No excuses…just a different pawspective…

As always, I’ve been delighting in watching over my family.  Timmy Elijah is growing so quickly and he is

Timmy E brings laughter & smiles wherever he goes!

a constant source of laughs.  His gangly legs and puppy exuberance are an uncoordinated sight to see!  I’m beyond elated that Timmy E has been such a healing presence for mama and has restored her smile.

Wilbur is happier than ever with new energy in the house, although he still misses his big brother.  And Bella is…. well, her dog-like kitty self even as she’s gone through cancer surgery and recovery.

I continue to be inspired by the strength and accomplishments of my family and friends.  For the past couple of months, mama has been helping promote a new documentary, Sexy Baby, co-directed by two extraordinary and inspirational women, Jill Bauer and Ronna Gradus.  These ex-journalists had a nugget of an idea for a feature documentary, although neither had made a movie before.

Jill and Ronna with Tribeca Film Festival co-creators, Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal

Through their drive, spunk and tenacity, Jill and Ronna attracted executive producer Abigail Disney (yes, of the famed Disney family) and created a documentary that has the film festival circuit buzzing.  Sexy Baby premiered at Tribeca Film Festival and Jane Rosenthal, co-creator of TFF, introduced the film.  Three screenings were planned, but they sold out so quickly that a 4th was added.  And, my personal hero, Michael Moore — icon to all documentarians — attended the final Tribeca screening.

I am deeply inspired by Jill and Ronna.  Their motivation and chutzpah , plus a hefty dose of perkiness, aided in getting their dream realized.  As my loyal readers know, I dig perkiness and spunk and these ladies have confirmed that going for your dreams with abandon makes them come true.  My philosophy has always been that wagginess (sister to spunkiness and perkiness) is a huge asset in life and in business.

Look for my review of Sexy Baby later this week. (Spoiler alert: it’s an absolute must-see film for our times!)

Who’s inspiring you this week?

Today is a very special day on earth and in heaven.  It’s Easter, of course.   A day of rebirth and release from earthly attachments.  And, it’s also Buddha’s birthday… did you know that?  To celebrate, mama and her grandma (my GG) attended a special rose-petal ceremony at the Spiritual Center for Positive Living.  90 minutes of music, meditation and a ceremony of light and love left mama and GG in a state of blissful joy.

Following service, the humans joined more family for a relaxing brunch full of good stories, giggles and more love.  And, I must say, that mama’s aunt & uncle asked about me and wondered when they would hear from me again.  Overseeing their conversation, I was moved to make time in my schedule to put paws to the keyboard and reconnect.

While my human family was enjoying each other and good grub, Wilbur and Timmy were waiting at home.  Since Timmy is still a wee pup and can’t be completely trusted, mama crates him when she leaves the house.

Sadly for Timmy, he had a poopy accident in his crate and sat in his mess.  Laid in his mess. And, in a desperate attempt to escape his soiled crate, Timmy flung poopy pieces out of his crate and all over the room!

post poopy-puppy bath

Luckily, mama was floating in a fog of blissful contentment when she returned to a very messy, smelly puppy and house.  Mama immediately stripped down to her skivvies (no need to dirty her Sunday best) and scooped a very anxious Timmy into a warm bubble bath.  It took nearly an hour for mama to clean Timmy, the crate, his bedding, the floor and the walls.  And two sticks of incense barely made a dent in the stench!

I would like to think it’s my influence on mama that she handled this situation with love, laughter and gratitude.  Grateful that she has a wonderful companion in Timmy and no amount of stinky dung can dim that gratitude and love.

As my readers know, I had my fair share of accidents and naughtiness in my earthly carnation, and

mama & her Easter boys... I so wish I was still in her arms too...

today’s mess made mama smile with memories of me.

It’s been a blessed Easter for my family and I wish the same for you and yours.  What did you do to celebrate Easter?  Passover?  Buddha’s birthday?  The rebirth of spring?

This was posted on the Spiritual Center for Positive Living’s Facebook page yesterday (one of my favorite Facebook pages) and it has me feeling truly blessed.  Mama and I know some inspirational giants and I think they deserve to be recognized.

I certainly see greatness in all of my friends and acquaintances — it’s all in how you look at people — but a couple of people in my life radiate greatness in a extra-special ways.    They have light and sweetness radiating through every cell of their beings.  And I am inspired.

You’ve heard me mention cousin Velma and her dog, my cousin, Hannah.  Well, Velma is one of those peeps who makes you want to be a better person (or dog).  The energy and effort she seamlessly gives to others will inspire you too.

Velma and her mom (mama's Aunt Shirley)

Velma had a special birthday last week.  She turned 56 and she was born in 1956, so this will undoubtedly be an exceptionally special year for her.  Velma’s birthday is March 3, 1956 — yes, that’s 3-4-56 — extraordinary symmetry for an extraordinary woman.

This amazing woman is not only one of mama’s cousins, but also one of her best friends, confidant and inspiration.  She’s a wife, mom, sister to a 6 siblings (mother hen!), entrepreneur and ebay power-seller.  And she still has time to give of herself.

For her birthday, Velma wanted to spend the day doing things that make her happy.  Not an unusual birthday goal, but her choice of activities may inspire you.  Special Velma spent her special day handing out lunches to homeless families followed by an afternoon of karaoke at an assisted living facility.

I told you that you’d feel inspired!

Another light-filled being in our lives is my Aunt Lisa (mama’s dear friend).  Lisa is the embodiment of generosity.  She finds great joy in helping others — her family, her friends, her animals, her coworkers and her clients (cancer patients).

Aunt Lisa made sure she was with me in my last hours.  And, maybe more importantly, she was a comfort to mama as I was making my exit from my earth-body.  And it was Lisa, weeks later, who insisted on purchasing Timmy Elijah from the breeder to help heal my family.

Aunt Lisa with Timmy Elijah Love

A year ago, at the holidays, a friend of Lisa’s was having out of town family coming to visit and the friend was a bit stressed because her carpets were not “guest ready” (due to her pack of dogs).  Lisa’s friend felt she just had to be ok with the state of her carpets, as she didn’t have the funds to replace them.

Well, when Lisa’s friend went away for a weekend, Lisa grabbed the reins and hired a carpet company to come in and replace the flooring as a surprise for her friend.  Needless to say, the response was jaw-dropping appreciation!

Now you’re really inspired, right?

People like Velma and Lisa are earthly teachers and proof of Divine Presence.  We all have shiny, bright souls in our lives and I believe they are here to guide us to being better people, and pups.

I would love to hear about the shiny souls in your world!

Timmy chooses not to listen to hate-talk (smart puppy!). He know it's bad for his soul & development

Up here, we really only understand thoughts and deeds that spring from love, hope and tenderness.  What has been amplified from your world throughout the galaxy is not coming from a higher consciousness, but from the basest and least evolved characteristics of humanity.  And this makes the Big Dog sad.

Mama is feisty, especially when it comes to inequality, and I’m trying to convince her that these voices deserve sympathy and pity.  Her description of the men behind the voices would cause her to use more colorful language and I’m determined to curb her fire.

Of course I’m speaking of the push towards taking back women’s rights to their own bodies and health decisions by men of the GOP persuasion.  From afar, this is a very curious and disheartening turn of civil evolution.  The vomit-like spewing of anger from the likes of Rush Limbaugh is just another layer in this ugly scene.

Timmy supports and respects women. Why can't Mr. Limbaugh or most GOP men respect women?

I’m trying to convince mama that Limbaugh needs sympathy (certainly not empathy, as we could never imagine what it’s like to live in his oxycontin addled mind), and that’s a hard one for her to accept.  Sympathy for the devil?  Well, there is no devil, just small minds with character deficits who have the amplification to dirty the minds and souls of others.

Sympathy is called for, especially in Limbaugh’s case.  He’s an angry man who’s been married 4 times, has no children, doesn’t have an education, has erectile disfunction, turned to synthetic heroin for solace, is grossly obese and isn’t able to see any issue factually.  And he takes great pleasure and exudes giddiness when he denigrates women.

If a fat, uneducated, multi-divorced, foul-mouthed heroin addict, who can’t function sexually without a health-insurance-covered pill, isn’t someone to feel sympathy for, I don’t know who is!

This sick whale is clearly fearful of women.  All hate and anger originate in fear and his attack on women is just one more reason to pity this tainted soul.  Perhaps he had an abusive mother.  Or maybe little Sally in grade school beat him out for the kickball squad.  Maybe he was teased for having the dreaded “diarrhea of the mouth” disease.  Or for talking crazy-talk.  And I can’t imagine he received much positive attention from the girls in high school.

Limbaugh is someone to be pitied…. and boycotted.

Although I pity Limbaugh, I am emphatic that peeps stay away from his anger-filled rhetoric.  It’s a contagion and it’s deadly…. Your heart and soul might wither away.

Listening to vile, hate filled talk is poison for the soul.  Creating the space for sympathy for shriveled humanity, such as Rush, is a remedy  against the poison.

Up here I look after my family (which I also did in my earthly incarnation), and I hold other responsibilities as well.  I suppose by doggie charms hold greater value here and I’ve been to tapped to try to influence other earthly souls beyond my family.  Of course, all earthly beings have guardian angels (some furry) who attempt to guide and counsel…but unless the heart and mind are open, you may miss our direct signals.

I’ve told you about some of the ways I’m letting mama and my family feel me with them all the time — the subtle (and not so subtle) ways I insert my knowing into their daily lives.  Mama is all heart when it comes to me and we are both comforted remaining in each other’s presence.

I’ve been tasked by the Big Dog to influence specific peeps and pups, and my efforts are met with varying degrees of success.

I had huge success last week as I guarded over Bella’s tumor surgery and Dr. Nathan (Bella’s surgeon) felt me completely.  Of course he’s a vet, so it stands to reason that he understands the eternal nature of a dog’s soul and our participation with our families even after transitioning.

Timmy's helping Bella for me (she feels me, but needs a some real puppy kisses)

Bella is healing well and is acting as perky as ever even though she has a 3 inch incision on the back of her neck.  We received news on Friday that Bella’s tumor is cancerous, potentially VAC (vaccination associated carcinoma) and we will learn next week, after further tests, what her next course of treatment will be.

I can tell you definitely that it is not Bella’s time to move on and mama understands this too.  So, unlike when I was ill, my family is not worried.  They are confident that she will continue to heal and live her very full kitty existence.

I’m having a harder time connecting with some other individuals that the Big Dog assigned to me.  I remain optimistic that eventually, some common doggie sense will get through, but for now I’m having no impact.

You see, I’m trying to affect some change of heart with the seemingly heartless, and that’s a tough task for any furry angel!  I will save specifics for another post as I’m at a loss right now…just shaking my head in disbelief at the public attacks on women, their rights and their health that is taking place in the United States at present.

Furry angels & the Big Dog are all shaking their manes at the distasteful and cruel behavior we are witnessing.  Nothing dog-like at all coming from some of the male species right now… As I said, more to come on this later.

Lastly, my angelic duties doubled this week as I welcomed two of mama’s childhood favorites to heaven:  Davy Jones and Ronnie Montrose.  It’s a sad week on earth for peeps who loved music of the ’60’s and ’70’s, but heaven is rockin’!

Sending all FOA’s heaven-sent licks and wags!  I promise to make more frequent appearances… I miss you all!

Timmy E. ready to start class!

The school mama chose is called The Right Steps and was recommended by a number of chums plus our vets at Blue Ravine Animal Hospital.  The instructor, Cindy, allows only 6 pups per class — you can see this is very exclusive training!

Timmy has only met a few other dogs and mama thought he might be a barker, as he does bark when he sees other dogs.  As they were approaching the classroom, Timmy woofed at the other students but once they entered, he was completely silent.  Good boy!

Folding chairs lined the room and the class was instructed to spread out, giving each pupil a little personal space.

Max, an extremely hyper and vocal toy Australian Shepard, had to stay behind a screen as he was upsetting the other dogs.  Poor Max — he was just really excited to be there.  Next to Timmy sat a Golden Retriever named Bentley, who was so shy he barely came out from under his parent’s chair.

The other puppies in attendance were Sophia, a tiny miniature Dachshund, Rufus the Great-Dane mix and Sejean, a Husky who was the star pupil of the day.

Lessons for the first class were learning to “sit”, “come” and how to play nicely with new friends.  Timmy, like me, excelled at the social part of the class and he was eager (without barking) to meet and sniff his classmates.

Learning is exhausting work and towards the end of class, Timmy E was having a hard time keeping his eyes open.  He slept the entire ride home and even had a late dinner, as he couldn’t wake from his post-class nap.

Post-class nap time!

Mama and Timmy have loads of homework this week.  I’d like to help from my heavenly place, but to be truthful I wasn’t the greatest with my doggie school lessons.  I may even  have been the first canine to claim “the dog ate my homework” in puppy kindergarten!

Have you pups gone through any formal training, obedience or agility training?  I’d like to hear about your experiences.

Sending you peace, wags and heavenly love!

Didn’t we address this topic over 50 years ago?

I can dress like a woman, that doesn't make me one and I won't decide their personal health issues

Today, some members of Congress (all Republican, by the way) held a hearing about the recent brouhaha surrounding birth control.  This furry angel is concerned and pawplexed for a number of reasons. Why is the committee comprised of men?  Why  was the first batch of witnesses made up of humans who cannot give birth (men!)?  Why were no dissenting witnesses allowed to testify?

Women’s health issues being debated and decided by men — Sounds like 1912, not 2012 to me.  It’s like a pack of dogs making life decisions over a flock of hummingbirds.  I know that’s a strange analogy but dogs know nothing of the inner-workings of delicate birds and Rep Darrell Issa (R) knows nothing about women.

Religious fanaticism is on the rise within a faction of our society and even our government.  Stripping women of their rights to access safe and affordable birth control and abortion services is relinquishing rights that women fought for decades ago.

We’ve seen how religious fundamentalism from the government level influences society — just look at the Taliban.  Instead of burkas, perhaps these Republicans will have women wear “freedom frocks” or a “liberty wrap”.  Really people, these men want to control women from conception to death and this dog is frustrated, furious and frightened.

Men like Issa and Santorum are against insurance coverage for birth control pills and devices yet they must be just fine with coverage for E.D. medications like Viagra, since it has never been mentioned.  So, in their minds men have the right to get randier while women have no say in whether they want to conceive or not.

Women’s health is taking a backseat to extreme ideology.  To this thoughtful pup, rule of thumb should be if you don’t have a uterus, you don’t get to make decisions about women’s family planning and women’s private health matters.  Simple and obvious.

Little Timmy Elijah Love sees no love in the GOP's attack on women's rights

Friends — woman friends — vote with your lady parts.  Do not give away your own God-given power to make your own personal decisions.

I’ll close with a few facts from the Guttmacher Institute on reproductive health:

• There are 62 million U.S. women in their childbearing years (15–44).

• Seven in 10 women of reproductive age (43 million women) are sexually active and do not want to become pregnant, but could become pregnant if they and their partners fail to use a contraceptive method.

• The typical U.S. woman wants only two children. To achieve this goal, she must use contraceptives for roughly three decades.

• Virtually all women (more than 99%) aged 15–44 who have ever had sexual intercourse have used at least one contraceptive method.

• Overall, 62% of the 62 million women aged 15–44 are currently using a method.

• Almost one-third (31%) of these 62 million women do not need a method because they are infertile; are pregnant, postpartum or trying to become pregnant; have never had intercourse; or are not sexually active.

• Thus, only 7% of women aged 15–44 are at risk for unintended pregnancy but are not using contraceptives.

• Among the 43 million fertile, sexually active women who do not want to become pregnant, 89% are practicing contraception.

showing mama some love a few years ago... I miss being able to kiss her!

For us precious pooches every act, every breath is running through a filter of love.  You know all that fur that some dogs shed?  Think of it as furry fairy-dust, sprinkling love all over your house!  I bet you have a different perspective about your shedding pet now, don’t you?

John and Paul said “love is all there is” and they were right.  One of the marvels of my transition has been to commune with others who have left the earthly plain.  And, I must say, that I never thought I’d have the chance to witness John Lennon compose angelic love songs, but I have.  If you thought his compositions were grand down there, you should hear what he’s come up with since his passing!

Love is a snuggle.   Love is what I feel every time my tail wags (which is constant).  Love is the happiness you feel when a friend succeeds. Love is food.  Love is in sunshine and rain clouds and every blade of grass your puppy relieves himself on.

Timmy Elijah Love loves his brother Wilbur

Love is romantic.  Love is ever-lasting.  Love is your pack of friends.  Love is in your paycheck.  Love vibrates through the music you adore.  Love is your neighbor and even your enemy.

Love is Everywhere!

Love is waiting for you at the pet adoption center near you!

If you are considering adding a much shorter member to your family, there’s no day like love day to make

Adopt a furry bundle of love at your local shelter!

your move.  A furry bundle of joy is waiting for you — waiting to share his abundant love with you every moment.

Even though I’m no longer with mama physically, she feels my love constantly as I feel her love reaching up to me.

Open your hearts to the love that surrounds you, peeps!  I love all of my FOA’s and hope you feel that in the deepest part of yourself.

What does Valentine’s Day mean to you?  How do you define love?

I’ve been taking notes, and these are my initial observations:

Happy, energetic puppy!

• Timmy is so flexible and limber… ah, youth!  He runs and slips and trips and tumbles, all with a wag and a puppy smile.  Actually, “run” is not the best description.  He bounces and pounces like a bunny.

• Like moi, Timmy is food-obsessed.  Not a great quality, but typical for our breed.

• Timmy is a natural fetcher.  He loves to chase the ball and he actually brings it back to mama for another round…again & again.  He’s such a sweet pup that he often presents the ball to Wilbur, dropping it in front of him.  Timmy’s a natural born giver.

• I’ve always been an extroverted chap, happy to meet and greet anyone.  Timmy, on the other paw, is a bit shy around new people and practically attaches himself to mama’s leg.  I think it’s cute and charming.  Mama’s friend Karin calls Timmy “velcro dog”.

• Although a bit reserved when making introductions, Timmy is fearless.  He will push a door open
  

  Fearless Fido!

  without knowing what’s on the other side (something Wilbur won’t do).  He climbs and jumps with confidence.  Grandma’s backyard has huge granite outcrops and all of us pups love to climb on the biggest one and play king of the mountain.  Never have I witnessed a dog leap off the boulder until Timmy.  Instead of cautiously walking down the rock like a billy goat, Timmy took a running leap and landed in a bush!  Remarkably, mama had her finger poised on her camera to document this feat.

• Timmy is a love-bug… a snuggler extraordinaire, you might say.  He loves sitting on mama’s lap, laying next to her using her as a pillow and sleeping with a paw draped over Wilbur.

• Timmy’s puppy energy, curiosity, love and zest for life are contagious and my family is feeling joyous and inspired again.

Puppy love… it really is one of the sweetest love affairs any creature can experience.

I want to hear about your puppy stories.  Tell me what your dog was like as a youngster.  Or your cat (I never discriminate!).  See you around the water bowl, friends.

What's that? Something just zapped me!

You see, young Timmy channels some of my spiritual energy in a shocking manner.  Nearly every time mama touches Timmy they both feel an electric shock.  Some peeps would overlook this phenomenon as simply static electricity…but it’s not.

What they are physically experiencing is my energy…my electrical current touching them tangibly.  Timmy is perplexed when I do this and he frantically looks around for the source.  Mama clearly understands and with each charged jolt, she smiles wider.

We’re all made up of energy, right?  And just because I’m not on earth any longer doesn’t mean my energy has vanished.

I refrain from interjecting my energy when mama and Timmy are enjoying relaxing petting time.  Of course, I’d love to be in the middle of that love-fest but I understand that they need some special bonding without my intervention.  And this takes a bit of serious restraint on my part.

I’ve been cavorting with other furry angels and each has a special way of communicating with their earth-bound family.  Unfortunately, yet understandably, some folks are too deep in their grief to recognize the signs from their transitioned loved ones.  I encourage all souls to be open to messages of love from all realms…to look beyond their pain and open their hearts to the unseen.

No one escapes the loss of a loved one.  It’s part of the cycle of love — if we open ourselves, we are vulnerable to feelings of loss and sadness.  But the alternative is the only truly dead state.

FOA’s, I’d love to hear how you experience your transitioned loved ones.  Are you open to their guidance, support and love?  Do you have fear of opening our heart again to a soul who is physically gone?