Sweet things

On this rainy Saturday morning, I am snuggled up in the recliner with one of the sweet things in my life. I am very blessed and fortunate to have so many sweet things surrounding me. This morning, though, I just happened to be checking email, thinking about plans for my students, wondering if my ankle will feel better if I just get up and clean house, watching the rain, and thinking all of these things put some kind of stress on people. Then, my sweet Emma gathered herself up from the foot of the recliner, crawled up to where her face was as close to mine as she could get, muzzled her neck up against mine and sighed. I smiled, as usual, and gave thanks for such a wonderful gift. Then I started thinking about why Emma "hugs" the way she does. I get myself angry when I think about how she was hit by a car, had to have her tail amputated, and still has a scar over her right eye where she had a nasty gash. Even before we knew her, she had been through some turmoil that most beings would be very bitter about. But still, this puppy still loves and she loves with all her heart. So I got back to thinking about why. Why does she hug with her neck touching mine, even if she is in an uncomfortable body position? Then it hit me...her lifeline is connected to mine. The place on her body that is easiest to find a pulse needs to touch the place on me where she can feel my heart beat.

We sit like that for a while and she continues to sigh pretty heavily. I begin to wonder if I can ever be that content. I think what she is teaching me is to take the good with the bad. If her previous family had taken care of her, then I wouldn't be getting the sweet Emma hugs that I get every single day. Thank you, lord for your many beautiful, sweet treasures.

The power of friendships.

Today I was talking to a friend about something that was relatively important in her life when she said the strangest thing. Well, maybe "strange" isn't the best word choice but what she said made me really think about what I'm getting ready to share; maybe the better word is "perplexing". Let me start over.
Today, I was talking to a friend about something relatively important in her life when she perplexed me by saying, "Don't feel obligated", to do something with her.
I think the word "obligated" is what caught my attention.

I then explained to my friend that I was not obligated to do anything at all, however, i consider this person a true friend and choose to sit beside her, or cry with her, or laugh with her, or deal with anything that comes her way because I am her friend. This is what I consider friendship.

Friendships don't require obligations. Obligations are those things that you feel guilty about if you don't do them. I wouldn't feel guilty if I didn't stand beside or behind my friend; I just wouldn't feel like a friend.