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| << May21, 2006 - Hearts and Humor - The Learning Tree and The Sun Has Risen |
June02, 2006 - Hearts and Humor >> |
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HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY, Everyone! For those in Canada, HAPPY VICTORIA DAY! I hope you are enjoying your weekend. I want to start off by sayng, I'm sorry for the lack of stories last week. I was unusually busy. I have a new and wonderful story for you today. I received an email from one of my readers, Tom, after I posted the story about Chopper, the running dog. Tom told me of a most courageous friend of his - Chris-T-Fur. I wrote the story through Tom's eyes, to give it the personal effect it needs. I hope you enjoy it. Because I was slack last week, I am including two links for you to visit on this Holiday. One is from my friend, Bob Perks. I'm sure many of you are familiar with his writings. Bob wrote a wonderful poem for our servicemen. It's called "When You Come Home." He recorded it in NYC a while back for Beliefnet. They added pictures to view as you listen to Bob Read. It is very touching. I ask you to please visit: http://www.beliefnet.com/story/192/story_19216_1.html If you do not already receive Bob's writings, I urge you to do so. He is an angel with a keyboard. The second treat is a song written by Diamond Rio, called: In God We Trust. They were hesitant to sing this song, but the response they received from fans is amazing. You won't hear it on the radio. It is banned - not politically correct. You be the judge. You can hear the song at this link: http://www.ingodwestilltrust.com/listen.html This weekend, Ginny and I celebrated our second anniversary. I feel so blessed to have her in my life. Yesterday, we went into Manhattan and into Little Italy for lunch. We didn't know it, but Memorial Day Weekend is the beginning of their Italian Festival. Ginny and I experienced a great afternoon and great food. After lunch we went to Central Park and did some bird watching in the area called The Ramble. It is hard to believe such a large variety of birds live in the center of one of the largest cities in the world. We had the thrill of seeing a Baltimore Oriole. Neither of us has ever seen one before. Now for today's story: Chris-T-Fur The litter of puppies snuggled close to their protective mother. With her nourishment, they grew quickly. In a few weeks, they were waddling around, exploring their new home. They were healthy and happy, but one little guy was different. He was smaller and was developing at a much slower rate. We called him Chris-T-Fur. Chris-T-Fur tried to keep up with his brothers and sisters, but always fell behind the pack. He'd run in their direction, but would slam into the walls and furniture. We grew concerned and had him examined. The vet said, "I'm sorry, Tom. Chris-T-Fur is blind. His left eye is totally defective, and he has a juvenile cataract in his right. He may have a little vision in his right eye, but it isn't much. You need to make a decision." My wife and I both work with people who have disabilities. She is a physical education teacher for severely disabled children. I work with adults with hearing loss. Our little Chris-T-Fur deserved as much of a chance as anyone. "Doc, we'll take him home and love him as much as our other dogs." Chris quickly worked his way into our hearts - a special kinship was formed. Later, Chris-T-Fur developed a seizure disorder. After a seizure, he has to walk it off. He walks all over the house, bumping into everything. Chris-T-Fur soon learned the sound of my car. He hears me coming and runs down the driveway - headfirst into the metal gate. It's a wonder he still has a nose. "Go back to the house, Chris." I'll tell him. He turns and runs back up the driveway, bouncing off the brick wall, using it as his guide. On outings, he runs with the other dogs, barking at things he cannot see. He runs into fences, bushes, trees, and even over banks. Does it slow him down? No! Chris-T-Fur gets up - a little dazed - shakes it off, and continues the pursuit. He wants to be part of the pack. The other dogs have become intolerant of him lately, especially when they are settled down with a bone or treat. When he walks by, they growl or snap at him. They don't understand, he can't see their bone. He has his own treat and is looking for it. At night, I sit to work at my computer. Within a few minutes, I hear Chris-T-Fur enter the room. He sniffs the air, detects where I am, and soon I'll hear the familiar thud, as he bumps into my chair. I turn, scratch him behind his ears; give him a couple of pats on his head, and show him all the love I feel for him. He then wanders off to another part of the house. At dinner, I purposely drop a few "Kibblesİ" on the floor. Chris-T-Fur is quick to hear the sound. With a few sniffs of his over sensitive nose, he can locate his treat. In spite of all his disabilities, Chris-T-Fur is a happy dog. He is friendly and always ready to be my companion. He's my hero. He doesn't have a pedigree, but he's top dog in my books. One day, I know I'll have a void in my life, where Chris-T-Fur used to be. Until then, I have a daily reminder that the struggles I face are insignificant compared to what others deal with. Chris-T-Fur knows, if you get knocked down, pick yourself up, and brush yourself off. He's taught me how important it is to keep a positive attitude. Michael T. Smith Feel free to share my stories. I only ask that you include the contact information with it. It helps me gain more wonderful members. To subscribe to "heartsandhumor" visit http://subs.zinester.com/86758/ http://subs.zinester.com/86758 http://archives.zinester.com/86758 http://www.zinester.com/cgi/unsub.cgi?86758&0& |
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| << May21, 2006 - Hearts and Humor - The Learning Tree and The Sun Has Risen |
June02, 2006 - Hearts and Humor >> |
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