of the greatest gifts we can offer, and also one of the best things we can do for ourselves.

A Little Beagle Named Watkins

A lot of emotions today while at the shelter. I can't help but be surprised (again) at the amount of lovely animals sitting there; some surrendered by their families, others found as strays and never claimed. For each of the dogs there, it is more than a kennel number or id code, more than a newly assigned name or description, and it is the empty space that comes after their new name or number that hits the hardest.

Adopt, Rescue, Volunteer, Lend a Hand: Animal Welfare Graphics (free to use)

Images for those in animal welfare, volunteers, people thinking about getting involved and making a difference. There is no greater need for helpers than right now, this year, everywhere; shelters are full to capacity, animals are sitting and waiting for homes that never come; and the list of intakes just never ends. If you can't adopt right now, maybe you can foster; if you can't come out and walk dogs at your local animal shelter, perhaps you can socialize cats, take a dog out for a day trip, spend time with them, help out in other ways, donate, educate, invite, and enlighten others about the overwhelming need for good people.